Public Sector Displeasure

The following is a poem about an interview process prom a cynical perspective. It addresses a displeasure in the HR process. The authors of Berman et al. (2010) intended for their readers to apply the information presented to a changing workforce with a progressive course of action. There are challenges in public sector human resource management however, managers will need to be innovative and invigorate change. It will be hr managers responsibility to restore faith in the public sector.
"The entire range of an agency's human resource functions - selection, recruitment, position management, compensation, training, appraisal, and labor- management relations - must be aligned with the norms of democratic culture if the dilemmas and contradictions discussed.. are to be resolved." (Berman et al. 2010).
The authors discourage that future managers accept what has always been, but take action, shape the labor force and prevent experiences such as the following:

The Human Resource: View from a Cynic (a poem)
© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
I’ve got your application here.
You’re a Minneapolis native?
I ask these things as "need to know."
You see, here, we’re "participative"!
Your predecessor’s out the door.
Problems too numerous to mention.
Listen to me and you’ll be fine,
And you’ll be here to get your pension.
I want weekly status reports.
Fully describe how your past week went.
Tell me all your work planned and done,
And, oh yeah, “practice empowerment”!
You’re empowered – apply yourself!
But do everything that I tell you!
If you don't, you’ll feel it later
When I do your performance review!
See H.R. for the forms to sign
And later I'll show you the budget.
And after some experience,
Then I’ll show you how to, ah, “fudge” it.
Know the key factors in your life:
The Company’s sales and production,
Its net income, its marketshare –
And understand "globalization"!
And, understand customers' needs.
Yes, always give what must be given!
You simply have to, there's no choice.
You see, here, we're "customer-driven"!
Between you and your employees,
Always “honor the new covenant.”
If they doubt you, and you need help:
Organization development!
Yes, if you’re stuck, they’ve courses in
Whatever you think you are needing.
Courses in time or stress management,
Team building – or even in Leading!
Our consultant says, “We must change,
And let ‘change’ be our incantation
If we’re to meet our grandest goal:
To ‘transform our organization’.”
That damn H.R.! Their latest fad?
“To appreciate diversity!”
(You’re short on your quotas, you know,
So, now, bring in more minorities!)
Yes, we have “soul in the workplace,”
But don’t let your feelings delay us!
Our company's ever-onward,
And doing it, “thriving on chaos!”
You can be here from "womb to tomb" –
You just take what The Company gives!
Commit yourself to its mission,
To its strategies, its objectives!
Yes, dot your "i"s and cross your "t"s
In all documents signed, filed or sent.
With luck and visibility,
You, too, can make Middle Management!
Me? Met one of my MBOs:
I computed the budget today.
Planned more than I ever needed
So my year-end spending is OK.
I “continuously improve”!
I bought all these new books off the shelf.
I took the time and scanned them some,
Then promptly “reinvented myself.”
I have my MBA, you know.
Yes, I can take pride in my leisure!
But, there's always something to do,
A new policy, new procedure ...
Sometimes I wish I could relax,
Take a minute and do what I please ...
But then we’d lose sight of our goal:
To compete like those damn Japanese!
Well, that’s all for today. I’m done.
You can go now. This is a good start.
Have any questions, just ask me,
Over you, right here on this org chart ...

http://managementhelp.org/personalwellness/cynicism/view-from-a-cynic.htm

Compensation

Compensation plays a large role in employee motivation, job moral, retainment, recruitment and multiple other human resource processes. Compensation is the direct exchange of services given by employees and has a large impact on their lives. In the public sector, the non-profit industry,  it would be interesting to see which public service jobs are said to pay the highest and whether this reflects the amount of work employees are actually putting in. Compensation can be a touchy subject in the non-profit sector, especially during this time where there are constant budget cuts, downsizing and little job security, yet we are seeing high paid managers and public officials. So who does the bulk of the work? Who makes the most impact? And who deserves the most pay? The following article presents the highest paid public service positions on average. It is ironic to see that office and clerical positions are paid less that blue collar positions that require less education. One would think it would be the opposite, (not counting over paid public officers). But the amount of work these individuals put in should be merited and when examined, each position most directly affect the lives of the public.

 

7 High-Paid Public Service Jobs

Posted: July 25, 2011 8:58AM by Janet Fowler

 

Through much of the recession, individuals working in public service jobs have enjoyed greater job security than many employees in the private sector. Given some of the recent information coming out of Wisconsin and California, it's no wonder that some people are questioning how and why some public service workers are being paid such hefty wages for jobs that would pay much less in the private sector - some positions which may even require relatively little skill. Considering that the national average salary is around $41,000 per year, some public service jobs pay far more than that and typically come with good benefits, regular pay increases and job security. (Focusing on salary may be a mistake. Find out which benefits have the highest long-run payoff.
Public Transit AttendantIn larger cities with significant subway systems, those conductors and attendants working on the platforms are almost definitely earning a wage that exceeds the national average. The average annual salary for a subway conductor or engineer is about $62,000 per year. That's a pretty impressive wage at roughly 51% more than the national average. Though no one would deny the value of keeping the city moving, one has to consider that many public transit attendants are probably earning more than many of the individuals they're transporting to and from work each day.
Prison Medical StaffThere are several instances of doctors, psychiatrists and dentists in prisons earning outrageous salaries. One surgeon in a California prison is reported to have earned $775,000, while another doctor in a California prison apparently earned $784,596 including bonuses, overtime and other forms of compensation. One of California's prison psychologists is reported to have earned $737,057. Another of California's prisons paid a dentist $621,971, again covering unused benefits that the employee had accrued over time.
California TeachersTeachers require post-secondary education, and there is no doubt that this is a valued profession. However, teachers in California are the highest paid in the nation. According to Payscale.com, the average elementary school teacher earns approximately $40,058 per year, and the average high school teacher earns $43,368 per year. These figures fit right in with the national average yearly salary. However, in the state of California, the average teacher earns $59,825 annually. That is roughly 38% more per year than the average high school teacher is earning in much of the rest of the country, and about 46% more than the national average annual salary - these figures certainly make teaching a more appealing career choice, especially in the state of California.
Toll-Booth AttendantToll-booth attendants are reported to earn an average annual salary of $45,000 per year. This salary exceeds the national average, which is notable considering that this job is relatively low-skilled and requires no post-secondary education. It is also reported that the highest paid toll-booth operator salary in Maine in 2009 was $76,219, which is an impressive 85% more than the national average annual salary.
Fire ChiefThough this job certainly does require a lot of training, experience and exposure to the obvious dangers associated with fire-fighting, once you work your way up through the ranks to fire chief, you'd be looking at a fairly hefty salary. The median annual salary for fire chiefs is between $73,435 and $95,271 per year, with a benefits package in addition to that.
Trash CollectorIt's unlikely that kids grow up dreaming of becoming trash collectors, but the average annual salary certainly may change some adults' feelings toward this not-so-glamorous career option. Salaries in this job vary greatly depending upon region, though New York City trash collectors are reported to receive the hefty salaries of $67,000 per year, not including overtime. Of course, many regions in the United States are not paying this kind of salary to their garbage collectors, though the national average salary still sits at around $43,000 per year, which can increase to about $60,000 per year after you factor in overtime, bonuses and benefits. This is certainly a high-paying job considering that it requires little skill or training, though it certainly does have its share of drawbacks in the form of long hours, early start times and unpleasant working conditions.
University ChancellorIn a time when budget cuts impact the ability for educational institutions to operate, and tuition hikes impact the ability of students to obtain post-secondary education, it appears that being the chancellor of a big university has never been better. One university chancellor in Texas is reported to have earned $813,892 in 2009, while another chancellor in New York earned $560,038. Even if you consider these figures to be out of the ordinary, the national average salary for university chancellors is reported to be around $244,000 a year, plus bonuses and benefits. (The pay may not be as competitive as Wall Street, but the work environment, opportunity and knowing your helping out an educational facility is worth it. Check out A Career In Endowment Management.)
The Bottom LineOvertime, benefits and job security all count for something when it comes to an overall compensation package. Keep in mind that not all public service jobs are overpaid, in fact, some public service jobs actually pay less than in private industry - public defenders for example. And one of the main reasons that public service workers can end up earning so much is that they get regular salary increases with the number of years of service they put in, and many have unions to represent them in collective bargaining. Some public service jobs also give employees the opportunity to increase their salaries by taking payment in exchange for unused benefits - which has certainly led to the large number of outrageous salaries in the state of California. That being said, taxpayers definitely have a right to know where their tax dollars are going and should question how their governments spend money.


Read more: http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0711/7-High-Paid-Public-Service-Jobs.aspx#ixzz1f35yMwZN

 

 

Follow link to original page. 7 High-Paid Public Service Jobs - Investopedia.com

Selection

As with many bureucratic functions, hiring and selection can be a long multistep process that may include screening applicants, finding the most qualified, rescreening finalists, and validating the candidates credentials. With the money invested in this time-staking process, it would be expected that the best candidate is found every time. If not, one should question whether the process attracts the best candidates and whether the time and money should be invested more in advertisement and recruitment that screening and selection. How should these hiring factors be balanced. All are important, however the goal is always to find the best applicant. Perhaps the systems in place are the best course of action oto take. The following is an excerpt from an article that outlines in detail the best method to take in the hiring process. http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan021814.pdf

RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES

MANAGING/EFFECTING THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

By Margaret A. Richardson

(An Excerpt from the original article)

THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Successful recruitment involves the several processes of:

1. development of a policy on recruitment and retention and the systems that give

life to the policy;

2. needs assessment to determine the current and future human resource

requirements of the organisation. If the activity is to be effective, the human

resource requirements for each job category and functional division/unit of the

organisation must be assessed and a priority assigned;

3. identification, within and outside the organisation, of the potential human

resource pool and the likely competition for the knowledge and skills resident

within it;

4. job analysis and job evaluation to identify the individual aspects of each job and

calculate its relative worth;

5. assessment of qualifications profiles, drawn from job descriptions that identify

responsibilities and required skills, abilities, knowledge and experience;

6. determination of the organisation’s ability to pay salaries and benefits within a

defined period;

7. identification and documentation of the actual process of recruitment and

selection to ensure equity and adherence to equal opportunity and other laws.

Documenting the organisation’s policy on recruitment, the criteria to be utilised, and all

the steps in the recruiting process is as necessary in the seemingly informal setting of in5

house selection as it is when selection is made from external sources. Documentation

satisfies the requirement of procedural transparency and leaves a trail that can easily be

followed for audit and other purposes. Of special importance is documentation that is in

conformity with Freedom of Information legislation (where such legislation exists), such

as:

criteria and procedures for the initial screening of applicants; criteria for generating long and short lists; criteria and procedures for the selection of interview panels; interview questions; interview scores and panellists’ comments; results of tests (where administered); results of reference checks.

Recruitment strategies and processes

Recruitment may be conducted internally through the promotion and transfer of existing

personnel or through referrals, by current staff members, of friends and family members.

Where internal recruitment is the chosen method of filling vacancies, job openings can be

advertised

by job posting, that is, a strategy of placing notices on manual and electronic

bulletin boards, in company newsletters and through office memoranda. Referrals are

usually word-of-mouth advertisements that are a low-cost-per-hire way of recruiting.

Internal recruitment does not always produce the number or quality of personnel needed;

in such an instance, the organisation needs to recruit from external sources, either by

encouraging walk-in applicants; advertising vacancies in newspapers, magazines and

journals, and the visual and/or audio media; using employment agencies to “head hunt”;

advertising on-line via the Internet; or through job fairs and the use of college

recruitment.

Public service agencies enjoy greater exposure to scrutiny than most private sector

organisations; therefore, openness and transparency in recruitment and selection practices

are crucial. The discussion that follows will identify some of the options available for

attracting applicants to the public service job market and discuss strategies for managing

the process.

Workplace Discrimination

The following cartoons are presented as a parody to two types of discrimination that may go on in the work place: age discrimination and gender discrimination. These two are one of a few others that were barred with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Racial discrimination and discrimination against individuals with disabilities are two other largely protected forms of discrimination. Although the government has done much to prevent these types of discrimination, instances still exist. It is the duty of public sector organizations to uphold these laws to prevent any adverse reaction or consequence when worker's rights are violated. There is no easy solution to avoiding discrimination claims, there are hazy and grey areas and the laws can be vague, however employers must use their best judgment based on the definition of our laws and ensure that no violations occur.