bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interrater Reliability in Job Analysis: Differences in Strategy and Perspective
Authors: Prien Kristin O. , Prien Erich P. , Wooten William
Published: July 2015

In spite of the increasing use of the content validity model for employee selection, there has been little focused research on the psychometric properties of the job analysis ratings used to determine job content. Sources of systematic variance include differences in job performance strategies and differences in perspectives on the job. In the current study, task importance ratings for a single job (social worker) are examined to determine whether rater experience and race will have significant effects on job performance strategy and job perspectives, as measured by job analysis ratings.
The Changing Face of Georgia's Merit System: Results from an Employee Attitude Survey in the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice
Authors: Gossett Charles W.
Published: July 2015

In 1996, the state of Georgia passed a radical civil service reform law that, in effect, removed all new employees from the traditional civil service system and made them “at-will” employees. Additionally, many functions, such as recruitment and classification, were decentralized to the operating agencies. This study attempts to review the impact of these changes on employees in one of the agencies, the Department of Juvenile Justice. A comparison is made of the attitudes of employees who are covered by civil service regulations and those who are not, principally with respect to organizational commitment and loyalty. The results of the survey suggest that, to date, the impact of these reforms on commitment and loyalty is not significant.
The FLSA and Overtime Pay
Authors: Crampton Suzanne M. , Hodge John W. , Mishra Jitendra M.
Published: July 2015

Many employers are unwittingly violating a U.S. Department of Labor pay rule, and they could pay a high price as a result. In fact, U.S. companies could owe as much as $39 billion in back pay. The rule on overtime compensation has been in effect since 1954, but it has come to the fore, mostly in economically painful ways, because of a handful of recent court decisions and increased Labor Department enforcement action against companies. The rule states that employers must pay hourly employees at one-and-a-half times their hourly rate for each hour over 40 they work in a week. Employers are not required to pay overtime to employees who are paid on a salary basis and who meet certain requirements related to duties. However, employers often don't know which employees qualify for overtime, when to pay it, or whether to pay time and a half or compensatory time. In fact, violations are so common that some estimate that workers would get an additional $19 billion a year if the rules were observed. Perhaps it's time to revisit the provisions and interpretations of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act.
A Legal Analysis of Breast-Feeding Accommodation Requirements in the Workplace
Authors: Petersen Donald J. , Boller Harvey R.
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this paper was to review state and federal court cases in order to assess the current status of judicial opinion regarding breast-feeding accommodations that may be required in the workplace. It was surprising to find that laws such as the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Civil Rights Act were not interpreted by the various courts to mandate that employers provide special accommodations for mothers in the workforce that were breast-feeding. As a result, various states have designed legislation fill the void left by the courts. Some of these laws are also discussed in this paper.
The Role of Burnout in the Relationship between Perceptions off Organizational Politics and Turnover Intentions
Authors: Huang Ing-Chung , Chuang Chih-Hsun Jason , Lin Hao-Chieh
Published: July 2015

Despite rich evidence suggesting that perceptions of organizational politics are significantly related to turnover intentions, the reasons of the relationship are unexplored. This study aims to determine whether job burnout can serve as a mediator in the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and turnover intentions and which component of burnout is most effective in mediating this relationship. Moreover, burnout was investigated in a profession outside human services. Multiple regression analyses were employed to examine the relative importance of different components of burnout in mediating the effects of perceptions of politics on turnover intentions. The results revealed that exhaustion and cynicism were significantly and positively related to turnover intentions, and exhaustion was a more effective mediator than cynicism. Implications for understanding the role of burnout are discussed.
Diversity Management: An Exploratory Assessment of Minority Group Representation in State Government
Authors: Charles Joann
Published: July 2015

The workforce deficit is occurring at a time when the demographics of the population are also drastically changing. As the population of ethnic and racial minorities and older workers increases, state personnel managers face new and distinct challenges in recruiting skilled individuals within these groups. In order to effectively manage the projected increase of African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American and older workers and to maintain adequate minority group representation, diversity initiatives must be revisited. The purpose of this study is to assess whether current state government recruitment practices are sufficient to sustain job openings, avoid a human capital crisis and advance the representative bureaucracy as the demographics of the available workforce changes. Unless the government continues to build a civil service talent pool with available minority group workers, they will have to contend with a human capital crisis and a deteriorating representative bureaucracy. Recruitment strategies must go beyond traditional practices in order to reach subgroups of qualified workers. It is time to recognize that the state government workforce of the future needs to incorporate differences and encompass a broad spectrum of diversity. The human capital crisis is an opportunity for the government to create a strategic workforce plan, restructure recruitment practices and revamp the civil service examination process.
Municipal Government Benefits Practices and Personnel Outcomes: Results from a National Survey
Authors: Roberts Gary E.
Published: July 2015

Employee benefits are an essential and costly component of the compensation and human resources management system. This research effort surveyed 358 municipal governments on their employee benefits practices. The survey results clearly indicate that municipal governments are very competitive in terms of traditional benefits (health, pensions, dental coverage, etc.) as all 10 types, except for short-term disability, are provided by a majority of the responding municipalities and exceed private sector rates. Municipal governments lag behind the private sector in the deployment of key family-friendly benefits such as child-care, elder care, flexi-place, flex-time and job sharing.
Employee Satisfaction with Sexual Harassment Policies: The Training Connection
Authors: Reese Laura A. , Lindenberg Karen E.
Published: July 2015

This paper explores satisfaction with sexual harassment policies in public sector workplaces, using a survey of municipal employees to address the following policy questions:

What types of sexual harassment policies do employees want? How would employees handle complaints of sexual harassment? How satisfied are employees with current workplace policies? What appears to enhance policy and process satisfaction?

It concludes that public sector organizations should:

Include confidentiality protections and sanctions in policies; Require that parties to a complaint be fully informed of the outcome; Increase awareness and knowledge of policies through employee training; Train supervisors in interpersonal skills and investigatory processes; Utilize teams to investigate allegations of sexual harassment; and, Understand that training and process implementation issues are more important to employee satisfaction than the policy itself.
Estimating Seniority Effects in Faculty Salary Studies: Measurement and Model Specification
Authors: Castle David S.
Published: July 2015

The literature on the effects of seniority on faculty salaries is inconclusive. Moreover, studies using the same linear regression method come to strikingly different conclusions. Some find that the impact of seniority on faculty salaries is positive, while others report a negative effect. This research demonstrates that seniority effects are sensitive to measurement and regression model specification. Particularly, highly correlated independent variables in faculty salary regression models can lead to counterintuitive and incorrect findings about seniority effects. Seniority is best measured as time in rank rather than as years of service.
An Evaluation of the Policy Framework on HIV and AIDS in the South African Public Service: The Effectiveness of the Current Guidelines and the Ability of the Policy Framework to Absorb the Impact of HIV and AIDS within the Public Service
Authors: Ramsingh Odette R. , van Aardt Carel J.
Published: July 2015

This study seeks to determine firstly, the extent to which the public service is implementing the policy framework on managing HIV and AIDS in the workplace and establishing employee assistance programmes (EAPs) as a service to people living with HIV and AIDS at both national and provincial levels. Secondly, it seeks to determine whether or not the current policy framework is able to absorb the probable impact of HIV and AIDS in the workplace and, thirdly, to investigate, determine and define the roles of EAPs in addressing the problems of HIV and AIDS in the workplace within the South African public service. A situational analysis approach was used, including profiling, scoping, surveying, interviewing, focus groups, impact assessments, evaluation and gap analyses.
It's All about Context and Implementation
Authors: Lavelle John
Published: July 2015

The 2005 World Public Sector Report makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the drivers of public sector performance. It skillfully manages to meld scholarship, breath, specificity and pragmatism into a unified and coherent whole: it is thought provoking and surely required reading for all who are concerned about the role of people in effective public administration in general and the critical contribution of human resource management (HRM) to public sector success, in particular.

This short article focuses selectively on a number of the report's key findings and arguments. It adopts the perspective of a HR practitioner, concerned with the intellectual thrust and direction of public sector HR management but focused chiefly on matters of implementation and on the context in which implementation takes place. It argues that effective public sector HR practice is situational: adoption of particular management practices and HR tools hinges on an understanding of local culture and organizational form: one size doesn't fit all. Increasingly too, the composition of the public sector workforce is changing and the boundaries between the public and private sectors are blurring or at least becoming more porous. This has profound implications for public sector HRM. The temptation is often to ape “best practice” from the private sector. Judicious borrowing from the private sector can pay handsome dividends but care is needed in crafting practices and approaches which respect the unique character of the public sector, its workforce, esprit and values.
The Psychological Contract and the Union Contract: A Paradigm Shift in Public Sector Employee Relations
Authors: Calo Thomas J.
Published: July 2015

This article examines the changing nature of employee and labor relations in the United States. A significant shift has occurred in the employee relations environment between the public and private sectors. As union representation in the private sector workforce has steeply declined, there had been a sharp and steady increase in third party representation in the public sector workforce. The reasons for these changes are explored.

The article goes beyond the issue of labor relations to the broader issue of positive employee relations in the workplace. Exploring employee relations from a behavioral science perspective, the article describes and discusses the psychological contract as an organizing framework for understanding and achieving positive employee relations in the workplace. The article also draws upon the author's professional human resource experiences in the public and private sectors.
Living Wage Ordinances in the Public Sector
Authors: Von Bergen C.W. , Mawer William (Will) T. , Soper Barlow
Published: July 2015

During the last decade more than 100 governmental units (primarily cities) have implemented living wage ordinances. These regulations require private sector employers who receive public funds through subsidies and contracts to pay their workforces a wage based on “need” rather than “skill.” Such ordinances feature a minimum wage floor that is higher—often much higher—than the traditional minimum wages set by state and federal legislation. This paper provides a history of the living wage movement and presents its benefits and challenges to assist local authorities in decision-making regarding this controversial and politicized issue.
GAO and Human Capital Reform: Leading by Example
Authors: Walker David M.
Published: July 2015

To stay aligned with current and future needs of Americans, government agencies need to rethink what they do, how they do business and who should do that business—federal workers, contractors or some combination of the two. Human capital reform will be central to these transformation efforts. This article examines how the U.S. Government Accountability Office has undertaken a range of initiatives designed to strengthen its workforce and better position the agency for the future. These include basic changes in such areas as recruiting, training and development, job classification, pay and benefits and employee empowerment.
Minority Representation in Senior Positions in U.S. Federal Agencies: A Paradox of Underrepresentation
Authors: Starks Glenn L.
Published: July 2015

U.S. federal agency workforces are typically believed to epitomize equal opportunity and diversity. Yet, an analysis of employment data reveals that minorities are still underrepresented in senior government positions. The percentage of minority senior federal employees do not match the percentages of minorities in the general population or at lower levels of the civil service. Various programs can be adopted to ensure that diversity is embraced and that steps are taken to increase the representation of minorities across all levels of federal agency employment.
Internet Applicants to the State of Washington: A Demographic Analysis
Authors: Baldwin Bryan
Published: July 2015

Voluminous information is available regarding the makeup of the U.S. workforce, primarily through the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics ( www.bls.gov ) and the U.S. Census Bureau ( www.census.gov ). Additionally, many research studies have examined the factors influencing career and job choice. Despite this, surprisingly little published research exists describing the numerical makeup of job applicants. With the 2006 implementation of regulations by the DOL Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and similar rules proposed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), it is important for U.S. employers to be able to quickly produce detailed information regarding job applicants. This article describes in detail demographic patterns for individuals who used the state of Washington's electronic application system. Hopefully, this data will encourage organizations to ensure their systems are capable of easily producing similar information.
Career Transitions: An Empirical Examination of Second Career of Military Retirees
Authors: Vigoda-Gadot Eran , Baruch Yehuda , Grimland Shmuel
Published: July 2015

We examined the prospects of successful career transition from the defense forces and into the dynamic and turbulent civilian career, focusing on possible antecedents for success in the second career. Based on a sample of 202 high level retirees from military and civilian defense organizations in Israel, our results indicate that preparations for retirement, social capital, perception of organizational politics in the new working place and work-family conflict are related to the dependent variables and affect the retiree's success in their second career. In addition, organizational commitment was found to serve as a mediator in these relationships. Implications for theory of career development and change, as well as practical implications and recommendations for future studies, are discussed.
Type of Wrongdoing and Whistle-Blowing: Further Evidence That Type of Wrongdoing Affects the Whistle-Blowing Process
Authors: Somers Mark , Casal Jose C.
Published: July 2015

Preliminary evidence suggests that the type of wrongdoing observed in organizations affects the whistle-blowing process; that is, the likelihood that wrongdoing will be reported and the consequences of so doing. Using as sample of management accountants and focusing on financial fraud, this study provides additional evidence that type of wrongdoing affects the likelihood of whistle-blowing. However, contrary to previous research findings, there was no relationship between type of wrongdoing and experienced retaliation for whistle-blowing. Type of wrongdoing was related to perceived issue seriousness providing additional evidence that wrongdoing is not monolithic in nature. These findings suggest that type of wrongdoing should be included in future research on the topic of whistle-blowing.
Efficiency in Continually Operating Public Organizations: A Case Study
Authors: Barnum Christopher
Published: July 2015

This article reports the findings of a case study that examines the effect of compressed work scheduling on the overall organizational efficiency of a medium size police department. An efficient scheduling design is one that utilizes a high percentage of employees during busy times and fewer employees during slower times. Efficient scheduling is important because it can mitigate the problems associated with understaffing including tired employees, increased overtime and strained officer and citizen relations. This investigation examined the efficiency of four work scheduling proposals. Two of these were compressed scheduling plans and two were traditional designs. The examination found that a proposed 8-hour plan was the most efficient schedule analyzed. Its staffing patterns closely followed fluctuations in call volume, with more officers working during busy times and fewer during slower times. Statistical analysis establish that this model is significantly better than a 12-hour model currently used by the department, or a 8-hour scheduling plan used by the department in 1999. A proposed 10-hour model was found to be the second most efficient. Although not statistically different from other models, its staffing levels generally followed call volume patterns especially during late night peak times.
Quality Circles in Fort Collins: A Municipal Perspective and Experience
Authors: Kelly Joyce
Published: July 2015

One of the most extensive experiments in the public sector with Quality Circles has been underway in the City of Fort Collins, Colorado since 1980. Development of the Quality Circle program began directly from productivity problems in the City's equipment shop to the establishment of over 20 circles today. Structure, training strategies, implementation process, and evaluation of organizational impacts and performance accomplishments are reviewed. Many of the steps followed by Fort Collins contradict “conventional methods” advocated for implementing quality circles leading to the conclusion that there are multiple routes for achieving a successful program.
Public Employee Productivity: Can Outcomes Be Validly Measured at the Jurisdictional Level?
Authors: Stein Jay M.
Published: July 2015

As public attention increasingly focuses on productivity improvement for public services, the personnel management profession must develop creative approaches to motivate employees and to improve their performance. Such efforts are hampered, however, by the perpetual and perplexing problems involved in validly measuring service outcomes. This article explores the issues involved in measuring employee performance at the jurisdictional level. That is, it focuses on measuring the end-products of services—those most important to citizens. The major issues discussed include multidimensional outcomes, community environmental influences and factors exogeneous to the community which affect delivery system performance. Conclusions and policy recommendations are presented in final section.
The Impact of Faculty Unions on Higher Education: A Reconsideration
Authors: Jones Lewis L.
Published: July 2015

Few faculty members and college administrators deny the fact that unions are a permanent fixture in higher education. Even in a climate that has been hostile to the formation of unions at colleges and universities, they have survived. The real question for both faculty and administrators is the impact that unions have had on institutional policies and practices—has it been positive or negative? Most research on unions in higher education has focused on compensation (salary, vacation, health plans, merit, retirement, etc.), and neglected other areas. This article, in addition to addressing financial gains, focuses on the impact that unions have in other areas of higher education. It is especially concerned with changes in governance structures that can be attributed to the influence of unions.
Unionization in Utah's Municipalities: A “Right-to-Work” Case Study
Authors: Smith P. Artell , Owen A. Wayne
Published: July 2015

In recent years a dramatic increase has been seen in the number of public sector employees involved in union activities. Local government entities encompass some of the most fertile union ground in the United States. This increase in public sector unionism is proportional to declines in private sector unionism. For traditionally private sector unions to compensate for membership declines, it became necessary for labor organizations to move into areas which had largely been untapped and unorganized. States, like Utah, which do not have statutes permitting the recognition of public sector employee unions, but which do have right-to-work laws, present unique problems for labor unions. This study presents the findings of a survey assessing the status of public employee unions in Utah's municipalities given the absence of a public sector bargaining statute and the presence of a right-to-work law. Key indicators include local administrators' understanding of “right-to-work,” the size and type of municipality, the frequency of collective bargaining agreements, the frequency of formal recognition of public employee groups, the relationship between the presence or absence of collective bargaining agreements and the employee dispute resolution process, collective bargaining agreements and the employee dispute resolution process, collective bargaining agreements and the employee dispute resolution process, and the municipalities' reasons for employee group recognition or non-recognition. The findings are followed by specific recommendations for action.
Being “Regionable”: A Key to Training Success
Authors: Carpenter Barbara
Published: July 2015

Drawing on the success of a project initiated by the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the author describes the advantages—in terms of costs, time, and transportability—of establishing a regional consortium of public jurisdictions to develop high-quality, easily adaptable training programs in a climate of constricting financial resources.
Significant Others: The Relationship between Externals and Internals
Authors: Cramer Aubrey
Published: July 2015

The use of internal and external human resource development consultants on the same project within an organization often produces a discreet, underlying tension — and can often lead to deleterious consequences. “Internals” may be protective of their “organizational turf,” and may be resentful of management's decision to hire “externals,” taking the decision to mean management's lack of confidence in “internals” to get the job done on their own. In this article, the author, an external consultant, delineates the special talents and advantages both sources bring to the project, and proposes new, more productive ways of viewing the competitive/collaborative interaction between internal and external HRD consultants.
Storyboarding Your Way to Successful Training
Authors: Lottier Lawrence F.
Published: July 2015

The most difficult aspect of developing educational and training programs is organizing their content. In this article, the author presents an effective method to come up with creative ideas and organize them through the use of “storyboarding.”
America's Number One Drug Problem in the Workplace
Authors: Seessel Thomas V.
Published: July 2015

Alcoholism and other alcohol-related problems are America's leading drug epidemic. Even light drinking increases the risk of cancer, hemorrhagic stroke, and birth defects. Employers can help reduce these problems by providing occupational alcoholism programs and by supporting public preventive policies.
Working Women
Authors: Wong Lisa M.L.
Published: July 2015

Various circumstances and conditions are responsible for the shift in lifestyles of women today. As women join the labor force, many aspects of their lives are altered due to the increasing demands placed upon them by the work environment and their personal lives. These pressures significantly influence the lifestyles of these women, often creating unreasonable circumstances and challenges for them.

Working women today must, out of necessity, accept and meet this challenge of juggling roles as executives, wives, and mothers. As women have adapted to these demands, some of their creative ideas reflect attitudes of perhaps a new generation; yet, the basic values and beliefs of traditional women continue to prevail as women cope with these struggles.
The Assessment Center: Pooling Scores or Arithmetic Decision Rule?
Authors: Lowry Phillip E.
Published: July 2015

The primary issue explored is whether it is necessary to use pooling of assessor judgments or whether it is appropriate to substitute an arithmetic decision rule to arrive at an overall evaluation. The scores obtained in three assessment centers were subjected to multi-variate analysis. The analysis disclosed mixed results. Rankings in selection assessment centers did not change as a result of pooling judgments; changes in rankings did occur in the career development center. Scores in both types of centers changed as a result of pooling. It is concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support a deviation from the currently accepted standards requiring pooling.
The Personal Liability of State and Local Personnel Directors: Legal, Organizational, and Ethical Implications
Authors: Klingner Donald E.
Published: July 2015

Public personnel directors increasingly are subject to litigation as a result of alleged violations of the civil rights of employees or clients. This article: (1) presents the legal history of personal liability issues for public administrators; (2) reviews literature to determine specific areas of concern, and suggested responses; (3) describes the results of a national survey of state and municipal personnel directors to determine their personal and organizational responses to this issue; and (4) discusses the organizational and ethical implications of these responses.
Police Managers' Perception of Organizational Leadership Styles
Authors: Bruns Gilbert H. , Shuman I. Gayle
Published: July 2015

This study reviews the various leadership styles and their effect on productivity in the public and private sector. The general literature was related to police management and administration. A scale developed by Likert was administered to law enforcement personnel in the state of Arizona to determine their perception of their departments' organizational and performance characteristics. As a group, they characterized their organizations as being “benevolent-authoritative” while they were desirous that their organizational style be more participative.
Rescuing Training: Joining Learning and Application in a Federal Agency Training Program
Authors: Newell Terry , Wolf James , Drexler Allan
Published: July 2015

Traditional management training has often been too expensive or too poorly designed to be a credible vehicle for improving managerial skills and agency performance. The Senior Managers Program of the U.S. Department of Education offers an alternative. The year-long program integrates training with on-the-job application of skills to provide both a more effective learning environment and immediate results to demonstrate the value of the training. Each training workshop is followed by a planned and monitored intervention in the participant's work unit, and teams of participants work on significant agency problems identified by high-level officials. In addition to this novel approach to linking training with organizational change, the program seeks to develop a managerial support network to promote continued growth and agency improvement after the formal training program ends.
Issues Surrounding the Need for More Frequent Monitoring of Individual Performance in Organizations
Authors: Fedor Donald B. , Buckley M. Ronald
Published: July 2015

Empirical guidelines concerning the issues of appraisal timing and frequency are conspicuously absent in the appraisal literature. While frequent evaluation of performance has been assumed to be most advantageous, surveys of practices in the field indicate that formal performance appraisals are completed on a relatively infrequent basis in most organizations. A framework is suggested for implementing Frequent Organizational Resource Monitoring Systems (FORMS) whereby performance related information concerning each individual employee can be collected on a more timely and frequent basis. This paper offers criteria for developing a FORMS package which contains systems appropriate for the evaluation needs of an organization and its members. Further, potential obstacles and resistance which may be encountered when attempts are made to increase the quality, timeliness, and frequency of individual human resource data are addressed.
Training for Competence
Authors: Sims Ronald R. , Veres John G. , Heninger Susan M.
Published: July 2015

Competence has been defined as “the ability to meet or surpass prevailing standards of adequacy for a particular activity” (Butler, 1978 p.7). The authors describe in this article a framework for competency-based training, focused on the importance of training the public personnelist responsible for implementing staff development programs. Kolb's (1984) experiential learning model is suggested as a vehicle for instilling competencies which overcomes difficulties with many traditional, single modality approaches to training. The implications for public sector training programs are discussed.
Affirmative Action in Times of Fiscal Stress and Changing Value Priorities: The Case of Women in Policing
Authors: Warner Rebecca L. , Steel Brent S.
Published: July 2015

Public sector affirmative action programs must contend with recent political and economic trends. Given the conservative political environment which de-emphasizes affirmative action, and given the advent of serious fiscal constraints facing many cities, is it reasonable to expect progress in employment of women in nontraditional roles within municipal governments? This article investigates this question using data gathered from reported surveys of over 280 municipal police departments in major American cities over the period 1978 to 1987. Findings suggest that women may have a long and difficult road ahead for improving their representation in municipal policing.
Dealing Effectively with Sexual Harassment: Some Practical Lessons from One City's Experience
Authors: Spann Jeri
Published: July 2015

Most of the literature on sexual harassment was published between 1980 and 1983, before governments and private sector employers had operationalized anti-harassment measures and practitioners had a clear sense of what policies were likely to work. Further, while there has been a good deal of attention paid to the Supreme Court's decision in Meritor Savings Bank, FSB v. Vinson et. al, by the media and the legal community, there has been relatively little attention paid to this important case in public administration literature. “Dealing Effectively with Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Some Lessons from One City's Experience” fills in some of these gaps by interpreting the City of Madison, Wisconsin's experience with the issue between 1979 and 1985. A hierarchy of problem behaviors is defined and a specific road map of approaches tested in the workplace is set forth. A brief analysis of Mentor's central findings and implications for the public administrator is provided, as well (see Section V). Of special interest is the distinction drawn between gender and sexual harassment.
The Federal Sector Mediation and Labor Management Relations Process: The Federal Sector Management Experience
Authors: McCabe Douglas M.
Published: July 2015

The investigative scope of this article centers on the critical point of time in collective bargaining negotiations in the federal sector at which an im passe is reached and a mediator is summoned. Standing at the critical point in time, an analytic look can be taken backward at the difficulties of Federal sector negotiators and forward at the related difficulties of mediators. A brief historical review of the Federal sector's labor-management relations is provided here to emphasize the profound changes established by the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) in 1978.
Perceived Utilization, Job Satisfaction and Advancement of Police Women
Authors: Grant Nancy K. , Garrison Carole G. , McCormick Kenneth
Published: July 2015

A survey of members of the International Association of Women Police examined perceptions of utilization and job satisfaction. The analysis of responses reveals a significant correlation between utilization and job satisfaction even though the Spearman's was not strong, .38. Job utilization also correlated significantly with the number of different assignments held, the number of tactical units to which they have been assigned, and the rank of the respondent. Not only utilization, but opportunities for utilization correlate significantly with job satisfaction assignments and for special training correlate with job satisfaction. Equal opportunity for special assignments and for special training also correlate with job satisfaction.
Gender Differences in Absenteeism
Authors: Scott K. Dow , McClellan Elizabeth L.
Published: July 2015

Employee characteristics and attitudes of secondary school teachers were examined to determine if men and women had different reasons for being absent. Although women were found to perceive some work related factors different than men and to take substantially more days off than men, their absence occurrences were not significantly different. In addition, an employees's age and attitude toward pay were the only factors found to exhibit a gender-related impact on absenteeism. Perceived role conflict, and job involvement were found to be significantly related to absenteeism for both men and women.
Legal Issues concerning Polygraph Testing in the Public Sector
Authors: Kleiman Lawrence S. , Faley Robert H. , Denton David W.
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this paper was to review the legal issues related to the use of the polygraph in the public employment setting. Nineteen written judicial decisions were reviewed to determine the legal parameters surrounding the administration of the polygraph and the use and dissemination of polygraph results. The paper concludes with a discussion of the organizational implications pertaining to polygraph testing and its alternatives.
Drug Testing in Public Agencies: Are Personnel Directors Doing Things Right?
Authors: Klingner Donald E. , O'Neill Nancy G. , Sabet Mohamed Gamal
Published: July 2015

The results of a survey of 300 public agencies personnel directors are reported. The report describes the drug and alcohol testing policies and procedures now used by these respondents. The implications of the survey results are evaluated in terms of critical issues of personnel management practice and public policy: (1) the protection of employees' constitutional rights, (2) the public's right to an effective public service, and (3) management's need to reduce liability risks and to increase program effectiveness.
Work-Place Child Care Act: A Prototypical Portrayal of Potential Public Policies
Authors: Abraham Yohannan T. , Bowdidge John S.
Published: July 2015

The care of pre-school children of working parents is causing serious concern in many circles and is likely to remain a major issues for the coming decades. It has similarities in other earlier “revolutions” such as civil rights, occupational safety, age discrimination, and the like, all of which have since been legislated into public policies. It is the proposition of the authors here that care of pre-school children of working parents is of such a magnitude that, by the end of the century, the United States will have some form of legislation requiring employers to provide for such care. This article portrays a prototype of such a law.
The Use of Job Evaluation to Eliminate Gender Based Pay Differentials
Authors: Scholl Richard W. , Cooper Elizabeth
Published: July 2015

The comparable worth issue has placed considerable emphasis on the use of job evaluation in eliminating gender based pay differentials. Specifically the reliability and validity of job evaluation, especially generic forms of job evaluation, have been questioned. This study examines the process of comparable worth determination. Job evaluations were performed on a set of male-dominated and female-dominated job descriptions using both the MIMA system and Factor Evaluation system (FES). Estimates of reliability and convergence were calculated. The resultant salaries, calculated using five different approaches to worth computation, were also compared. The results indicate that the generic FES is as reliable as the job family based MIMA system of job evaluation. The FES shows strong convergence with the MIMA system as well as to market pay rates and present salaries.
The Use of PC Software in Teaching Public Personnel Administration
Authors: Siegel Gilbert B. , Marshall James R.
Published: July 2015

Arguments are made for using personal computer software in the teaching of public personnel administration. While didactic personnel and related software are available, the undiscovered teaching resource is the growing volume of operational software. Examples of both didactic and operational software are reviewed and described. What is needed are scenarios and simulated environments such as game simulations to utilize these resources.
Management Practices and the Uninvolved Manager: The Effect of Supervisory Attitudes on Perceptions of Organizational Trust and Change Orientation
Authors: Daley Dennis M.
Published: July 2015

This paper examines supervisor attitudes towards management practices (work group relationships, relationships with their own supervisors, performance appraisal systems, and organizational commitment) and their relationship to the supervisor's own sense of managerial involvement (as measured through Organizational Trust and Change Orientation scales). Using regression analysis, a relationship between “organizational humanist” management practices (especially with respect to intergroup relationships and job challenge) and managerial involvement is confirmed.
Planning and Managing a Major Recruiting Project
Authors: Armacost Robert L. , Jauernig Rohne L.
Published: July 2015

Faced with the problem of conducting a national recruiting effort to fill a critical Pension Financial Manager position, the city's human resource managers used a project management approach to identify the critical activities in the project and monitor their completion. The use of the CPM/PERT approach permitted the project to be completed in the required time, and illustrates how the approach is easily used for other HR activities.
Racial Differences on Job Analysis Questionnaires: An Empirical Study
Authors: Veres John G. , Green Samuel B. , Boyles Wiley R.
Published: July 2015

Selection measures that are content-validated may be biased if the job content domain, as defined by a job analysis, is dependent on the characteristics of the people who hold the job or who complete the job analysis ratings. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship may exist between race and job analysis ratings. Clerical workers employed by state government agencies completed job analysis questionnaires on their own jobs and their co-workers' jobs. The workers evaluated job tasks which belongs to three content domains. Job content for the clerical job was related to race, such that the relative ratings of the three job domains for the black incumbents who had black coworkers differed from those for the other three racial groups — black incumbents who had white coworkers, white incumbents who had white coworkers, and white incumbents who had black coworkers. It was argued that these differences represented actual job differences. Under these conditions, a job analyst should not define different job titles for different racial groups, but attempt to understand why the differences exist. Through such analyses and evaluation of results, bias in application of the job analysis data, such as defining the content domain of selection measures, can be avoided.
Selected Factors Affecting Employees' Sick Leave Use
Authors: Kroesser Hazel L. , Meckley Richard F. , Ranson James T.
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate sick leave use in the West Virginia Department of Education. Salary, gender, number of supervisors, job autonomy, job classification and stress were the factors chosen to relate to sick leave use. Salary, gender, number of supervisors and job autonomy were found to be related statistically to sick leave use. This study has implications for policy development pertaining to sick leave. Several explanations are offered for the findings.
Establishing the Reliability and Validity of Wage Surveys
Authors: Hartenian Linda S. , Johnson Nancy Brown
Published: July 2015

As comparable worth lawsuits continue, firms may be required to demonstrate the reliability and validity of compensation-related information. In other personnel arenas, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the courts require validation to show that discrimination against minorities does not occur. In the future, these requirements may extend to wage surveys. Although research has been conducted on job evaluations, the wage survey's reliability and validity has not been established. This paper explores potential methods for wage survey validation.
Workforce Literacy in the Local Public Sector
Authors: Yaffe Jerry
Published: July 2015

The problems of workforce literacy (Workforce 2000) have become a significant issue of national concern, costing the nation an estimated $225 billion in lost productivity. No segment of the economy is exempt from dramatic changes in the present and future laborforce, and the quality and preparedness of that laborforce. The private sector is investing over $100 billion annually to address this problem. Research shows that nationally, over nine million persons are employed in (non-military and non-teaching) civilian public service jobs. The California public sector employs over 1 million persons. Los Angeles County alone employs over 81,000 persons, and ranks number one nationally by number of employees for a County Government. Los Angeles County is also the largest single employer (by number of employees) in that county. Yet, in many cases, workforce literacy issues have been given a low priority. What is needed is the leadership, planning, and funding for the dynamic human resource development (of both new and existing employees) necessary to address these issues. Los Angeles County should serve as an example to numerous other county and municipal governments-becoming the forerunner in addressing a set of problems that are a major impediment to meeting changing workforce and workplace demands, and for public sector accountability and quality service delivery.
Public Employers' Obligation to Reasonably Accommodate the Disabled under the Rehabilitation and Americans with Disabilities Acts
Authors: Boller Harvey R. , Massengill Douglas
Published: July 2015

Effective July 22, 1992, the Americans with Disabilities Act, in conjunction with the Rehabilitation Act, will prohibit virtually all public employers from employment discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Compliance with these statutes requires employers to make modifications —called “reasonable accommodations”—which permit individuals with disabilities to perform the “essential functions” of the position they hold or seek. The Article examines issues on which there is little literature: when, and to what extent, do these statutes require an employer to modify the job or the workplace to accommodate an individual with a disability? Resolution of these questions requires consideration of three additional, interrelated questions. First, what are the “essential functions” of a position? Second, are there accommodations which would permit the individual to perform its essential functions? Third, would the proposed accommodations impose an “undue hardship” on the employer?
Comparable Worth: Is it a Moot Issue?
Authors: Moore Mary V. , Abraham Yohannan T.
Published: July 2015

Among the internal and external environmental influences on human resource management, no other issue has more social, political, and economic implications than comparable worth. Identified as “the working women's issue of the 1980s” (Hutner, 1986; Willborn, 1986), comparable worth grew out of the recognition that increasing numbers of women are entering the workforce, that sex segregation exists in the labor force, and that working women are generally paid less than working men. Through a series of articles the authors present the history, current status, and emerging issues pertaining to this issue.
The Brave New World of Information Technology
Authors: Halachmi Arie
Published: July 2015

Issues of safety and security will require organizations to introduce new job classification for the Information Ranger. As the workgroup replaces the work group, organizations must reinvest some of the productivity gains in the organization to compensate employees for the loss of opportunities to interact with each other. The new technology can help managers deal with issues of control, coordination, and the needs of the special employees. However, administrators must recognize that some affects of the information technology can be dysfunctional.
Raid Elections: Another Problems for Unions?
Authors: Scott Clyde , Arnold Edwin , Odewahn Charles
Published: July 2015

One of the problems confronting the American labor movement is the raid election. In a raid election an outside, or challenger, union attempts to increase its membership at the expense of an incumbent union. This article examines the extent and outcomes of raid elections as well as the legal environment of such elections. In addition, the results of a survey of employers involved in raid elections are presented.