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HR in the Public Sector Midterm New Exam With
Accurate Solutions (A+)
Human Resource Management Functions - ANSWER 1. planning= budget preparation, workforce planning, performance management, job analysis, pay and benefits
- acquisition= recruitment and selection employees
- development= training, evaluating, and leading employees to increase their willingness and ability to perform well
- sanction= maintaining expectations and obligations that employees and the employer have toward one another through discipline, health and safety, and employee rights
public jobs - ANSWER -scarce resources
-include private or non-profit sector jobs funded through government contracts
-tax revenues limit them
-are scarce and important and people compete for them since they are a measure of economic and social status
four traditional values - ANSWER 1. political responsiveness and representation
- efficiency
- employee rights
- social equity
political responsiveness and representation - ANSWER an appointment process that considers personal loyalty and political support as indicators of merit
efficiency - ANSWER the making of staffing decisions based on applicants' and employees' abilities and performance
employee rights - ANSWER protection of employees from political interference or arbitrary treatment that may jeopardize job security or interfere with their carrying out their assigned duties and responsibilities
social equity - ANSWER proper representation of all groups within the workforce and managing a diverse workforce so productivity and positive organizational culture are maintained
values - ANSWER -public personnel management is the continuous interaction among fundamental values that conflict because they reflect key differences over who gets public jobs and how
four traditional public hr systems - ANSWER -political patronage
-civil service (merit) systems
-collective bargaining
-equal employment opportunity
political patronage - ANSWER refers to systems in which legislative or executive approval of individual hiring decisions are based on the applicant's personal loyalty to the appointing official, or political support among stake holders the appointing official represents
original way hiring in the public sector was done
Civil service (merit)- ANSWER refers to systems in which employees are hired on the basis of merit, are expected to be politically neutral, and typically enjoy an expectation of tenure
partnerships - ANSWER systems in which public services are jointly provided through partnerships between governmental/non-governmental employers
nonstandard work arrangements - ANSWER systems in which public services are provided through nonstandard employment relationships, such as temporary employment, part-time employment, or volunteers
Spoils Systems (Patronage) - ANSWER limitations as form of governance, especially when one is trying to ascertain how the country functions and seeks to address problems in the way the government functions
political employees skew facts
public employment at a glance - ANSWER public employment rose from 4.4 mil to 22 mil
about 1 in 7 workers was a public employee in 2016, 15% of total employed workforce
planning - ANSWER elected officials engage in revenue estimates and setting program policy priorities
managers and surpervisors manage to the mission set by the elected and appointed leaders
HR staff implement pay and benefit plans and develop job descriptions for current and prospective jobs
acquisition - ANSWER elected officials determine values that guide staff
managers do hiring and firing
HR staff develop rules and procedures and consult with managers on hiring/firing
development - ANSWER elected and appointed officials develop the program
managers ensure that their staff have the skills and understanding of mission to achieve those goals and priorities
HR staff engage in training and organizational development to ensure staff develop program and priorities as envisioned and engage in evaluation systems both individual and organizationally to see program goals are being met
sanction systems - ANSWER uniquely development and implemented by HR function
tend to be executed by managers and supervisors in consultation with HR staff
role expectations for HR managers - ANSWER -watch dogs= guarding employees, applicants, and the public from impact of patronage practices and protecting integrity of merit based hiring systems emerged in 1970s with growth of EEO
-collaborators- working alongside legislators and senior-level executives to ensure the right efficient and high performance management systems
-consultants-to act as a strategic resource for organizations as they attempt to position their employment systems in the light of a changing labor market
-contract compliance specialists-to present expertise in response to organizations increasingly utilizing both traditional and contractual employment arrangements
role expectancies for HR staff - ANWER -technical experts= Providing subject matter expertise in such areas as benefits, contracts, training, and employee relations
-new conceptions of governance
traditional public service systems - ANSWER -single system in theory (in reality multiple systems not developed strategically)
merit definition that had the result of protecting people and defined equity as treating everyone the same
process/rules-driven
hiring/promotion based on talent/technical merit
viewing personnel as expense/cost
employment as job for life/life-long commitment
protection as rationale for granting tenure
performance evaluation emphasis on individual level work/activities
labor-management relations as based on opposing goals/antagonistic relationship/ex post disputes and arbitration at the individual case level
central agency provided personnel function for the agencies
Public Service Systems for the 21st Century - ANSWER -Identify several systems, and be strategic about the system
Merit definition which has the result of rewarding better performance and enables
differentiation between various talents
Performance and result emphasis
Talent hiring, nurturing, and promoting to the appropriate places
Human Resources treated as assets and investments
Inners and outers sharing core values
- Employee performance and employer need justify retention
- Merit-based performance appraisal where individual contribution to organizational goals is the basis for performance evaluation
- Labor-management partnership based on mutual goals of successful organization and employee satisfaction, ex-ante involvement in work-design
- Central agency that empowers agencies especially managers to perform for themselves the personnel function
contempory model of HRM - ANSWER mission (defining vision, goals, and objectives)-->environmental forces/values (perspectives of elected officials, executives, managers, and operators)-->functions (plan, develop, and execute HR functions)
job analysis - ANSWER the process of evaluating the roles and responsibilities of any given position
job description - ANSWER based upon the job analysis, the position description formally documents the intended roles and responsibilities of the position
Common criticism of traditional approach to job analysis - ANSWER Traditional job descriptions do not help supervisors manage work:
-cannot promote an artificially static view of work and organizations
-cannot promote a hierarchical and control-oriented relationship between the organization and its employees
Traditional job descriptions do not help employees manage their careers:
Give only a summary of responsibilities, employees won't get the information about working conditions and criteria of the performance, they will learn it after hiring Give no evidence about how rises in minimum qualifications related to rises in the ability needed for a satisfactory performance of tasks Traditional job descriptions limit and stereotype HR profession:
-Largely responsible for the traditional view of personnel management as a series of low-level operational techniques used mainly for external control or system maintenance purposes
the role of job descriptions in social equity/ EEO - ANSWER Job descriptions act affirmatively to ensure that applicants and employees are not discriminated against based on non-merit factors
the role of job descriptions in collective bargaining-ANSWER The number and identity of positions eligible for inclusion in the bargaining unit presumes that all positions, those included as well as those excluded, have been analyzed and classified in advance
the role of job descriptions in third-party service delivery mechanisms - ANSWER Job descriptions add value in determining the nature of the work to be carried out, and the rewards the organization is prepared to pay to have it done
the role of job descriptions in nonstandard work arrangements - ANSWER Management relies upon the criteria specified in job descriptions to separate "core" and "contingent" positions
equal employment opportunity - ANSWER Refers to laws and policies aimed at the equal treatment of all persons in the workplace
fall under disparate treatment intentially discriminating or disparate impact unintentionally discriminating
affirmative action - ANSWER Refers to proactive efforts to address past discrimination or instances where EEO policies have not achieved social equity goals
can result from one of two means:
- voluntary= usually created to amend past discrimination or areas of underrepresentation
- involuntary through conciliation agreement, consent decree, or court order
diversity management - ANSWER Relates to formal and informal attempts to guarantee diverse groups of employees work in cohesion; bringing the most out of broadly defined, diverse workforce
key characteristics of effective diversity management include:
-Broad definitions of diversity
-Systematic assessments of organizational culture
-Top level commitment
-Specific organizational objectives
Integration with performance management and reward structure
Co-ordination with other HRM activities
Ongoing monitoring and adjustment
genAffirmative Action - Programs designed to overcome past discrimination or underrepresentation are subject to the following criteria: - ANSWER -Must be designed to achieve a compelling governmental interest-such as correcting past discrimination or statistical imbalance in employment
Must be narrowly tailored-means program must not burden innocent third parties unduly, use least restrictive means to achieve goals
Develop valid selection criteria
Select a method of recruitment
Recruit candidates
Test or otherwise screen applicants with methods unique to each position
Prepare a list of qualified applicants
Interview the most highly qualified applicants
-Perform background and reference checks where necessary
-Hire the best applicant for the job
-Provide thorough orientation and onboarding to new recruits
Centralized Recruitment - ANSWER Usual characteristics include central HRM Office responsible for recruitment & assessment across a range of organizational units
decentralized recruitment - ANSWER Characterized by delegation of the recruitment & assessment function to organizational units with guidance provided by HRM
electronic recruitment - ANSWER Characterized by making web-based applications the first point of contact in the recruitment and assessment process
outsourcing recruitment - ANSWER Characterized by buying in, typically from non-governmental, third-party organizations, recruitment and assessment services
test validation and the acquisition function - ANSWER -A test is any process or means used to separate qualified from unqualified applicants for selection or promotion (e.g., written examinations, interviews, assessment centers, etc.)
-To be valid, a test must separate more-qualified from less-qualified applicantson the basis ofjob-related competencies or performance
core validation constructs:
-criterion validity
-construct validity
-content validity
criterion validity - ANSWER the extent to which a measure is related to an outcome
construct validity - ANSWER the extent to which variables measure what they are supposed to measure
content validity - ANSWER the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest
The traditional assumption of stability in compensation has given way to dynamism and change characterized by: - ANSWER -Shift from long-term to shorter-term perspectives
-Increased performance orientation in compensation
-Shift towards more tailored compensation systems as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach
-Retrenchment in traditional benefits
Direct (wage) Compensation - ANSWER Pay that is received by an employee, including base pay, differential pay, and incentive pay
indirect (non-wage) compensation - ANSWER required benefits: social security, workers' compensation, unemployment compensation
discretionary benefits: health insurance, retirement, leave
employee services: assistance programs, educational benefits
point factor job evaluation - ANSWER -Traditional approach
