A Brief Overview of Human Resource Management Issues in the Public Sector

A Brief Overview of Human Resource Management Issues in the Public Sector

Kurt Sager

University of New Mexico

Abstract

This paper is based on interviews with professionals in the human resources and management/supervisory fields soliciting their views as to what they considered to be the main issues confronting them in their jobs from a human resource management point of view. Open ended questions were asked of each respondent in an effort to solicit knowledgeable responses from informed sources. Although human resources and management issues are diverse and seemingly innumerable, a few basic issues rose to the forefront during the separate interview sessions. These basic issues are discussed in some depth, and a short work biography is given for each respondent with the intention of putting the basic issues mentioned in context to the interviewees’ respective work situations.

Keywords: human resources, recruitment, retention, training, legal compliance, politics

A Brief Overview of Human Resource Management Issues in the Public Sector

Respondent Introductions

Since the topics discussed in this paper were taken directly from responses gleaned from face-to-face interviews with a Human Resources Director and two managerial level supervisors, a brief description of their respective work environments, positions and responsibilities may help the reader understand relationship(s) between concepts delineated later in the narrative and the concerns of the respondents in relating such concepts to the author. To maintain confidentiality, the interviewees will hereby be designated as Respondent A, Respondent B and Respondent C during the course of this narrative.

Respondent A is the Human Resources Director of a mid-sized city in New Mexico, and considered a municipal public employee. She has served under the auspices of three different city administrations, and is directly responsible for the supervision of...