Introduction
The importance of effective Human Resource (HR) management in local government service cannot be overrated. HR management is argued to be “the most critical activity in local government (Stenberg et al., 2007)”. Despite its critical function, it can be stated that HR management in government services has its own set of problems and dilemmas. North East Wessex District Council is a local agency that provides government services to a small population in southern England, and which had several HR management issues. As a response to the request of analyzing the situation in North East Wessex District Council, the present report will attempt to provide an overview of the main HR issues that were identified through analysis of the case. Accordingly, the present report summarizes the identified issues and provides recommendations on resolving them.
Recruitment
One of the main problems in the organization can be seen through its organizational culture. In that regard, the root of the problem can be seen through the recruitment practices employed by North East Wessex District Council. One of the sources of the problem is the resistance of civil service culture, which is a common problem in the public service in the UK (Gilson et al., 2010). Bringing innovations into the organization’s culture can be seen through diversifying the sources of new ideas in the organization. The latter should be specifically concerned with the entry to the senior positions. The attraction of younger talents should be paid attention to, considering the absence of motivation to work in the government. Government jobs in general face recruitment challenges, mostly due to recruiting systems being passive, time-consuming, and having too much bureaucracy (Pan Suk Kim, 2008). Limited focus on web applications can be seen as one of the problems in the Council, where the use of the Internet and other technologies should be integrated more closely into the HR function across the board (Condrey, 2010). Considering that more than 50 percent of new hires are being sourced from the internet, the implementation of new technologies should utilize the behavioral patterns of the younger generation (Pan Suk Kim, 2008).
Performance Measurement, Motivation, and Rewards
Another HR problem that can be identified is the absence of a suitable system for performance measurement. It can be stated that measuring performance can be linked to the system of rewards and appraisal, which in turn can be linked to the motivation of employees. The lack of motivation can be seen as one of the characteristics of the staff in North East Wessex District Council. Accordingly, the lack of a performance measurement system is one of the main problems, which prevents providing a suitable system of appraisal, and accordingly, influences motivation. A suitable audit system, for which a wide range of indicators might be developed, can serve as the basis for a system of measuring performance in the organization. The example of the National Health Service (NHS) can be seen as a way for driving innovations in the field. In the NHS example, “Hospital Boards have to account to external, government-appointed auditors for performance against a wide range of indicators including mortality rates, bed occupancy and the quality of patient food” (Exton and Totterdill, 2009). Accordingly, the system of appraisal, in this case, is certainly outdated, while abandoning performance-related pay and rewards is a central point in the HR issues identified in the organization. Another problem can be seen through the conflict between supervisors and subordinates when evaluating performance (Stenberg et al., 2007). Such a case might be solved through unions, an approach that was adopted in Hamilton County, Ohio (Stenberg et al., 2007). In addition to payment, the organization should utilize the motivation to serve society as an important factor in HR management. Attracting people who are motivated to work is an important element, as shown in recruitment campaign in the Netherlands, “workers with such a motivation (‘public service motivation’ or PSM) are more committed to the organization, more willing to exert effort and have a higher perception of their performance” (Leisink and Steijn, 2009).
Career Development
The present issue can be seen as one of the core aspects of HR management in government services. The significance of career development can be seen through its interrelation with other HR management problems. As an example of the latter, the glass ceiling is one of the consequences of the absence of career development opportunities for women. The gender gap is one of the issues that the council should focus on. The stated issue is characteristic of the public sector in the UK in general, where despite women forming the majority of employees, the gender gap is very pronounced. The latter is linked to the that women turn into part-time jobs and concentrate on lower-grade positions, due to “the lack of possibilities for training and promotion and severely under-developed career paths” (Lyonette et al., 2010). Abandoning the focus on training by the middle ranks is a serious issue in the organization, as well as the male domination in such aspects. Training and development should be perceived as an investment in employees, which at the same time might serve as a motivational factor (Redman and Wilkinson, 2009). An example demonstrating how employees can be developed, other than training, can be seen through promoting open communication and conducting focus groups to improve the working environment, an initiative that was adopted in Champaign, Illinois (Stenberg et al., 2007).
Recommendations and Conclusion
The findings of the report outline several recommendations on the actions and steps that North East Wessex District Council can take to improve HR management practices in the organization. First of all, the organization should focus on new technologies in recruiting new employees, in an attempt to diversify the workforce and subsequently the organizational culture in the Council; “better benefits, better career development programs must be provided for public officials and prospective candidates” to attract new employees. Developing a feasible indicator system, based on which performance measurement t can be established is another step in reforming HR management in the organization. Accordingly, the organization should utilize rewards and the motivation to serve society as both appraisal and attraction mean in recruitment. Finally, the organization should focus on providing equal opportunities for career development, and suitable development options so that such opportunities might arise.
The present report reviewed HR management practice in North East Wessex District Council to identify the issues that might require intervention. The report identified several aspects in areas of recruitment, performance measurement, rewards, appraisal; and career development. Several of the identified issues were interrelated and accordingly were characteristic of the public sector in general. Nevertheless, it is recommended that such an aspect should be resolved, with the steps proposed to North East Wessex District Council including the focus on new technologies in recruitment, developing a performance measurement system that will allow performance pay approach, provide equal opportunities for career development.
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