Public Employees Research Articles

Job satisfaction and turnover: The role of creativity, engagement, and decent work amongst employees

Orientation: The South African public service faces the challenge of a high labour turnover among its employees. There is a need for strategies to not only keep employees happy at work but also to retain them.Research purpose: The study investigates the determinants of job satisfaction and turnover intention accounting for the role of employee creativity, engagement and decent work.Motivation for the study: There is a need for strategies to not only retain employees within the public service but also to ensure the employees are satisfied with their jobs.Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 304 employees working within the South African public service in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (version 25) and the Linear Structural Relations (LISREL) software packages were used to analyse data.Main findings: It was established that higher ratings of decent work experience relate positively to employee ratings of engagement in the work and that they also influenced outcomes such as job satisfaction and employee turnover intentions.Practical/managerial implications: The findings are a useful precursor in improving not just the work experience for employees but also work related outcomes such as job satisfaction and turnover intention.Contribution/value-add: The study findings give practical interventions to address the challenge of high turnover and the dearth of job satisfaction among public service employees.

Public Policies on Employment and Labor Welfare: A View from the University Teaching Role

Higher education revolves around a dynamic environment where public employment policies and the well-being of university professors play a crucial role in the construction of a prosperous and sustainable academic environment. The research identified the relationship between public employment policies and labor well-being in university professors, through a quantitative approach, descriptive-correlational scope and cross-sectional section. The results showed that better employment policies are associated with an increase in teachers' well-being at work, suggesting that properly designed policies could significantly enhance their general well-being. It was evident that the modality of contract and job stability are critical factors that affect job security and the psychosocial well-being of teachers. Despite the fact that high psychosocial well-being was reported, teachers experience collateral effects such as somatization and alienation, which evidenced the presence of psychosocial risks in the work environment. The importance of comprehensive and effective employment policies, as well as institutional support to improve the quality of teachers' working life, is concluded. The implementation of preventive programs for psychosocial risks, strategies to promote well-being and teacher participation in the continuous improvement of employment policies is recommended. These measures will not only benefit teachers, but will also have a positive impact on the quality of education and, consequently, on society.

Central obesity and associated factors among public service employees in Adama Town in Ethiopia

The prevalence of obesity is rapidly increasing, contributing to 678 million obese adults and rapidly increasing in lower-income countries. This study assessed the magnitude of central obesity and associated factors among public service office employees in Adama Town in the Oromia Regional State in Ethiopia. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1 to February 26, 2020, among 590 public service employees. The data were collected by using interviewer-administered questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. The data were coded, entered, cleaned, and entered into Epi Info version 7, and subsequently exported to SPSS version 26 for statistical analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to check the associations between the explanatory and outcome variables. The adjusted odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval was used to estimate the strength of associations. A P value < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. The overall prevalence of central obesity among public service office employees was 24.2% (95% CI 20.9, 27.8). In a stratified analysis, the prevalence of central obesity was 29.9% in male and 14.9% in female employees. The multivariate analysis showed that using motorized transportation (AOR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.110, 4.385), eating food out of the home (AOR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.107, 2.800), drinking alcohol (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.104, 3.128), being aged 33–42 years (AOR = 3.83, 95% CI 1.964, 7.472), 43–52 years (AOR = 4.34, 95% CI 2.151, 8.765) and 53 years and above (AOR = 10.33, 95% CI 3.783, 28.242), not engaging in moderate physical activity (AOR = 2.32, 95% CI 1.484, 3.631) and having a chronic illness (AOR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.177, 3.316) were statistically associated with central obesity among public service office employees in the study area. Nearly 25% of public service employees in the town had central obesity, which is a risk factor for metabolic syndromes. Mode of transportation, eating food out of home, drinking alcohol, age, level of physical activity, and presence of chronic illnesses were found to be independent predictors of central obesity. The public administration in the town should design a feasible preventive strategy to reduce the burden of obesity among public service employees in the study setting.

Continuity in public transport provision during the Covid-19 pandemic – responding to organisational and health challenges facing workers

PurposeThis paper explores and analyses the major challenges faced by both customer-facing and office-based public transport employees during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic and the responses of their employers to their concerns.Design/methodology/approachQualitative semi-structured interviews and focus groups were carried out, involving 39 employees and directors representing a wide range of professionals working in the transport sector in three European countries, Poland, Ireland and the UK. Data were analysed through thematic analysis and the emerging issues explored.FindingsMajor employee challenges included: access to resources for safe working; worker mental health and well-being; and the effects of changing working practices, particularly flexible working, on their wider household circumstances and work–life balance (especially combining childcare responsibilities with work). First, physical health safety measures (such as PPE) were put in place for all workers, although sometimes with delays. Second, concerning practical support for mental health and well-being at work, the findings highlight that their employers’ practical support was considered limited by some customer-facing participants. In contrast, participants working from home were offered considerably greater employer support for their well-being, including increased and regular communication regarding work and non-work-related topics to tackle isolation and lack of social interactions. Third, work–life balance, and especially childcare were significant issues for those working from home. To improve organisational resilience, employer support for workers needs to better reflect employees’ job role, work setting and location, as well as their household demands such as childcare.Practical implicationsThe lessons learned from this study contribute to future employer responses and practices and their organisational resilience, both in times of major crises and also for improving mental-health and childcare support in normal times.Originality/valueThe study considers the role of employee perspectives on organisational resilience and service continuity in public transport during a crisis and in three countries. Importantly, the data were gathered contemporaneously during the early stages of the pandemic, and so are not influenced by retrospective rationalisation or uncertain recollections.

Work First or Education First? Frontline Service Challenges of Providing Enabling Activation

Activation policies, especially formal upskilling, can strengthen social inequality among long-term unemployed people. Also, receiving skill-enhancing activities may be at odds with the ‘work first’ principle. Drawing on interviews with frontline workers in the Norwegian employment and welfare service (NAV), this article analyses how frontline workers handle the challenging aspects arising from activation policies in providing enabling activities to claimants who need comprehensive support. The findings suggest that frontline workers face claimants who expect to embark on an education, and on the contrary, claimants who lack motivation or capability to do so. In both cases, frontline workers are challenged in terms of experiencing contradictory expectations from policies and users and in assessing future outcomes and suitability of the services. Education activities provided by the public employment agency (PES) involves multiple policy fields and require specific competency on the part of frontline workers.

Globalisation and the Size of the Public Sector in the Context of the Regime Change Approach: The Case of Türkiye

The size of the public sector in the economy is closely related to globalization. It aims to maximize welfare. There are two main hypotheses (efficiency and compensation) discussed in the literature on this relationship. Both hypotheses discuss the relationship between globalization and government size in terms of (i) the impact of globalization on public employment, (ii) the impact of globalization on public revenues, and (iii) the impact of globalization on public expenditure. Global and national economies are not static and periodically expand or contract. The main hypothesis of this study is that the validity of the efficiency and compensation hypothesis in economies varies according to expansion and contraction periods. In terms of financial and commercial globalization, this change is also differentiated. The results of this study, which is specific to Turkey, show that trade globalization has a positive effect on public employment and public expenditures within the scope of the compensation hypothesis, while the efficiency hypothesis is confirmed in the relationship between tax revenues and financial globalization. These results are exemplary for transition and developing countries in particular.

Predictors of disability retirement - a prediction model for disability pension application risk

Abstract Background Regarding the objective of preventing early exits from labor market, the late life-course years present an important timeframe. It is essential to identify the employees in the greatest risk of permanently losing their work ability. In practical applications, multifactorial models are needed to evaluate the combined effect of risk factors. In this study, the disability pension risk is modeled based on large unique register data, at the same time assessing the effect of sickness absences (SA) of different lengths. Methods We utilize a logistic model for the risk of filing a first-time disability pension application (DPA) based on register data on 222,321 Finnish municipal sector employees. The data include employment and sickness spells, occupations, and wages in 2016-2018 as covariates. During the 3-year follow-up, 2,969 employees filed a DPA. The data include also short SA spells, a novelty in these kinds of studies. DPA is used as a follow-up to include employees who receive a rejecting decision but still carry a physician’s evaluation of diminished work ability. Results The resulting model can accurately predict the risk of DPA in employee groups. Age, occupation, cumulative SAs preceding the application, and the number of SA spells of all lengths, also short ones, have a significant increasing effect on the DPA risk. Proximity of the retirement age and high earnings decrease the risk of DPA. Surprisingly gender had no effect on the risk. Conclusions The results indicate that register-based sociodemographic data is very useful in modeling the employee DPA risk in public sector employee groups. The resulting model provides a basis for tools for predicting the risk status of employee groups for the use of employers responsible for risk management and early intervention, also allowing for the assessment of economic effects of SAs and disability risk. The presented modeling results are already utilized among public sector employers in Finland. Key messages • Disability pension risk can accurately be predicted in public sector employee groups based on readily available sociodemographic register data. • All sickness absences have a significant increasing effect on the risk of disability pension application, but the effect varies greatly depending on age and occupation.

Media, trust, and the influence of urban/rural context and education on public sector worker stereotypes

ABSTRACT Public employees often face pervasive negative stereotypes. Despite a growing body of research, the factors contributing to such stereotypes remain underexplored. We present a pre-registered study with two population-based survey experiments using video vignettes—on teachers and police officers. Both investigate the impact of mediatized events, trust, and personal characteristics on stereotyping (n = 3,502). Our results show that news reports affect stereotyping of both professions. High and low trust are linked to positive and negative stereotyping, respectively. Lastly, urban/rural setting and education yield mixed effects. Our findings offer theoretical and practical implications for understanding factors shaping public employee stereotyping.

Sickness absence patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic among Finnish public sector employees

Abstract Background The patterns of sickness absence (SA), that is, the clustering of differing lengths of episodes and total number of days absent, have not been examined. We examined these SA patterns and factors associated with the patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We used survey data from employees of four large Finnish cities in 2020 linked with SA data in 2021 retrieved from employer registers (n = 39 791). SA patterns were defined through cluster analysis (K-means) including number of SA days, short (1-9 days), and long (10-365 days) SA episodes within one year. The associations of employee and work characteristics in 2020 with SA clusters in 2021 were analysed with multinomial regression. Results Four SA patterns (=clusters) were identified: 1) Optimal SA pattern (n = 31 320, 79%), 2) Recurring short SA episodes (n = 5149, 13%), 3) Recurring long SA episodes (n = 2964, 7%), and 4) Very high levels of SA with long episodes (n = 358, 1%). Compared to optimal SA pattern, female gender, higher body mass index, former smoking, abstinence from alcohol, not being in high occupational socioeconomic position, on-site work during COVID-19, and COVID-19 infection were associated with all suboptimal SA patterns. Recurring short SA episodes were more likely in younger employees (odds ratio=0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.97-0.98), those with a temporary job (1.10, 1.00-1.20), current smokers (1.34, 1.21-1.48), those using passive commute modes (1.03, 1.01-1.05 [car]; 1.02, 1.00-1.04 [public transport]), and those who had experienced a team reorganization due to COVID-19 (1.27, 1.10-1.46). The two most adverse SA patterns were more likely among older employees, and less likely among those cycling to work (0.91, 0.84-0.98; 0.97, 0.95-0.99). Conclusions We identified three differential suboptimal SA patterns. Compared to the optimal SA pattern, several individual-level risk factors, but also some COVID-19 related factors were found to associate with suboptimal SA patterns. Key messages • We identified three suboptimal sickness absence patterns during COVID-19 pandemic. • Individual characteristics, but also COVID-19 related factors were associated with the observed sickness absence patterns.

Needs and opportunities for developing health and well-being profiles in Estonian local governments

Abstract The creation and implementation of health and wellbeing profile, an evidence-based framework for planning health promotion as holistic process, is the responsibility of public health practitioners, who tend work part-time and sometimes lack professional competences. The current study maps the level of awareness, attitudes, needs and possibilities of local government leaders and public health practitioners to develop and implement profiles effectively in Estonian local governments. Semi-structured interviews with leaders in local governments (10) and practitioners (9) were conducted in 2022-2023. Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Sample included representatives from all Estonian local governments (79 in total) and were categorized into subgroups based on local governments size, status of the profile, public health specialist employment, and educational background. Preliminary results indicate that leaders find as a supportive factors for enabling and encouraging profile compilation process for example: mandatory requirement; motivated implementors; well organized and effective workplan. Specialists find supportive factors to be cooperation on the national level, good communication practices and joint responsibility. Barriers for health promoters are the lack of time, motivation, financial resources, stakeholders understanding and meaningful action. The first qualitative study on these topics in Estonia highlight that creating a profile is supported by previous positive experience and have per contra an opposite negative effect to start the process. In general, the profile was considered necessary for helping identify problems and support decision-making processes for managing resources, however, assessment whether the profile should be obligatory is needed. In addition, there is a need for further support for the evidence-based decision-making process on the local level in health promotion by offering education and guidance from the national level. Key messages • Knowledge about the importance of public health, barriers and decision-making principles of local government leaders and specialists helps to develop interventions based on actual needs. • Continuously updated health and well-being profile ensures sustainability of health promotion action and is useful knowledge to policymakers, local government leaders and public health practitioners.

Promoting and ImprovinPromoting and Improving the Tourism Industry in Malaysia through Tourist Satisfactiong the Tourism Industry in Malaysia through Tourist Satisfaction

Tourism is an important sector that contributes to the countries’ economies. Tourism has a direct relationship with other industries such as hotels, transportation, and retail as tourists who come to the country will spend their money on these categories. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry was badly affected and so did the other related industries. Now, people are back visiting attractive places, staying in hotels during their visits, and spending money on food and other items. However, little is known about why people are attracted to visit some places or countries and not others. The study is meant to investigate the factors that lead to tourist satisfaction when they visit a country. A total of 150 respondents answered the survey that was distributed to students, and public and private sector employees in Malaysia through an online platform. The results indicated that accommodation, tourism products and host attitudes were significant in leading to tourist satisfaction. While price was not a significant predictor of tourist satisfaction. The practical and theoretical implications of the study are discussed at length in this paper.

The Right of the Public Employee to Defend Himself Before the Investigating Authorities

The Right of the Public Employee to Defend Himself Before the Investigating Authorities

Policy of Vocational Education Development in the Context of Digital Transformation: A Study in Ho Chi Minh City

The context of digital transformation has posed many policy requirements in the management of vocational education activities. In that context, the requirements for building and developing a team of teachers; requirements for innovation in training program content; changes in teaching and learning methods; and requirements for facilities and digital infrastructure equipment require the state to have appropriate vocational education development policies that meet the requirements of the digital transformation context. The purpose of this study is to assess: (i) The importance of vocational education development policies in the context of digital transformation in Ho Chi Minh City; (ii) The position and role of vocational education development policies in the context of digital transformation in Ho Chi Minh City; (iii) The contributions of policies to vocational education development in the context of digital transformation in Ho Chi Minh City; (iv) Some limitations in vocational education development policies in the context of digital transformation in Ho Chi Minh City. To achieve the set objectives, this study surveyed 137 people who are managers, teachers at several vocational education institutions and civil servants, public employees at several departments, branches, and business owners in Ho Chi Minh City. The study has shown that although Ho Chi Minh City has had many timely policies to develop vocational education, there are still limitations that have not kept up with the requirements of the digital transformation context. Therefore, the proposed solutions will contribute to perfecting Ho Chi Minh City’s vocational education development policies in the context of digital transformation.

Taxpayers' Share of US Prescription Drug and Insulin Costs: a Cross-Sectional Study.

Drug prices affect government budgets directly through spending on public programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and indirectly via private coverage for public employees and tax subsidies for private insurance. Yet, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the Senate could not use streamlined Budget Reconciliation to extend the Inflation Reduction Act's controls on insulin co-payment or drug prices to private insurers on the grounds that their expenditures do not affect the federal budget. To quantify insulin and other drug costs borne by federal, state, and local governments, including direct expenditures and indirect government subsidies that flow through private insurers. Cross-sectional analysis of expenditures for outpatient retail prescription drugs reported by respondents and their pharmacies in the 2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (adjusted downward for drug rebates), supplemented with information on employment-related insurance from the US Office of Management and Budget and other sources. The civilian non-institutionalized US population. Direct (payments by public health insurance programs) and indirect (taxpayer-funded payments via private insurers) government expenditures for outpatient retail drugs. Direct government expenditures for outpatient retail prescription drugs totaled $154.85 billion in 2019, including $15.68 billion for insulin. Indirect government expenditures channeled through private insurers totaled $53.59 billion (including $5.48 billion for insulins). Those indirect expenditures encompassed $32.32 billion in tax subsidies for employer-sponsored private coverage, $25 million for subsidies to private Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, and $21.24 billion for government-paid premiums for public employees and retirees. Overall, government expenditures for outpatient retail prescription drugs totaled $208.44 billion, 58.76% of all-payer spending and 65.96% of spending for insulin. Governments directly or indirectly fund most drug purchases, including substantial expenditures that flow through private insurers. Hence, prices paid by private insurers impact government budgets, supporting the view that government should be allowed to regulate drug prices.

Exploring work engagement of public sector employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, Namibia

Orientation: In Namibia, the public sector employs a majority of employees which contributes to significant economic growth and development of the country.Research purpose: This study investigated the association among job satisfaction, burnout and work engagement. This study explored if work engagement is experienced differently based on the biographical variables.Motivation for the study: Namibia aims to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs), Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP) and National Development Goals. The state-owned enterprises are required to provide quality services to the nation through their employees. The health and well-being of these employees facilitate the productivity of these state-owned enterprises (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 8, 11 and 16).Research approach/design and method: A total of n = 130 public sector employees were randomly selected and responded to a questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic questions, the Job Satisfaction Survey, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Data analysis was performed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software to test the hypotheses of the study.Main findings: Positive relationships were found between job satisfaction, burnout and work engagement. Work engagement reported a positive relationship with burnout. Work engagement is experienced the same in relation to the biographical variables.Practical/managerial implications: The study suggests a constant evaluation of job attitudes, implementation of effective performance management systems, team building activities and implementation of workplace wellness programmes.Contribution/value-add: This study adds to the understanding of job satisfaction, burnout and work engagement within state-owned enterprises in Namibia.

Unlocking mental well-being: The role of workplace social support and organisational justice in the public service

Research purpose: This study sought to determine the relationship between public service employee’s mental health accounting for the role of organisational justice and workplace social support.Motivation for the study: Calls exist to understand issues of mental health within the confines of the organisation.Research approach/design and method: A survey approach utilising a convenience sample of 289 public service employees as respondents was utilised. The location of the study was the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.Main findings: The findings show that workplace social support has a direct and positive relationship with employee mental health. Organisational justice has no significant relationship with employee mental health. Workplace social support was found to fully mediate the relationship between organisational justice and employee mental health.Practical/managerial implications: Strategies can be put in place that inform the promotion of mental health with the public service. These include the need for support services to promote mental health to address organisational issues that impede the pathway of such interventions.Contribution/value-add: The findings proffer useful precursors to interventions that address the challenge of mental health.

U.S. against the world: Authoritarianism among American public servants

AbstractWhat is the prevalence of authoritarianism among public servants in the United States, and what are its resulting consequences? Several underlying psychological traits are associated with both authoritarianism and a desire to work in the public sector, such as an aversion to ambiguity and a preference for order and security. Scholarship also suggests that those with high authoritarian attributes may see the world through an ‘us versus them’ prism; in this case, the ‘them’ may be represented by other countries. Therefore, it is hypothesised that those with higher authoritarian attributes are more likely to work in the public sector and that public servants with higher authoritarian attributes are more likely to be sensitive to potential threats to the country. Using six surveys that cover a 20‐year period from the American National Elections Study, both hypotheses are supported. Authoritarian attributes are associated with an increased likelihood of government employment. Additionally, authoritarian public servants tend to support government wiretapping and express greater concern about terrorism. The presence of authoritarianism among public sector employees has implications for a range of governance issues, which makes it important to understand where and to what degree it is prevalent.Points for practitioners More attention should be devoted to the division and prevalence of authoritarian attributes within public servants . Checks and oversight mechanisms should be implemented for public sector employees in sensitive areas to help counterbalance potential authoritarian impulses. Organisational cultures that value openness, evidence‐based policymaking, and tolerance for dissenting viewpoints should be fostered as a counterweight to authoritarian preferences for conformity.

Introduction “street‐level bureaucracy, populism, and democratic backsliding”

AbstractThis special issue investigates the impact of populism and democratic backsliding on street‐level bureaucracy (SLB) across various countries and contexts. The cooccurrence of populism and democratic erosion significantly alters public administration, particularly affecting public sector employees responsible for policy implementation. This issue explores how populist strategies differ in their application to SLBs as compared to the Civil Service, the distinctive challenges SLBs encounter due to populism and democratic backsliding, and the pressures exacerbated during crises. By examining studies from Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Switzerland, and the United States, the papers highlight the interplay between political pressures and frontline service delivery. The findings underscore the necessity of understanding the relationship between democratic backsliding, populism, and SLBs, proposing a research agenda to further explore these dynamics and their implications for public administration and policy implementation.

Good Thoughts Lead to Good Deeds: How Frontline Public Employee’s Social Mindfulness Affects Service-Oriented Organizational Citizenship Behavior

In the context of rising pressures on services without linked resources, service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (SOCB) has been recognized as a contributor to public sector success. Using the theory of empathy-induced altruistic motivation, we investigated how frontline public employees’ social mindfulness affects SOCB through PSM, as well as the moderating effects of perceptions of citizen mistreatment (PCM) and perceptions of gratitude on the relationship between PSM and SOCB. Online survey data from 409 Chinese frontline public employees from diverse sectors were analyzed. The results showed a positive and significant association between social mindfulness and SOCB, mediated through PSM. This link between PSM and SOCB remains non-significantly affected by PCM but is significantly strengthened by perception of gratitude, as consistently observed across the entire moderated mediator model. The public sector should consider social mindfulness when allocating and training frontline employees and create conditions for healthy interactions between them and citizens.

Time to rediscover task-oriented leadership? A multi-source, time-lagged study on leadership and well-being in public service jobs

ABSTRACT Although leaders have a considerable impact on the well-being of public employees, this relationship has not yet been fully disentangled in both conceptual and empirical terms. We develop a framework of how task- and relations-oriented leadership affect well-being (i.e. hedonic, eudaimonic, social dimensions). A multi-source, time-lagged study from a large Danish municipality shows that task-oriented leadership yields positive associations with both social and eudaimonic dimensions of well-being, while for relations-oriented leadership, we only find a positive association with hedonic well-being. The findings suggest rediscovering task-oriented leadership as an important but often overlooked quality of effective leaders.