Public Employees Research Articles

Modern Means of Evidence before Administrative Investigation Committees under Jordanian Legislation: A Comparative Study

This study sought to identify the foremost modern methods of evidence employed before the Administrative Investigation Committee for detecting disciplinary misconduct. In conformity with Article 146/B/2 of Civil Service Bylaw No. 9 of 2020, the legislative framework in Jordan has primarily centered on establishing conventional rules governing the presentation of evidence. It is a well-established tenet that the burden of proof rests with the administration, necessitating a comprehensive demonstration of the evidential basis underpinning their misconduct allegations. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the administration to provide indisputable evidence in cases where employees are accused of disciplinary infractions. Simultaneously, employees have to present evidence that contradicts these allegations. Investigative committees are tasked with examining the necessary evidence to establish the accuracy of these claims. The study found a significant gap in the legislative framework pertaining to modern methods of evidence within the Jordanian civil service Bylaw. While these methods are acknowledged in general legal provisions, this recognition is considered insufficient due to variations among different employment systems. Therefore, this study recommends explicitly incorporating modern evidence presentation methods into legislation to align with ongoing scientific and technological progress and facilitate their widespread adoption. Consequently, there is a need to revise legislative regulations governing employment systems and include the methods at the core of this investigation. This study addresses the ambiguity in Jordan's legal framework related to validating allegations against public employees before administrative investigators using an analytical and comparative approach, juxtaposing the legal provisions of Jordan and Egypt in this context.

Effects of Flexible Work Arrangements on Employee Performance among Non-Teaching Employees in Selected Public Universities, Western Kenya

Globally, workplaces face numerous challenges in enforcing flexible work arrangements for their employees, leading to burnout, dissatisfaction, stress, and poor performance. Generally, organizations have to develop strategies that retain attract, and improve performance. Malleable work arrangements have become significant in the current digital technology innovation ensuring employee performance. Specifically, the study assessed the effects of flexible work arrangements and performance among non-teaching employees in selected public universities in Western Kenya. Flexi-time and job sharing were used as construct measures and two theories: spill-over and social exchange were anchored. The study embraced philosophical research into positivism. The study used a cross-section survey research design. The target population was 3538, where stratified random sampling techniques were exploited. The Yamane’s formula calculated a sample size of 343 respondents. The questionnaire and interview schedule were utilized as collection instruments. A pilot study was examined at the University of Eldoret. A Cronbach’s alpha tested the reliability of instruments. Validity was tested using content analysis and expert Judgment validity. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics - frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations- and inferential statistics - Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis- were used. Interview data was analyzed using content analysis and expert judgment. The findings of the study disclosed a strong positive evident relationship between flexible work arrangements and performance (t-statistic=22.385, p-value=0.001< 0.05). The study recommends that public universities and governments embrace flexible work arrangements and develop policies to safeguard public employees and other companies.

PARTICIPANTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE EXPANDED PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME TO SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS

Public Employment Programmes (PEPs), which include the South African Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), are widely recognised as important social protection tools that address the challenges of persistent unemployment and dire poverty. PEPs offer a ‘win-win’ policy option by creating jobs while simultaneously generating assets and delivering services. In South Africa, the impact of PEPs has primarily been evaluated based on employment opportunities, thus creating a gap in the comprehensive assessment of their contribution to the broader livelihood of participants beyond job creation. To address this gap, a qualitative research method was employed, utilising a snowball sampling strategy and the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework as the theoretical foundation for the investigation. The findings of this study underscore the positive contribution of the EPWP to the livelihoods of its participants. However, the study also uncovered various challenges confronting the programme, such as non-compliance with program regulations, such as payment below minimum wage rates and difficulties in meeting youth employment targets amidst escalating youth unemployment rates in South Africa. The research recommends introducing a national EPWP policy with enforcement mechanisms and youth-focused programmes while strengthening local institutions to provide services and processes to enhance the impact of these programs and create a conducive environment for beneficiaries to improve their livelihoods and escape poverty.

Changes in active commuting and changes in work ability and recovery from work in 16,778 Finnish public sector employees

BackgroundPromotion of active commuting by walking and cycling presents a feasible strategy to increase physical activity levels and improve employee health and wellbeing. Increasing evidence on the health benefits of active commuting exists, but little is known about longitudinal associations between active commuting and work ability, and recovery from work. MethodsWe conducted an observational cohort study of 16,778 public sector employees who responded to the Finnish Public Sector study surveys in 2020 and 2022. Within- and between-individual associations of changes in active commuting with changes in work ability and recovery from work were examined using hybrid modelling. Analyses were adjusted for sex and age at T1 (time-invariant confounders in the between-individual part of the analyses) and socio-economic factors, body mass index, health behaviours, and job strain (time-varying confounders in both parts). ResultsAfter adjustments, an increase in active commuting equivalent to 10 km per week was associated with small within-individual (unstandardized beta (B) = 0.016, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.004–0.028) and between-individual (B = 0.028, 95% CI 0.019–0.038) improvements in work ability. In sex-stratified analyses, the positive within-individual effect on work ability was observed only among women (B = 0.026, 95% CI 0.001–0.040). With recovery from work, only between-individual positive association was observed (B = 0.032, 95% CI = 0.018–0.045). ConclusionsIt may be possible to improve work ability by increasing active commuting. However, it appears that a change corresponding to tens of weekly kilometres of active commuting is required to achieve a small improvement in work ability. No conclusive evidence supporting that an increase in active commuting enhances recovery from work was found.

Effects of Government Jobs on the Labour Market in Bangladesh

This paper empirically studies the implications of attractive government jobs for labour market. Exploiting an age ceiling policy that sets the age limit for eligibility for public employment at age 30, the study finds that the likelihood of private sector employment is about five percentage points higher for ineligible than eligible at the cutoff age of 30, mainly driven by females, particularly after doubling the public service salaries. The increase in employment after expiring the eligibility for government jobs is explained by increasing labour force participation rather than declining unemployment. During the eligibility period, candidates repeatedly try for government jobs and delay the pursuit of other opportunities, incurring substantial monetary expenses, time costs, and opportunity costs of time. At the same time, there is some evidence that public sector exam preparation gives rise to brain gain. While several papers studied this phenomenon theoretically, this study contributes by providing empirical evidence. The data for this study was drawn from population censuses and labour force surveys for the period 1991–2017 and a primary survey conducted online for this study in Bangladesh, and labour force surveys of India for 2011–2012, 2017–2018, and 2019–2020.

Public service motivation and turnover intention: China study shows role of job satisfaction and career growth opportunity for public employees

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsIn a study of 587 public employees from China, researchers found that public service motivation (PSM) made workers less likely to leave their jobs. But the relation to turnover intention was partially mediated by job satisfaction. Career growth opportunity moderated the association between job satisfaction and turnover intention.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Krause, Tobias A., Schachtner, Christian & Thapa, Basanta E. P. (Hrsg.) (2023). Handbuch Digitalisierung der Verwaltung. transcript Verlag. 420 Seiten. ISBN: 978-3-8252-5929-7 / ISBN: 978-3-8385-5929-2 (eBook). https://doi.org/10.36198/9783838559292.

The handbook Digitalisierung der Verwaltung provides meaningful knowledge on important management issues relating to the digital transformation in public administration and public service provision in Germany. 19 refreshing contributions shed light on personnel management, organisation, processes, and data infrastructure. With their valuable book, the editors not only address design features of digitalisation concepts, but also pose critical questions about implementation processes. The reader can learn from a multitude of illuminating practical examples, workable solutions and pioneering insights without ignoring the specific contextual factors of the political-administrative system in Germany. The book is aimed at public sector employees and executives, students and scholars, tech companies and service providers who deal with the digital transformation in public sector organisations.

Unequal gender‐based attraction toward public sector employment in China: The role of perceived discrimination and public service motivation

AbstractPromoting demographic diversity and representation in the public sector workforce is a critical prerequisite for achieving social equity. This study investigates gender differences in public sectoral preference in China, subsequently exploring the underlying mechanisms that cause such a gender gap. Based on social psychological theories, this study develops and tests a moderated mediation model that examines public service motivation (PSM) as the mediating mechanism and perceived discrimination as the moderator. Utilizing the nationally representative China Education Panel Survey, our findings suggest a strong gender effect regarding the attractiveness of public sector employment in China. In terms of the specific mechanism whereby gender helps predict public sectoral preference, PSM indeed plays a mediating role. Specifically, the gender gap in public sector employment will be further widened by PSM when perceived discrimination is high. Overall, this study contributes to the extant literature by exploring the effects of gender on public sector preferences and to the practice by helping policymakers ideate solutions to enhance diversity effectively.

Assessing the value and knowledge gains from an online tick identification and tick-borne disease management course for the Southeastern United States

BackgroundTick-borne diseases are a growing public health threat in the United States. Despite the prevalence and rising burden of tick-borne diseases, there are major gaps in baseline knowledge and surveillance efforts for tick vectors, even among vector control districts and public health agencies. To address this issue, an online tick training course (OTTC) was developed through the Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (SECOEVBD) to provide a comprehensive knowledge base on ticks, tick-borne diseases, and their management.MethodsThe OTTC consisted of training modules covering topics including tick biology, tick identification, tick-borne diseases, and public health, personal tick safety, and tick surveillance. The course was largely promoted to vector control specialists and public health employees throughout the Southeastern US. We collected assessment and survey data on participants to gauge learning outcomes, perceptions of the utility of knowledge gained, and barriers and facilitators to applying the knowledge in the field.ResultsThe OTTC was successful in increasing participants’ baseline knowledge across all course subject areas, with the average score on assessment increasing from 62.6% (pre-course) to 86.7% (post-course). More than half of participants (63.6%) indicated that they would definitely use information from the course in their work. Barriers to using information identified in the delayed assessment included lack of opportunities to apply skills (18.5%) and the need for additional specialized training beyond what the OTTC currently offers (18.5%), while the main facilitator (70.4%) for applying knowledge was having opportunities at work, such as an existing tick surveillance program.ConclusionsOverall, this OTTC demonstrated capacity to improve knowledge in a necessary and underserved public health field, and more than half of participants use or plan to use the information in their work. The geographic reach of this online resource was much larger than simply for the Southeastern region for which it was designed, suggesting a much broader need for this resource. Understanding the utility and penetrance of training programs such as these is important for refining materials and assessing optimal targets for training.

Exploring Priority Issues among a Sample of Adults from Minority Ethnic Communities Who Are Living with Visual Impairment in the UK

Background: Despite an increased risk of visual impairment (V.I.) among adults from minority ethnic communities in the UK, limited research has explored their wider life experiences. Methods: A secondary analysis of V.I. Lives survey data explored priority issues among a sample of 46 Asian, 22 Black, and 77 White adults who have visual impairment A list of 24 issues were grouped into 10 life domains. Issue and domain mean importance scores were calculated for each to facilitate ranking of importance. Results: Kruskal–Wallis tests showed that there were statistically significant differences between the three groups for 7/10 domains and 19/24 issues. Post hoc comparisons showed that this largely reflected group differences between Asian and White participants. While there were no statistically significant differences between Asian and Black participants possibly due to small sample sizes, there were statistically significant differences between Asian and White participants in 7/10 domains and 14/24 issues. Additionally, there were significant differences between Black and White participants in 5/10 domains and 7/24 issues, specialist workplace equipment being the only issue with a significant difference between White and Black but not Asian participants. There were no group differences for confidence in ability to do everyday tasks and opportunities to take part in more sporting and leisure activities. Overall, White participants generally rated all issues as less important than Asian and Black participants. The top-three domains for Asian participants were ‘accessible environments’/‘finances’, ‘technology’, and ‘public attitudes’. The top-three issues were accessibility of public transport, employer attitudes, and reduction of street clutter. The top-three domains among Black participants were ‘employment’, ‘accessible environments’, and ‘emotional support’. The top-three issues were employer attitudes/specialised education for young people with V.I., specialist V.I. equipment in the workplace, and confidence in ability to do everyday tasks/accessibility of public transport. Conclusions: Differences in priorities between the groups suggest that the needs of individual communities may be lost when grouping culturally diverse communities together, highlighting the need for more research with different minority ethnic communities.

Perceived Ethical Leadership and Follower Outcomes in the Public Sector: The Moderating Effect of Followers' Need for Autonomy

Ethical leadership is of growing interest and concern in public administration research and practice. Although both scholarship and practical wisdom suggest that the outcomes of leadership are contingent on followers' characteristics, knowledge about what individual preferences matter for the leadership–outcome relationship and how they moderate it is still scant. This study expands on extant scholarship by focusing on the moderating role of followers' need for autonomy in the association between perceived ethical leadership and two important follower outcomes, i.e., job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment. Building on self-determination theory, we test rivaling hypotheses on the moderating effect of follower's need for autonomy in a sample of public sector employees in Germany (n = 462). The results support the enhancement hypothesis, according to which the association between ethical leadership and follower outcomes increases at higher levels of need for autonomy. However, we find this effect only for job satisfaction, while no such moderation occurs in the case of affective organizational commitment. Future research is challenged to further explore the multiple contingencies of ethical leadership in the public sector by examining other configurations of outcomes and moderators at various levels of analysis.

The Burden of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD in Stable Patients and its Association with Inflammatory Biomarkers and Body Mass Index

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive airflow limitation that is preventable but not curable. It is associated with persistent symptoms that cause a considerable burden on individual productivity at work, and daily activities, and reduced quality of life, also burdening the healthcare system and society. Objectives: The study aims to measure the burden of COPD on patients in terms of daily activities and work productivity. It also seeks to investigate some inflammatory biomarkers' levels and their correlation with selected outcomes. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study on 120 stable COPD patients who were diagnosed and treated according to the GOLD guidelines at Kirkuk General Hospital's chest and Internal Medicine consultation clinics, and in private internist clinics in Kirkuk City, Iraq between January and April 2023. The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire (WPAI-COPD) measured the Burden of COPD. The symptom burden was assessed by the COPD assessment test (CAT). The level of IL-6 monoclonal antibodies was measured via a Roche Cobas 6000 analyzer and TNF-α using the ELISA sandwich technique. All these devices and machines were authorized by the Ministry of Health, Iraq. Results: The mean age was (54.1 ± 8.12) years, 62.5% being males and 37.5% being females; 41.7% were public sector employees, and 39.2% were self-employed. Due to COPD, the overall work loss was (45.9±18.91) days, the mean percentage of absenteeism was (10.9% ± 12.31%), activity impairment was (47.5% ±17.79%) among all patients, presenteeism was (40.8 ± 15.05%,) and COPD-related retirees were 14.2% of the study group. The mean CAT score (19.3±5.63) was high and the most troubling symptom among patients was chest tightness. WPAI-COPD scores were higher in older age and longer disease duration. The levels of biomarkers were above the reference ranges, the mean IL-6 level was (69.4 ± 35.29) pg/ml, and the mean TNF-α was (72.3 ± 22.45) pg/ ml. Conclusions: COPD patients exhibit a disease burden in terms of productivity loss at work and activity impairment that increases with aging and disease duration. COPD patients with low BMI are more prone to a decline in lung functions and to worse symptoms.

Influence of Abusive Supervision on Turnover Intentions: Moderating Role of Job Embeddedness

Number of misfortunes are reported by the employees such as they are scolded or abused by their leaders resulting in negative psychology of employees. Accordingly, this study examined the influence of abusive supervision on the turnover intentions of the employees mediated by job dissatisfaction. Additionally, the study also considered the moderating role of job embeddedness as a moderator. Following the positivism approach the study was deductive and quantitative. The data were collected by using the questionnaires adapted from the previous studies. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed among the public sector employees resulting in a total of 350 questionnaires used for data analysis. The respondents were selected by using the convenience sampling. And data were subjected to both SPSS and Smart PLS for analysis. Findings of the study revealed that presence of the abusive supervision tends to result in job dissatisfaction among the employees. Later on, the dissatisfied employees tend to have intentions to leave the jobs. The study results revealed that the job dissatisfaction tends to mediate the relationship between abusive supervision and turnover intentions. Results put forward that the job embeddedness is not a significant moderator. The study is a significant contribution to the literature since it enhanced the understanding about the process through which abusive supervision tends to influence turnover intentions. Although it did not support the job embeddedness as a moderator, but it provided another future avenue for research.

Exploring the Role of Perceived Supervisor Support: A Serial Mediation of Approach Job Crafting and Thriving at Work in Enhancing Job Satisfaction

The purposeof this study is to explore the underlying mechanism of approach job crafting and thriving at work that explain the relationship between perceived supervisor support and job satisfaction amongpublic sector employees. Drawing on job demand and resource model and organization support theory, the study aims to investigate the proposed serial mediation in public sector employees in Pakistan. By examining the sequential relationships among perceived supervisor support, approach job crafting, thriving at work, and ultimately job satisfaction, this research seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics within public sector organizations and offer insights for enhancing employee satisfaction. Based on cross sectional data from 369 public sector employees,Smart PLS 4andstructural equation modeling (SEM) wereemployedto analyze the data and study the serial mediation effect. Strong empirical evidence was found for all the proposed hypotheses. The findings indicated that stronger perceptions of supervisor support are associated with higher levels of job satisfaction among employees. Furthermore, approach job crafting and thriving at work mediate this relationship, highlighting theemployee behavior to actively shape theirroles and experiences at work. The findings show a path for public sector employees to capitalize on the antecedents to employee job satisfaction. Furthermore, it is suggested that public sector organizations should encourage active supervisor support to promote employee job satisfaction. In doing so, it is important to ensure that the employees are provided a workplace that pursues and encourages approach job crafting for enhanced levels of job satisfaction through thriving at work. This study expands theresearch on approach job crafting and sheds light on important conditions under which perceived supervisor support promotes job satisfaction in public sector employees in Pakistan. The study holds importance for public sector employees, supervisors and the public sector departments at large.

ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR AND INTEGRITY AMONG EMPLOYEES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: A CRITICAL REVIEW

This systematic review synthesises and analyses current research on ethical behaviour and integrity among public sector employees. Despite the growing emphasis on ethics in public administration, there remains a significant gap in consolidating the diverse factors influencing ethical conduct and integrity. Employing the Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) approach, a comprehensive search of Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) was conducted using the keywords (1) ethical behaviour, (2) employee, and (3) public sector. The final dataset included (n = 44) relevant articles meticulously reviewed and validated by experts. These articles were categorised into four coherent themes: (1) factors influencing ethical behaviour and integrity in the public sector; (2) challenges and barriers to ethical behaviour and integrity; (3) the leadership role as well as trust with regard to enhancing ethical behaviour; and (4) the implementation and prevention of ethical issues. Key findings indicate that ethical leadership, organisational culture, personal dispositions, education, professionalism, and holistic approaches are vital to fostering ethics in public service, and comprehensive initiatives are needed to address systemic and individual barriers to ethical conduct and integrity.

The Legal Nature of the International Staff"Comparative Analytical Study"

International organizations carry out their multiple tasks through the international staff, who is considered the main driving force for implementing the work of these organizations on the ground. The use of the term "international staff" has increased due to the growing role of international organizations in recent times in addressing many problems, such as humanitarian displacement resulting from conflicts and armed disputes and the humanitarian problems resulting from the displaced population due to those conflicts. Additionally, the increasing phenomenon of armed gangs threatening international security and peace has led to an increased need to appoint international staff whom organizations use to manage their daily and ongoing work. Considering all of the above, this study addresses several issues, the most important of which is determining the legal nature of the international staff. The study is divided into two sections. The first section discusses the legal framework for the international staff, focusing on two aspects. The first aspect clarifies the nature of the international staff, the legal definition of the international staff, and the legal requirements that must be met. The second aspect discusses their rights and duties. The second section is dedicated to discussing the administrative and criminal responsibility of the international staff. It consists of two parts: the first part discusses disciplinary sanctions for the international staff, while the second part discusses the criminal responsibility of the international staff. The study concludes with several findings, the most important of which is that the international staff bears a significant resemblance in concept to the local public employee, with the difference being the employing entity. Furthermore, the study provides several recommendations, including the establishment of a clear legal foundation for the administrative and criminal responsibility of the international staff through national and international legislation, aiming to create a clear definition of the legal nature of the international staff.

Stress and the Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods during COVID-19's Social Distancing: Are Mental Disorders Mediators in This Association? ELSA-Brasil Results.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated various determinants of mental disorders. Several behavioral changes were observed given this increase, including harmful health consequences, such as excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). To assess this relationship, we investigated the meditational role of symptoms of mental disorders (anxiety and depression) in the association between stress resulting from social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and the consumption of UPFs in 3884 Brazilian public employees in a supplementary study of the ELSA-Brasil study. Structural equation models (SEMs) were estimated to assess the direct and indirect effects mediated by symptoms of mental disorders. The results suggested a significant and positive mediational effect of the symptoms of mental disorders on the association between the stress resulting from social distancing and the consumption of UPFs. These findings contribute to informing the need for policies and early interventions in potentially stressful situations, with a focus on the promotion of mental health, and may thus help prevent or reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods.

Predicting public sector employee burnout using big data analysis

Predicting public sector employee burnout using big data analysis

Navigating The E-Government Landscape in Zanzibar a Comprehensive Empirical Assessment

The study about Navigating e-government landscape in Zanzibar. This investigation emphasizes the interplay among human and financial resource capitals, governmental policies, and Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure. Significantly, technological readiness is explored as a potential mediator, with digital literacy proposed as a moderating influence. Through an empirical lens, the study employs a comprehensive survey targeting diverse respondents, including public sector employees and citizens, capturing their e-government service interactions and perceptions. Employing a blend of statistical tools, the research unveils that human resource capital, aligned with digital knowledge, amplifies e-government efficacy. Strategic financial investments, especially in areas like training and ICT infrastructure, enhance service adoption. Furthermore, progressive government policies fostering transparency and inclusivity create a fertile ground for e-government growth. ICT, being central, further substantiates the call for robust digital infrastructures to support and expedite adoption. However, the mediating role of technological readiness underscores that simply possessing resources isn't sufficient; their strategic application is vital. Still, the study's scope, defined by its geographical focus on Zanzibar and potential inherent biases, necessitates caution when extrapolating results. In essence, this study provides a distilled perspective on e-government adoption in Zanzibar, offering insights potentially applicable to similar global contexts, urging stakeholders to rethink digital strategies.

Расширение деятельности государственной службы занятости населения по обслуживанию отдельных категорий граждан: зарубежный опыт

In the Russian Federation, since 2019, at the initiative of the Government of the Russian Federation, large-scale measures are being implemented within the framework of the National Demography Project to modernize the state employment service. The paper substantiates the need to study the foreign experience of the functioning of similar bodies and its adaptation to Russian conditions. The paper presents the approaches used in the practice of public employment services in some countries of the European Union. The examples of Belgium, Romania, France and Greece show the possibilities of expanding the categories of citizens served and ensuring the inclusiveness of the labor market.