Public Sector Employees Research Articles

Factors that Influence Preferences for Defined Benefit Plans Versus Defined Contribution Plans

The majority of public sector employees in the United States still have access to defined benefit (DB) retirement plans, with some retaining a choice between a defined benefit plan and a defined contribution (DC) plan when hired. This research was based on a survey assessing individuals’ financial literacy, risk tolerance, and time orientation and the influence those three variables had on preferences for DB versus DC plans. Greater financial skill and risk tolerance were associated with a preference for DC plans, while a time orientation focused on the present was associated with a preference for DB plans. This research could benefit employers as they determine retirement plan options that they choose to offer employees. Employers who offer both plan types may benefit from informing employees about the factors associated with preferences for each plan type as greater awareness of such factors could improve employee satisfaction and increase retention. JEL Codes: J32, H75, G53, G32

One tool to rule? – A field experimental longitudinal study on the costs and benefits of mobile device usage in public agencies

With the rising number of mobile technologies used in work- and private-life domains, opportunities, and challenges of mobile device usage in daily lives arise. Against this background, we strive to investigate how corporately provided mobile devices, i.e., tablets, affect work-life conflict and innovation behavior of public sector employees over time. We analyze employees in German public agencies due to their high intrinsic motivation goals alongside strict working schedules, regulations, and payments in contrast to the employees of the private sector. Our research pursues a sequential explorative multi-method approach of conducting a field experiment with qualitative and quantitative data. Twenty employees were divided into two equal groups: 1.) employees with tablets, 2.) employees without tablets. After analyzing the interviews and survey data using methods from grounded theory, we found that a) digital competences can create a bottleneck for employees' innovation behavior, b) corporately provided mobile devices (COPE) decrease employees work-life conflict despite increasing their workload, and c) COPE-IT can support innovation behavior of employees in public agencies, assisting them in keeping up their efficient work when work demands are high. All these effects can be mediated by the development of employee's ownership towards their COPE-IT.

Sexual and reproductive health communication between parents and adolescents: the case of Wa West District of the Upper West Region, Ghana

Background: Sexual and reproductive health communication is an important conversation challenge between parents and their adolescent children. Studies have established that parent-adolescent communication about sex can greatly reduce adolescents' risky sexual behaviour. Factors such as attitude, religious beliefs, perceived behavioural control, and behavioural intentions have been reported to affect parent-adolescent communication. Objective: This study assessed the communication practices between adolescents and their parents in the Wa West District in the Upper West Region of Ghana and factors that may be associated with this communication process. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed using a four-stage sampling technique. A total of 420 parents with adolescents aged 10to 19years were recruited to answer structured questions using Somers and Canivez's sexual communication tool. The tool yielded sexual communication mean scores. The analysis of variance test was used to compare mean scores. Binary logistic regression was used to determine possible factors affecting SRH communications. All analyses were done using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 25). Results: The study found that most of the respondents had good communication on sexual and reproductive health with their adolescents. There was a significant difference between Dagaabas and the other ethnic groups (p=0.025, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.05-1.25), between public sector employees and farmers (p=0.008, 95% CI = 0.07-0.90), and between Christians and Muslims (p=0.032, 95% CI= 0.01-0.38) on SRH communication. Conclusion: Though parents' communication with adolescents was good, health stakeholders need to empower parents with information on sexual and reproductive health to ensure effective counselling of their adolescents

How Were Return-of-Service Schemes Developed and Implemented in Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho?

Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho are three Southern African countries that make use of return-of-service (RoS) schemes to increase human resources for health in their countries. These initiatives bind beneficiaries to a pre-defined period of service upon the completion of their studies based on the length of funding support received. We aimed to review the history of these policies to understand the conceptualisation, intent and implementation of these schemes. We used a multi-methods research design which consisted of a literature review, a policy review and semi-structured interviews with policymakers and implementors. All three governments have a combination of grant-loan schemes and full bursaries or scholarships. The policies have all been operating for over 20 years, with Eswatini's pre-service policy being the oldest since it was introduced in 1977, followed by Lesotho's 1978 policy and Botswana's 1995 pre-service policy. These policies have never been reviewed or updated. RoS schemes in these countries were introduced to address critical skills shortages, to improve employability prospects for citizens, to have competent public sector employees by global standards and to aid the career progress of government employees. Ministries of Health are passive role players. However, these schemes can only be efficient if there is clear cooperation and coordination between all stakeholders.

Public Service Motivation and Employees’ Performance in a Nigerian Public Higher Institution

With constant strike actions and salaries considered to be insufficient to live a meaningful life, the general conclusion is that employees in the Nigerian public sectors are becoming unsatisfied and by implication unhappy. The dimensions of Public Service Motivation (PSM) proposed by Perry & Wise (1990) are considered a possible catalyst to manage the situation. This study seeks to examine the possible link between Public Service Motivation (PSM) mechanisms and employees’ performance using a Nigerian public Higher Institution (the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti) as a case study. A sample size of 460 was drawn from the academic and non-academic Staff of the Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti. The study used questionnaire as the research instrument and analysed the data with statistical tool of SPSS version 22.0 to extract means and standard deviation of the variables. Out of the 460 administered questionnaires, 426 were retrieved while 34 were not returned. Out of the retrieved 426 questionnaires, 408 were valid while 18 were invalid. The respond rate of the respondents to the study questionnaires was 88.69% representing an excellent grade. The mean score 2.41, 1.61, and 1.78 were accepted as a positive relationship in hypotheses testing since they are less than the set bench marked of 2.5. Consequently results of the study revealed that PSM – dimensions will have significant effect on employees’ performance if genuinely deployed. Therefore, to salvage citizens dwindling interest in the public service, and to get the best out of the present crop of employees, PSM dimensions is proposed to be inculcated into the motivation policy of the public service guide/policy.

The economic effects of prison closures on local communities

This study examines the economic impacts of prison closures on local communities in the United States during the early 2010s. Using a difference-in-differences design, my analyses reveal a significant reduction in public-sector employment and a greater impact on low-skilled workers. However, I find little evidence of an adverse spillover effect on private-sector employment. Consequently, the overall implications of prison closures on the broader labor and housing markets are modest.

Empowering Leadership and Counterproductive Work Behavior: Mediating Role of Person-Organization Fit and Moderation effect of Overall Justice

The current research effort explains the phenomenon of counterproductive work behavior among employees of higher education sector of South Punjab, Pakistan. The data was collected from 308 academic employees of public sector as simple random sampling technique was implied, furthermore Smart-PLS was utilize for data analysis. The results revealed that empowering leadership influence the counterproductive work behavior and person organization fit. The person-organization fit negatively influence the counterproductive work behavior, so therefore mediation role of person-organization fit was observed between the relationship of empowering leadership and counterproductive work behavior, similarly significant moderation role of organization overall justice was observed between the relationship of person-organization fit and counterproductive work behavior.

A New Working Class: The Legacies of Public-Sector Employment in the Civil Rights Movement

A New Working Class: The Legacies of Public-Sector Employment in the Civil Rights Movement

Class structuration, reproduction, and the politics of labour in India

The statement discusses Jonathan Parry’s recent monograph, Classes of Labour, and in particular his “labour aristocracy” thesis of the most privileged sections of India’s workforces that had been widely accepted in the social sciences in the 1970s but that had later been discarded. It is argued that the ethnography of an industrial town in Central India he presents in the monograph convincingly demonstrates that the relative privileges of public-sector employment have fostered the bifurcation of the town’s industrial workers into two major distinct classes with different life chances, different attitudes to caste, and with often antagonistic political interests. Classes of Labour also demonstrates that Giddens’ concept of “class structuration” offers a suitable theoretical grounding for identifying the major fault lines and driving forces of class formation in his case study but also for a controlled comparison between case studies across India and beyond. This statement moreover argues that this approach conceives of class as an historical, dynamic object, and it asks whether the current crises of class reproduction in the times of jobless growth might provoke a major change in the structuration of classes in India.

Uncertainty avoidance and acceptance of the digital payment systems: a partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants that likely influence the intention of using digital payment systems such as the Jordan Mobile Payment (JoMoPay) system among public sector employees in Jordan. To achieve the purpose of the current study, the authors developed a new research model based on the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2), with one of Hofstede’s cross-cultural dimension scales [uncertainty avoidance (UA)] to provide a further understanding of the JoMoPay system acceptance in Jordan.Design/methodology/approachA partial least squares-structural equation modeling approach was used to analyze the data collected by self-administration from the 270 employees working in the Jordanian public sector located in Amman city, the capital city of Jordan. Because most main public sectors are located in Amman and because of the cost and time considerations, the current study applied a non-probability sampling with the purposive sampling technique.FindingsThe empirical results reveal that the evident drivers of behavioral intention to use the JoMoPay system are significantly and positively influenced by social influence, UA, performance expectancy, price value and effort expectancy; therefore, theH1,H2,H3,H5andH6were supported. Conversely, the results show no significant relationship between facilitating conditions and the behavioral intention to use the JoMoPay system, and hence, the related hypothesis (H4) was not supported.Practical implicationsThe results of this study provide beneficial information to the Central Bank of Jordan and other service providers in Jordan about employee intentions to adopt JoMoPay system and increase decision-makers’ knowledge on factors that have an important impact in UTAUT2 model.Social implicationsThe results of this study enable policymakers to understand the important factors that will enhance savings, investments and living standards, create job opportunities as well as reduce the poverty, the paper money printing cost, risks of money transportation cost and the risk of human errors.Originality/valueThe outcomes obtained will help both practitioners and researchers elucidate and understand the situation of digital payment systems acceptance among Jordanian public sector employees, as well as help them formulate plans to expedite the adoption process of digital payment systems in the case of UA.

Public Service Motivation and Ethical Behavior amid Challenge Stressors

This study aims to investigate the relationship between Public Service Motivation (PSM) and ethical or unethical behaviors in the context of work stressors. A survey was conducted on 300 public sector employees in Nepal using structured questionnaires with a seven-Likert scale. The study used a deductive approach to examine the association between PSM and ethical behavior in situations of challenge stressors at work. The research found that high levels of PSM are linked to high levels of ethical behavior intentions, and this relationship is further strengthened in the presence of challenge stressors as a positive moderator. The study also highlights the challenges of self-reported measures and social desirability bias when observing ethical or unethical behavior. The primary variables observed in the public sector of Nepal were PSM, ethical behavior, and challenge stressors, with only three variables and a limited sample size being the major limitations. Overall, this study suggests that the use of PSM as a tool and creating workplace challenges may contribute to improving ethical conduct among public sector employees.

An Evaluation of Inequality of Enterprising Women in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Nepal

This study aims to analyze the existence of gender inequality in Nepalese society and the response of the government towards it through policy documents. It also explores the changing scenario of women representation in the political and public sector because of the government policies. This research provides a critical review of the government policies and social practices regarding affirmative action and gender equality in Nepal. This research further unravels the systematic review of policy documents and future insight into government policies to enhance the position of women in public sector employment.
 This research is based on secondary data and a descriptive method has been adopted to show the status of women in Nepal. Secondary data were taken from the academic published articles and policy documents of the Government of Nepal. This research has found that the Government of Nepal has taken up aggressive steps to ensure gender equality in each sector by increasing representation of women. The latest constitution of Nepal, 2007 and the second amendment of Civil Service Act, 1993 are the key policy documents from which, women representation in public sector has been increasing marvelously. Hence, the country has been moving towards gender equality and has impacted positively on society. It could be an example for other developing countries as well.

Procurement practices, leadership style and employee-perceived service quality towards the perceived public health sector performance in Zimbabwe

The public sector performance can be judged through the ability to deliver expected service to residents within the community. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of leadership style and employee-perceived service quality on perceived public health sector performance. Also, the study sought to understand whether procurement practices mediate the effect of leadership style on perceived service quality. A cross-sectional survey of 380 public health sector employees was conducted in Mashonaland central Province in Zimbabwe between September and October 2022. Structural equation modelling (SEM) in AMOS Version 25 was employed to test research hypotheses. The study established that both leadership style and perceived service quality influence public health sector performance. The study further concluded that procurement practices partially mediate the influence of leadership style on perceived service quality. Also, the study established that employee-perceived service quality partially mediate the influence of procurement practices on perceived public health sector performance. Finally, the study found out that employee-perceived service quality partially mediate the influence of leadership style on perceived public health sector performance.

Tier Three Pension Scheme in Ghana: What is the Employees’ Level of Understanding?

Purpose: The study examined the level of knowledge of Tier III pension scheme among public sector employees in the New Juaben Municipality.
 Methodology: The descriptive research design was employed. Data were collected, using self-administered questionnaire from 300 randomly selected employees. Data collected were analysed using means, standard deviations and Explanatory Factor Analysis.
 Findings: The results showed that eight dimensions account for about 78% of the variance in level of knowledge of Tier III pension scheme. Furthermore, generally, the level of knowledge of Tier III pension scheme among employees was low. It was concluded that employees were agitated because they had low level of knowledge of the Tier III pension scheme.
 Recommendations: It was recommended that the immediate superiors of employees should, from time to time, organise seminars to take employees through all that the employees need to know about the Tier III Pension Scheme.

Role of management education in adapting the Indian public sector to market-based economic reforms

PurposeIn 1991, India embarked on market-based economic reforms initiatives pillared on liberalization, privatization and globalization (LPG). The reforms exposed the public sector enterprises to competitive market forces, raising the need to identify and develop the competencies necessary for survival. Executive training programs were initiated to prepare public enterprises for the market-based reforms. Three decades later, the reforms especially privatization is witnessing renewed interest under the current administration. In this context, the article takes a closer look at the structure of management education provided to public sector officers in India. The article also identifies barriers for implementing the learnings from the management courses in the workplaces and suggests approaches for closing the gap.Design/methodology/approachThe study follows a thematic approach based on unstructured interviews of senior executives of Indian public sector enterprises covering oil and gas, aeronautical, power and transportation sectors. New public management (NPM) is used as a yardstick of “business-like” characteristics of public sector enterprises.FindingsDespite heavy investment, trainings have had only partial success in implementing the core objective of NPM, i.e. to provide quality services in a professional manner to meet citizen requirements. The study found that though concepts of NPM are introduced at multiple management training programs, the public enterprises lag in the implementation of NPM. The ingrained hierarchical and procedural culture of the enterprises was often highlighted as the challenge to its implementation.Practical implicationsThe study will be of significance to Indian policymakers in designing management education programs to public sector employees. It brings out – (1) various models of management education provided to public servants across industries, (2) provide evidence on the extent of NPM implementation, (3) identify barriers for transitioning the learnings from the management courses to workplace and (4) suggest changes for improving effectiveness.Originality/valueThe existing research on LPG in India covers the economic transformation post-implementation and the factors contributing to the success of its implementation. This study adds to the limited literature available on the management education of public servants in the country.

Transformation of priorities in the social security of medical workers: a note to the accountant

The novelties of legislation in force since January 1, 2023, provided for by the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation “On additional state social support for medical workers of medical organizations included in the state and municipal health care systems and participating in the basic program of compulsory medical insurance or territorial programs of compulsory medical insurance” are considered. The analysis of the development of legislation regulating the remuneration of public sector employees, including differentiated approaches to remuneration and social support for certain categories of medical workers, which is due to the need to consolidate the scarce staff of doctors, specialists with secondary medical education and junior medical personnel in primary health care, including in rural areas, in the emergency care system.

Analysing the Potential for Asset Misappropriation in Three Malaysian Municipal Councils

This paper aims to provide administrators with a better understanding of the issue of asset misappropriation in order to provide better ethical practices and governance among public sector employees. Data for this study were gathered from 180 employees of three Malaysian municipal councils. The findings revealed that Municipal Council B faces the greatest risk of asset misappropriation by its employees. Municipal Council A comes next, and Municipal Council C is the least risky. This study contributes greatly to the literature by presenting evidence on the level of likelihood of asset misappropriation in local governments. The results of a survey and an interview disclosed that asset misappropriation was a problem for the selected local governments. The study is conducted on only three Malaysian municipal councils and covered only one form of fraud.

Emotional Intelligence as Mediator of Quality of Work Life and Commitment: Context of Public Sector Employees

Aims: To determine the mediating effect of emotional intelligence on quality of work life and commitment of public sector employees within the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur.
 Study Design: Non-experimental quantitative design
 Place and Duration of Study: Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur, CARAGA Region, Philippines during the January - March 2023.
 Methodology: Stratified random sampling technique was used to obtain the 362 public sector employees as respondents of the study. Mediation analysis approach and descriptive-correlational technique were used to explore and appreciate how emotional intelligence could affect the relationship between quality of work life and employees’ commitment. The mean, regression, Pearson r and Sobel z-test were utilized as statistical tools. 
 Results: The level of quality of work life, emotional intelligence, and commitment among the public sector employees was high. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the three variables (p-value <.05). Using Sobel z-test, the results of the study showed partial mediating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between quality of work life and commitment. This means that the mediating role played by emotional intelligence of public sector employees partly helped to explain the mechanism that was responsible to explain the connection between quality of work and commitment.
 Conclusion: Emotional intelligence has a big impact on commitment, so organizations need to consider an employee’s personal compatibility and develop competent strategic human resource management with employee-friendly policies.

THE INTERACTION EFFECT OF JOB DESIGN AND PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION ON THE JOB PERFORMANCE OF MALDIVES CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES

Previous research has shown that people select public sector jobs for meaningful work. In this regard, the meaning of work comes from the way work is conceived, as represented by the model given by Hackman and Oldham (1975), which can have important implications for work-related behaviour. Therefore, this research analyses how job characteristics would influence civil servants' Public Service Motivation and how this leads to the interaction between job characteristics and job performance of those working in the Maldives Civil ServiceThis research used a quantitative design approach and a cross-sectional data collection approach. Data were collected from 370 employees from different public service offices in the Maldives Civil Service. The findings from this research indicate a positive association between job characteristics and job performance. Similarly, job characteristics positively impact public service motivation (PSM), which also affects job performance. In addition, an interaction was observed; detailed findings are given in the research paper.The findings of this research suggest significant implications to those who implement HR, thereby providing insights to improve the job design and human resource management functions of civil servants. In addition, the study presents essential findings on the importance of job characteristics on job performance from the context of the public sector of South Asian countries. It also highlights the need to improve job characteristics to increase the motivation of public sector employees.

Investigating pension choice factors among the faculty of public sector universities in Pakistan

PurposeThis research designed, optimized and tested a context-specific scale to evaluate public sector employees' pension choices.Design/methodology/approachThe authors developed the scale using a comprehensive process of interviews and focus groups with experts across academia and finance. The authors used the refined scale to collect data from 564 faculty members in public sector universities following a multistage systematic cluster sampling technique. The findings revealed diversity in choice across different socio-economic and demographic variables.FindingsThe results revealed that items related to the defined benefit pension system explain most of the data variance and are preferred widely. This is followed by a preference for monetizing pension benefits and a defined contribution system. These findings indicated the need for flexible pension plans.Practical implicationsTherefore, the progressive movement towards monetization and the shift from defined benefit to a defined contribution pension system due to economic pressures must be accurately calculated and introduced where it is suitable.Originality/valueAlthough the theory of introducing a defined contribution pension system and monetization system is appealing, its practical implementation may not be encouraging for all employees.