PAD 530 Discussions - United States

Week 1 Discussion 14

“Public Human Resource Management” Please respond to the following:

Analyze the topics discussed in Chapter 1, with the exception of the laws. Select two topics and discuss two positive effects and two challenges the topic poses for human resource departments in the public sector.

Week 1 Discussion 1

Human resource (HR) departments in public agencies are fighting for credibility. Pressure to contain costs, engage employees, and be strategic has led many HR departments to flounder. HR wants to be seen as a resource and a trusted advisor to management. HR needs to be seen as credible in the eyes of employees. If the HR function is not credible in the eyes of its customers, the value of HR services is diminished.

Make your role known. Oftentimes, employees misunderstand how HR operates. They believe that HR information is “confidential.” They believe that HR should be “on their side.” Then, when they don’t get what they expect, they come to mistrust the entire HR function. How do we combat this phenomenon? Advertise your job, including your mission, your role, and your services. Make it known how you handle “confidential” information. Don’t be afraid to do a little education about the HR world. The more they know, the more they trust and respect you.

Constantly ask for feedback. Do you really know how your customers perceive you? Conduct annual surveys and customer focus groups to find out what your employee customers think. Pursue continuous improvement as a result of the feedback. Those who are always getting better are always more respected.

HR must constantly “drip” information to employees on a wide range of employment issues through a variety of media. A detailed quarterly email won’t work. Rather, provide information on a weekly or daily basis on a variety of topics that directly impact or benefit employees. Use as many communication methods as possible. They’ll soon come to see you as a resource, rather than an obstacle.

Green, M. (2014, October 22). Five Ways a Public Sector HR Department Can Earn Respect. Retrieved January 02, 2017, from https://careersingovernment.com/tools/resources/five-ways-public-sector-hr-department-can-earn-respect/

Week 2 Discussion 24

“Fragile and Transitional States” Please respond to the following:

Build on your previous discussion answer about change strategies and performance measures, and analyze issues and / or needs associated with strengthening the competency-base of employees in meeting the needs of globalization.

Recommend at least two strategies the agency needs to adapt to meet those issues and / or needs effectively.

Week 2 Discussion 2

Fragile and Transitional States” Please respond to the following:

The globalization process has affected to a large extent the way of life of the individual citizens and the communities. This has generated new institutional challenges for local institutions and has given rise to a set of complex needs and troubles from the communities. As a local institution considered being the closest to the community residents, local government has to respond to such needs and challenges to be able to serve well their interests and concerns. In responding to such challenges, local government’s role has to go beyond being a service provider. It has to be an enabler by providing the right kind of environment where the community will grow and flourish into a vibrant economic and social unit. The changing role of local government in the governance of communities has highlighted strongly the need to develop human resources at the local level to cope with the enabling functions of the local government. In relating directly with the community, the local government personnel must have the necessary skills and knowledge to better serve the residents’ needs and concerns. With the changing concept of local governance, the local government personnel should be qualified and highly trained for their enabling or facilitative functions. Some of the needs that need to be addressed are going to include the lack of training programs for the agency for the local elective officials, and the lack of financial resources.

Recommend at least two strategies the agency needs to adapt to meet those issues and / or needs effectively.

The need to allocate funds: formulate a policy on the grant of incentives to local governments where they would be encouraged to set aside on a regular basis, a certain amount from their development funds for capability building programs most especially for the development of enabling competencies. In other words, there is a need for a continuing capability building program for every local government unit in the country through a regular allocation of funds from local development funds.

Develop regular training programs: It appears imperative to develop and conduct a regular training program particularly for the local government personnel. HR competencies at the local level could be further enhanced if regional offices would undertake specific programs for local government personnel to be done on a regular basis. They should be able to conduct more regular training programs specifically for local functionaries and personnel to equip them with the needed skills and knowledge to perform their enabling functions (Legaspi, n.d.)

References:

Employee Relations – Importance and Ways of Improving Employee Relations. (n.d.). Employee Relations – Importance and Ways of Improving Employee Relations. Retrieved July 4, 2014, from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/employee-relations.htm

Legaspi, P. (n.d.). HRD And Globalization: Improving Competencies at the Local. UPAN. Retrieved July 4, 2014, from http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/eropa/unpan014257.pdf

Week 3 Discussion 2

“Diversity and Cultural Competency” Please respond to the following:

Debate It: Take a position for or against this statement: Government agencies should purpose to hire people from different ethnic, racial, and gender groups. Provide at least two reasons and examples to support your position.

Recommend at least two strategies for how your selected agency provides training and development to increase the knowledge, skills, and competencies of employees, especially at high levels.

Week 3 Discussion 2

Diversity and Cultural Competency” Please respond to the following:

Within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) it will be critical that the agency purpose hiring people from different ethnic, racial, and gender groups. The U.S. population becoming more and more diverse, working with individuals from different backgrounds cannot be avoided. As stated by Norma Riccucci, author of Public Personnel Management: Current Concerns, Future Problems, “as public sector workforces have become more culturally diverse, the ability of supervisors, managers, and coworkers to demonstrate competencies across all landscapes is critical for effective organizational performance.” Ensuring that children are fairly given a quality education regardless of their differences will be a huge task for the ED.

Hiring from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds will ensure a diverse classroom setting for the educational process. In fact, “Public schools in the USA began the 2014-15 school years with an unprecedented demographic profile: For the first time ever, white students are the minority, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Both the percentage and number of white students in U.S. schools are expected to drop slowly but steadily over the next several years, from 50% in 2013 to 45% in 2022. Meanwhile, Hispanic students will grow from 26% to 30% of the school population, with their sheer numbers rising by nearly 3 million.” (Toppo & Overberg, 2014, para. 7). As the dynamics regarding ethnic, racial and gender groups continue to shift, classroom diversity will have to become a priority.

Recommend at least two strategies for how your selected agency provides training and development to increase the knowledge, skills, and competencies of employees, especially at high levels.

Two strategies I would recommend for the U.S. Department of Education in training and development are more engaged goal focused performance reviews and peer to peer mentoring. Give goals, and then follow up a few months later to ensure that those goals are being accomplished. Eric Jackson, contributor for Forbes wrote, “To be effective, the goals have to be top of mind for both the report and the boss throughout the year.” (Jackson, 2012, para. 10). When employees know that their performance review will be given truly based on how they perform, they tend to perform better throughout the year. Peer to peer mentoring can be a very effective practice if properly administered. In many districts across the country, mentoring programs have helped reduce the attrition rate of new teachers. In fact, “Districts like Cincinnati Columbus, and Toledo, Ohio, Rochester, New York, and Seattle, Washington have launched, Peer Assistance and Review Programs, which have sharply reduced attrition rates of beginning teachers by providing expert mentor teachers with release time to coach beginners in their first year on the job and evaluate them at the end of the year.” (Hammond & Ducommun, 2011, para. 17). Retaining and training quality educators will be critical in ensuring that America continues to move forward competitively. Having programs such as this one in place will be the key to educator’s success.

References:

Toppo, G & Overberg, P. (2014). Diversity in the classroom. USAToday. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/01/04/minnesota-school-race-diversity/18919391/

Riccucci, Norma M.. Public Personnel Management: Current Concerns, Future Problems, 5th Edition. Pearson Custom Publishing, 2012. VitalBook file.

Darling-Hammond, L. & Ducommun, C. (2011). Recruiting and Retaining Teachers: What Matters Most and What Can Government Do? The Forum. Retrieved from http://www.forumforeducation.org/news/recruiting-and-retaining-teachers-what-matters-most-and-what-can-government-do

Week 4 Discussion 13

“Affirmative Action and the Law” Please respond to the following:

Analyze the Bakke and the University of Michigan rulings and discuss two implications these court rulings have on you as the personnel manager of your agency.

Debate It: Take a position for or against the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 1986 on the use of affirmative action in hiring, promotion, and layoffs for your agency. Provide at two reasons and examples to support your position.

Week 5 Discussion 23

Week 4 Discussion 1
Affirmative Action and the Law” Please respond to the following:
Analyze the Bakke and the University of Michigan rulings and discuss two implications these court rulings have on you as the personnel manager of your agency.
Implication 1: The Court endorses Justice Powell’s view that student body diversity is a convincing state interest that can rationalize using race in university admissions. The Court defers to the Law School’s educational decision that diversity is crucial to its educational mission. The Court’s scrutiny of that interest is no less strict for taking into account complex educational judgments in an area that lies primarily within the university’s expertise. Major American businesses have made apparent that the skills needed in today’s ever more global marketplace can only be urbanized through exposure to widely diverse people, cultures, ideas, and viewpoints. High-ranking retired officers and civilian military leaders assert that a highly qualified, racially diverse officer corps is essential to national security. Moreover, because universities, and in particular, law schools, represent the training ground for a large number of the Nation’s leaders, Sweatt v. Painter, 339 U.S. 629, 634, the path to leadership must be noticeably open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity. Therefore, the Law School has a compelling interest in attaining a diverse student body (Grutter v. Bollinger, 2003).
Implication 2: In the landmark Bakke case, this Court reviewed a medical school’s racial set-aside program that reserved 16 out of 100 seats for members of certain minority groups. The decision produced six separate opinions, none of which commanded a majority. Four Justices would have upheld the program on the ground that the government can use race to remedy disadvantages cast on minorities by past racial prejudice. Justice Powell, announcing the Court’s judgment, provided a fifth vote not only for invalidating the program, but also for reversing the state court’s injunction against any use of race whatsoever. In a part of his opinion that was joined by no other Justice, Justice Powell expressed his view that attaining a diverse student body was the only interest asserted by the university that survived scrutiny (Grutter v. Bollinger, 2003).
Debate It: Take a position for or against the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 1986 on the use of affirmative action in hiring, promotion, and layoffs for your agency. Provide at two reasons and examples to support your position.
I would have to take the position for the court’s decision in 1986 on the use of affirmative action in hiring, promotion, and layoffs for the agency. First example I selected was within practice, separate accommodations for blacks were rarely equal. In 1954, the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education held that segregated public educational facilities were naturally unequal, and as a result unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The court consequently ordered public schools to be desegregated. At the same time that legal battles were being fought to integrate America’s schools, many were disturbed that minorities were being systematically excluded from higher employment. A hundred years after the Reconstruction Amendments were ratified, entire industries, such as police departments and fire departments, remained all white. African-Americans, even if college educated, were relegated to work for less pay at less skilled jobs (Supreme Court Review, n.d.). With this being said, if affirmative action did not occur, where would we be now when it came to employment of minorities? Not everyone adapts to change well, and without the 1986 decision we would have kept only hiring whites in the police departments and fire departments. Another example in which I selected is, the first use of the phrase “affirmative action” occurred in an executive order, signed by President Kennedy on March 6, 1961, which required government contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” President Johnson subsequently signed an executive order requiring federal contractors to outline their affirmative action plans in written filings. Neither of these executive orders required federal contracts to meet concrete or numerical targets for hiring minorities (Supreme Court Review, n.d.).
References
GRUTTER V. BOLLINGER. (2003, April 1). GRUTTER V. BOLLINGER. Retrieved January 15, 2017, from http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/02-241.ZS.html
Supreme Court Review. (n.d.). – Updates on our Nations Highest Court. Retrieved January 15, 2017, from http://supremecourtreview.com/default/issue/index/id/15

“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Employees in the Public Sector Workforce” Please respond to the following:

From the e-Activity, analyze the two news events published within the past 12 months related to sexual harassment laws for or against lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals.

Propose at least two ways your agency plans to address these events, highlighting two challenges to identifying and prosecuting offenders within your agency.

Debate It: Take a position for or against this statement: A public sector agency should provide medical benefits to employees who choose to have surgery to change their sex. Provide at least two reasons and examples to support your position.

Week 5 Discussion 2

“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Employees in the Public Sector Workforce” Please respond to the following:

From the e-Activity, analyze the two news events published within the past 12 months related to sexual harassment laws for or against lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals.

The 49-year-old single mom Jackie Biskupski became the first openly-gay person to be elected as mayor of Salt Lake City. Her victory sends a powerful message to all LGBT members that sexual orientation will never be a limitation to public service. What makes this victory extra special is that Biskupski’s’s sexuality was never an issue, seeing that Biskupski has been openly gay since 1989. I chose this article because I felt like it was a very big deal, because we’ve come to the point in some communities where people are valued on their merits, instead of some category that they’ve been placed in. In the case of Tamara Lusardi v. U.S Army, Lusardi proved that she was discriminated against. After Ms. Lusardi, a disabled veteran, transitioned from male to female on the job, her supervisor continued to call her “sir” and “he,” and she was told that she could not use the same restroom as all other female employees. Lusardi was required to use a single-user, gender neutral restroom. Ms. Lusardi was reprimanded by her supervisor on the few occasions that she used the general women’s restroom because the single-user restroom was out of order. It was founded that the Army’s restriction of Lusardi’s restroom use was inappropriate and subjected her to significant discomfort and humiliation. In addition, Ms. Lusardi’s supervisor repeatedly used male pronouns and her old name in front of her co-workers and others. As a result, the Department of the Army has agreed to provide sensitivity training about working with LGBT coworkers for employees and supervisors.

Propose at least two ways your agency plans to address these events, highlighting two challenges to identifying and prosecuting offenders within your agency.

The FDA is still under fire for possible discrimination, even after making progress towards equal equality. For decades, there was a lifetime ban disallowing gay and bisexual men to donate blood. This ban carried on for 30 years and up until recently stood firm. Within the last year, the FDA created a proposal stating that gay and bisexual men can donate blood (but wait, there’s a stipulation) as long as they have not had sex with another man in the past year. Which means the policy still prevents men from donating blood solely based on their sexual orientation instead of a more modern individual risk assessment. Although a one year deferral is a step in the right direction compared to the previous ruling, it is still viewed by some as discriminatory.

I’m for transgender surgery and a workplace should cover it. I feel that insurance is insurance. What an employee chooses to do with that insurance should be irrelevant. I feel the same about cosmetic surgery; same with birth control. If a person wants to alter their body, they should have no barriers in doing so as long as it falls within legal limitations. If a company feels that getting a nose job is a luxury, charge the employee a higher monthly premium. During open enrollment, employees have the option of choosing the type of insurance policy they feel best fits them and their family. A separate much more costly policy should be offered for those who want to be covered by such operational procedures such as cosmetic surgery and sex reassignment surgery. At the end of the day, we are all going to the doctor whether it’s to see an plastic surgeon or a neurological surgeon.

References:

http://www.eeoc.gov/decisions/0120133395.txt

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/salt-lake-city-close-electing-1st-openly-gay-34979492

Week 6 Discussion 24

“Public Employees’ Liability for Constitutional Torts” Please respond to the following:

Debate It: Take a position for or against this statement: Public sector employees charged with offenses outside of the workplace should be held accountable and liable for their actions – written reprimand, administrative leave, or dismissal from public service. Provide two reasons and examples to support your position.

Hypothesize a situation in which a public administrator or employee should have the constitutional right to disobey a directive ordered by a superior. Provide at two reasons and examples to support your position.

Week 6 Discussion 2

“Public Employees’ Liability for Constitutional Torts” Please respond to the following:

Public sectors employees charged with offenses outside the workplace should be held accountable and liable for their actions. The level at which they are held accountable or liable is relative depending on the offense. “Charged with offenses” is a broad statement. If a public sector employee is speeding, fined with a minor traffic violation and given a ticket, pays the fees associated with the ticket, no harm, not foul. However, if the offense is a more serious crime, then yes, they should be held accountable and liable. In a current case in Georgia, a sheriff office was allowed to leave the scene of a crime after shooting a woman. This was not the sheriff officer’s first offensive; he has been in trouble with law enforcement before. In my opinion, this officer should be dismissed from public services. Again, depending on the nature of the offensive, the punishment should fit the crime.

A public administrator or employee should have the constitutional right to disobey a directive order if the order is unlawful or if it goes against the employee’s religious beliefs. In fact, “To prevail in asserting a constitutional right to disobey unconstitutional directives, the employee may have to show (1) that the refusal to obey was based on a sincere belief that the action at issue was unconstitutional and (2) that he or she is correct in his or her legal assessment.” (Riccucci, 2012, p. 113). Superiors should understand that asking subordinates to perform duties that are unlawful are not upheld in higher courts.

References

http://www.cbs46.com/story/28965499/clayton-county-sheriff-not-cooperating-after-shooting

http://strayer.vitalsource.com/books/9781256974000/page/113

Week 7 Discussion 15

“Public Employee Unions in a New Era” Please respond to the following:

Refer to Chapter 8, which points out that the New Era of public employee unions has nothing to do with who controls federal policy making in Washington, D.C. The chapter focuses on the issues that public employees face daily as a result of agency mandates, policies, and procedures that can, at any time, have an adverse impact on job performance as well as fiscal constraints and budgetary resources. Assume your agency wants to discourage union involvement. Recommend at least two strategies your agency could implement to encourage and discourage its employees from seeking union representation.

From the first eActivity, select one of the news events regarding NTEU and provide a brief critique of the issues.

Week 7 Discussion 1

“Public Employee Unions in a New Era” Please respond to the following:

Often time’s employees join unions because of their disappointment with how they are being treated by management. Two strategies the Department of Education could implement to discourage employees from seeking union representation are competitive wages and fair and consistent policies and practices. Providing competitive wages is an incentive to improving quality and alleviating shortages among educators. With the competitive wages, implementing fair and consistent policies and practices is critical. Stricter tenure rules should also be put in place. In fact, “If we want to attract, retain, and motivate the best and the brightest, we need to raise the starting salaries of teachers to be competitive with other professions. says Bob Willoughby, Associate Director of Research with the New Jersey Education Association

From the first eActivity, select one of the news events regarding NTEU and provide a brief critique of the issues.

The event I found interesting was the cyber-attack which occurred on June 4, 2015. The article stated that “the hackers may have accessed the personal data of 4 million federal employees and retirees” (“Kelley,” 2015, para. 5). The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is seeking free credit and identity theft protection for all federal employees. I think that the OPM should provide free credit and identity theft protection for all of its employees and retirees. The highly detailed information that was hacked could be used to create fake identities, which could potentially damage individual’s credit and ruin lives. It will be interesting to see what preventive measures the OPM take to ensure that an attack of this magnitude does not happen again.

References

http://www.nea.org/home/35916.htm

http://www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=4038

Week 8 Discussion 15

“Public Sector Pensions and Benefits” Please respond to the following:

Review the author’s statement in Chapter 13: “New-generation human resource managers must add to their work portfolios how to help employees make appropriate decisions about participation, contribution, and even investment in their benefit packages so that they better enable themselves when they retire to maintain the standard of living they had when they were working.” Analyze your own retirement pension and benefits package, (or absence of a company-provided package) and offer three pieces of advice to Generation X-ers and Generation Y-ers regarding their retirement.

Discuss at least two pros and two cons of allowing public employees to bargain collectively with their agencies about their retirement benefits (OPEB). (Refer to Table 13.4 Benefits Reform Dimensions in Chapter 13.)

RE: Week 8 Discussion 1

“Public Sector Pensions and Benefits” Please respond to the following: Review the author’s statement in Chapter 13: “New-generation human resource managers must add to their work portfolios how to help employees make appropriate decisions about participation, contribution, and even investment in their benefit packages so that they better enable themselves when they retire to maintain the standard of living they had when they were working.” Analyze your own retirement pension and benefits package, (or absence of a company-provided package) and offer three pieces of advice to Generation X-ers and Generation Y-ers regarding their retirement.

If you’re a member of Gen X or Gen Y, why not get 2017 started on the right track by taking steps to improve the odds that you’ll be able to enjoy your retirement years without the stress of worrying about your finances?

It’s never too early to start planning for a long and prosperous life. But don’t try to do everything at once you’re more likely to succeed by taking just one step at a time. So act on one of these ideas each month, and before half the year has passed you’ll be well on your way to financial freedom in your later years.

Step 1: Find ways to spend less money. The No. 1 reason most people give to explain why they can’t save any money is that they spend their whole paycheck and then some in order to afford all the things they need or want now. Instead of that line of thinking, why not think of it this way: You can buy yourself freedom from work in your later years if you’re careful about how you spend your money today.

Step 2: Make changes to improve your health. There are simple things you can do now to significantly reduce the odds of developing expensive and debilitating illnesses at any age. And the sooner you get started, the better. Many readers may have innovative wellness programs at work that make it easy and rewarding to make progress. Improving your health doesn’t need to cost anything all it takes is determination. And another great benefit is that you’ll look and feel better right now and won’t need to wait for your retirement years for the payoff.

Step 3: Invest in your career. You won’t be able to invest much for retirement if you don’t have a job that pays well. If you’re in a dead-end job, maybe it’s time to investigate what type of training or education you need to start a career with more of a future. Or if you’re in a good career already, think about the steps you can takethat will make you more valuable, and thus more likely to be earn raises and promotions. It might not even cost you anything; maybe it just involves signing up for more training offered by your employer or taking on new responsibilities.

Step 4: Increase your retirement savings. Yeah, yeah, I know you’ve heard over and over that you should start saving for retirement when you’re young. Well, you’re going to hear it again!

Offering retirement benefits is a great way to enhance the benefits piece of your compensation package. Employees are encouraged to save for retirement through plans set-up at work because it’s easy to do. Also important for small business owners in particular, offering a retirement plan as an employee benefit allows you to take advantage of the plan for yourself.

The Pros and Cons of Offering Employees Retirement Benefits. (2014, January 07). Retrieved February 07, 2017, from http://www.bizfilings.com/toolkit/sbg/office-hr/managing-the-workplace/employee-retirement-benefits-pros-cons.aspx

Vernon, S. (2012, December 26). 4 retirement planning steps for Gen X, Yers. Retrieved February 07, 2017, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/4-retirement-planning-steps-for-gen-x-yers/

With programs like Act 10 in Wisconsin being politically popular, there has been a movement within the United States to limit the powers of collective bargaining that unions have. Although all unions have been targeted in some way, it is the public employees outside of police, fire, and emergency services that have seen a reduction in their rights.

Pros

1. It requires two parties to come together to talk. There is often a divide between management and front line employees that doesn’t get bridged until collective bargaining negotiations begin. Of course both groups are going to be campaigning for what is in their own unique best interests. Coming together means compromising on both sides so that a beneficial agreement for both parties can be worked out.

2. It provides a solid foundation for wages and productivity. Workers need to be able to make a certain living in order to provide for their families. Businesses need to maintain a certain amount of productivity in order to remain profitable. In public service, productivity is required to maximize the use of taxpayer dollars. Collective bargaining becomes the foundation for both needs to be effectively met the best way possible.

Cons

1. Employees under a CBA tend to have better benefits than non-CBA employees. This is a key problem for public employees that have the right to negotiate. One of the primary sticking points in comparison is the responsibility for health care insurance premium payments. Before Act 10 in Wisconsin, public employees paid an average of 6% of their premiums compared to the 12% paid by the private sector.

2. It’s taxpayer money being negotiated for public sector employees. In some ways, collective bargaining between government overseers and public employees is like being taxed without representation. Both parties are effectively government representatives and one group isn’t elected at all. Removing the ability to collectively bargain allows the entire public to have a voice in how job structures are created and compensated.

Gaille, B. (2015, May 22). 10 Collective Bargaining Pros and Cons. Retrieved February 07, 2017, from http://brandongaille.com/10-collective-bargaining-pros-and-cons/

Week 9 Discussion 2

“Obstacles and Opportunities due to Retirement of Employees” Please respond to the following:

From the eActivity, discuss at least two of the eight obstacles and opportunities that best address an agency’s challenge of 45% of its workforce retiring in the next 36 months. Provide a rationale for your views.

“Obstacles and Opportunities due to Retirement of Employees”

Please respond to the following:

From the eActivity, discuss at least two of the eight obstacles and opportunities that best address an agency’s challenge of 45% of its workforce retiring in the next 36 months. Provide a rationale for your views.

Approximately 10,000 baby boomers are reaching retirement age per day, and an increasing number of federal employees are preparing themselves both financially and mentally for the next phase of their lives. However, today’s workforce faces a host of considerations and challenges in laying the groundwork for a smooth and secure retirement.

Only 42% of federal employees report feeling prepared or very prepared for retirement, while an equal percentage of respondents feel just somewhat prepared. Confidence also varies depending on pay grade those at the GS/GM-13 through -15 grade levels and members of the SES feel more prepared for retirement than do employees ranked GS/GM-12 or below. Furthermore, respondents covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are less certain about retirement readiness than their Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) counterparts, indicating that the expanded investment variables offered by the newer system may result in greater ambivalence with regard to preparedness.

Many federal employees on the brink of retirement report feeling less financially prepared than they would like to be. With living expenses skyrocketing, it is more important than ever that federal employees calculate the costs associated with retirement including potentially disruptive factors such as economic downturns and medical needs and formulate a concrete strategy for accommodating these costs. Furthermore, federal employees should also devote adequate consideration to the psychological aspects of retiring: while many focus on bolstering their financial portfolio, it is equally crucial that individuals plan for the new lifestyle and identity that comes with transitioning to retirement.

Confronted with a multitude of financial and mental considerations, many individuals are unsure of how to approach the subject of retirement. Employers can be an essential bridge in these life transition agency resources such as personal counseling and financial planning assistance can help federal employees evaluate their financial situation and benefits as well as guide them through the emotional considerations of retirement. Moving forward, agencies might focus on expanding both the availability and variety of retirement planning resources as well as gauge employee satisfaction with the quality of existing resources.

Surfing the Retirement Wave. (2016). Retrieved February 14, 2017, from http://www.govexec.com/gbc/surfing-retirement-wave/

Week 10 Discussion 13 5

“Human Resources Management in Nonprofit Organizations” Please respond to the following:

Debate It:

First: Review Chapter 3: Generational Differences and the Public Sector Workforce and Chapter 6: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Employees in the Public Sector Workforce.

Second: Take a position for or against this statement: religious organizations have a right to be exempt from federal guidelines regarding the employment of lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people. Provide a rationale for your views.

First: Review Chapter 3: Generational Differences and the Public Sector Workforce and Chapter 6: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Employees in the Public Sector Workforce.

In recent years, much emphasis for training has been placed on the need to understand evolving demographic changes in the workplace. Both public and private sector administrators often hear about the need for better understanding and managing different generations represented in today’s economy. In practical terms, there are some stereotypes which suggest that generations are completely different in their worldviews, work ethics and values. Recent research, however, indicates there may be more similarities than differences among the generations. At least much is the same in the top tiered priorities represented by the different generations representing today’s workforce.

As public administrators, it is essential that we understand the importance of generational differences but also those similarities that are shared among employees. If too much emphasis is placed on differences, perhaps there is a risk of not bridging the generational gap due to a lack of celebrating and leveraging commonalities that bring employees together.

With all this in mind, it is important that while researchers continue to find answers on behaviorisms and preferences of the generations, practitioners must be discerning and avoid falling into a trap of discrimination based upon stereotypes. Each individual in the workplace has his or her own work style preferences, weltanschauung and values. Perhaps it’s time to focus on similarities while sorting out the differences.

Ely, M. (2015, June 16). Generational Similarities Trump Differences in Workplace. Retrieved February 23, 2017, from http://patimes.org/generational-similarities-trump-differences-workplace/

A new report by AFSCME and the Center for American Progress (CAP) shows that when lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) public workers experience on-the-job discrimination, it isn’t only the workers who suffer, but taxpayers, too.

The report states that many gay and transgender public-sector employees arrive at work each day fearing that they may lose their job due to discrimination. Moreover, these workers often have little or no legal recourse when discrimination occurs. Research and data reveal that gay and transgender employees experience rates of discrimination on the job comparable to other protected groups, but they lack the same legal protections afforded to those groups.

Rather than being evaluated on their skills, qualifications, and ability to contribute on the job, gay and transgender workers are all too often not hired, not promoted, or, in the worst cases, fired from their jobs based solely on their sexual orientation and gender identity characteristics completely irrelevant to job performance. Sadly, for gay and transgender workers discrimination results in significant job insecurity and makes it more difficult for them to make ends meet and provide for their families.

Government employers who discriminate have a harder time recruiting and retaining the best workers, according to the report, as they suffer from diminished workplace productivity. They expose themselves to costly litigation. In short, discrimination against LGBT workers makes government inefficient, which, in the end, costs taxpayers.

USA: Gay and transgender discrimination in the public sector. (2012, September 12). Retrieved February 23, 2017, from http://www.world-psi.org/en/usa-gay-and-transgender-discrimination-public-sector

According to a new Harris poll released Thursday, two-thirds of Americans support federal legislation that would bar employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and 55 percent reject exemptions for any employers even churches.

The online survey, conducted Sept. 10-18 with Out & Equal Workplace Advocates and Witeck Communications, found that only 35 percent of Americans think religious organizations are legally justified to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers on faith-based grounds. Slightly fewer respondents, 30 percent, made the same exception for privately held businesses. About 1 in 5 Americans said publicly held businesses should be able to claim a religious exemption as well, according to the survey, which interviewed 2,543 adults in the United States.

“I think there’s a broad consensus that the rules should apply to everyone, which is why we withdrew our support from ENDA,” Jennifer Pizer, senior counsel at Lambda Legal, explained in an Associated Press interview earlier this month. “If you have different standards, then it communicates a message that some kinds of discrimination are not as serious as others.”

Ashtari, S. (2014, October 31).Most Americans Don’t Think Churches Should Be Exempt From LGBT Non-Discrimination Laws. Retrieved February 23, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/31/lgbt-employment-discrimination-

Week 11 Discussion 2

“Looking Ahead” Please respond to the following:

Discuss at least two areas, or policy changes, discussed in this course that you believe will have a significant effect on the field of public personnel management in the next 10 years.

Week 11 Discussion 22 4

“Looking Ahead” Please respond to the following:

Discuss at least two areas, or policy changes, discussed in this course that you believe will have a significant effect on the field of public personnel management in the next 10 years.

In the next 10 years two areas, or policy changes that we discussed in this course that I believe will have a significant effect on the field of public personnel management is retirement and the public sector workforce when dealing with homosexuality.

The current age for retirement is now 65, due to individuals living a longtime, by 2027 workers may have to be 67 for full retirement benefits. Also I believe that retirement may be a thing of the past by 2027, simply because most workers will still feel they need to work, not to survive but to stay active. Many retires today find part time jobs so they can stay busy instead of sitting around the house or traveling.

By 2027 the identity of male and female may change to androgynous, individuals living their lives, as male and female may be the future for our society, as we know it. By 2027 it may not matter about hiring or firing a transgender, it will be the norm to be androgynous‼! The identity of men and women will change to display a characteristic of a new breed of humans. It almost sounds scary but I personally believe that’s where we are headed in 10yrs. Policy’s will change, laws will change, clothing is already changing now, men are wearing skirts, wearing lipstick and etc. Women are also wearing men’s clothing, cutting there hair like men and growing facial hair‼! So policies changes in the public sector will have to change to accommodate the 2027 look‼‼

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