Introduction
The U.S. federal workforce endured a gradual transformation of human resource management (HRM) practices over the last decades. While the first calls for nationwide civil service reform had been made in the 1970s, the real agenda of change was outlined only by the late 1990s. According to Nigro et al. (2014), the pressure on public agencies was mounting due to the lack of accountability, slow responsiveness, and excessive bureaucratization of the system. Multiple adjustments had been proposed to solve or at least mitigate the issues that caused public frustration with the federal civil service. Key elements of the reform agenda were inspired by HRM practices of the private sector. In particular, reformists championed decentralization, streamlining the pay system, and introducing performance criteria to reward civil servants depending on their productivity (Nigro et al., 2014). One can argue that these measures are beneficial both to government employees and to American citizens. The fairness and integrity of U.S. civil servants are unlikely to be compromised, whereas their productivity and job satisfaction are likely to benefit from a private sector-style HRM.
Main body
From the citizens’ perspective, applying private sector HRM practices to government employees benefits their accountability and performance. Han and Hong (2019) surveyed 687,687 federal employees from 82 U.S. public agencies and found that the introduction of accountability mechanisms in staffing, performance evaluation, and employee compensation had a direct positive influence on organizational performance. In addition, management autonomy coming from decentralization moderated the effect further, making accountability mechanisms more effective (Han & Hong, 2019). These findings can be explained from the premise of common logic. In an old-fashioned civil service, an average federal employee was mostly shielded from responsibility by bureaucracy. Civil servants held the position of power in their relationships with the citizens. The introduction of private-sector HRM practices made federal employees more accountable to the citizens since customer satisfaction has become directly associated with potential promotions and wage rates. Due to that change, the civil servants got a clear incentive to be more helpful and attentive to the people instead of shifting responsibility and hiding behind red tape.
However, the reform also benefits federal employees, potentially making their job experience more satisfying compared to an old civil service model. According to Wang and Brower (2019), the U.S. government has been losing skilled employees and failing to attract talent due to relatively low wages and an unsatisfactory job environment. One can claim that private sector HRM practices added extra pressure in the form of performance criteria. At the same time, the private sector elements allowed federal employees to boost their income via good, productive service to the public. Additionally, autonomy and decentralization allowed civil servants to become more compatible with their coworkers and supervisors. Instead of being a cog in the government machine, federal employees now can work in closely-knit teams, similar to those in many privately-held companies. Overall, the HRM elements of the private sector would make the workplace experience in government agencies more comfortable for skilled employees, making them more inclined to stay in the federal workforce. In turn, the public would also benefit since satisfied and experienced civil servants would likely be more productive and helpful.
Furthermore, the American public can be confident that HRM practices of the private sector would unlikely compromise the fairness and integrity of federal employees. Despite the addition of the private sector HRM elements, the motivation of government employees still largely depends on intrinsic components. The evidence from civil service reforms in various European countries demonstrates that government employees tend to retain the public servant ethos (Leisink & Knies, 2018). In other words, civil servants may enjoy the positive change in the workplace associated with the reform, but most of them still work to assist the people, not to please their direct supervisors. In that regard, their attitude strongly resembles the call to work with one’s heart, as working for the Lord, not for the human masters (Holy Bible, New International Version, 2011, Colossians 3:23). Therefore, an ordinary citizen should not fear that HRM practices from the private sector will turn the U.S. federal employees into greedy individuals obsessed with satisfying their superiors.
Conclusion
In summary, one can claim that a nationwide reform of public sector HRM practices would benefit American citizens and government employees. On the one hand, including the private sector elements would make civil servants more accountable since their promotions and wage rates would depend on their performance and citizen satisfaction. On the other hand, civil servants can hope that the reform will make the workplace experience in the public sector less formal and more pleasant. Finally, the American public should not be scared that elements of private sector HRM would corrupt federal employees. On the contrary, U.S. civil servants would work harder for the good of the people since a performance-based pay system would fairly reward their dedication. Overall, the HRM reform would offer the nation the best of two worlds — customer service in the private sector and the enthusiasm necessary for working in civil service.
References
Han, Y., & Hong, S. (2019). The impact of accountability on organizational performance in the US federal government: The moderating role of autonomy. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 39(1), 3-23. Web.
Holy Bible, New International Version (2011). Bible Gateway. Web.
Leisink, P., & Knies, E. (2018). Public personnel reforms and public sector HRM in Europe. In E. Ongaro & S. Van Thiel (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Public Administration and Management in Europe (pp. 243-259). Palgrave Macmillan.
Nigro, L. G., Nigro, F. A., & Kellough, J. E. (2014). The new public personnel administration (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Wang, T. K., & Brower, R. (2019). Job satisfaction among federal employees: The role of employee interaction with work environment. Public Personnel Management, 48(1), 3-26. Web.