Motivation and Compensation

Motivation and Compensation

In the public sector, it is incredibly important for employees to feel a connection to their work. As you remember from your study of public service motivation, it is traditionally believed those who seek employment in the public sector are motivated by public service values (Battaglio, 2015). For example, someone who is committed to the public interest would consider public service their civic duty. Similarly, a public servant tends to have high levels of compassion and believes wholeheartedly in the welfare of others. In the public service motivation literature, someone who chooses a career in public service also shows a high level of self-sacrificing behaviors. For example, their personal needs come behind serving others. While these concepts have always been in the forefront of the motivation literature, they are mostly intrinsic motivations.

As you read this weeks assigned readings, think about the following passage from Gabris and Davis (2016):

The unfortunate reality is that todays public service employee often serves as a convenient scapegoat for politicians and the news media alike when assigning blame for the high cost of government. This occurs even though the same politicians have often had a hand in perpetuating the wage and benefit systems they now deplore. For many years, for example, the Illinois state legislature routinely put off paying the states share into its public employee pension system, resulting in Illinois has the worst-funded state pension system in the country (Munnell, 2012). To add fuel to the fire, politicians often allege that public sector unions have been overly influential in securing generous wage and benefit packages that are fiscally unsustainable. In 2012, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan passed legislation severely restricting the scope of public employee collective bargaining rights. Thus, the Great Recession has given rise to draconian measures in how public organizations conduct their business (p. 182).

Be sure to review this week's resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.

References:

Battaglio, R. (2015). Public human resource management: Strategies and practices in the 21st century. London: SAGE Publications, Ltd.

Gabris, G. T., & Davis, T. J. (2016). Motivating public service employees in the era of the "new normal". In R. C. Kearney, & J. D. Coggburn, Public human resource management: Problems and prospects (pp. 182-197). Los Angeles: CQ Press.

Organization X just recovered funds from a year-long hiring freeze and is preparing for a hiring sweep to fill several much-needed positions. For this assignment, complete the following:

Write a job description for an administrative assistant to top management that will attract individuals who exhibit Public Service Motivation (PSM)-like qualities to Organization X.

After formulating the job description, write a call for applications.
Finally, attach a short reflection in the form of a memo to send to those interviewing potential candidates for the position citing the scholarly literature that explains why you worded the description and call for applications in this way. Keep in mind this memo is a reference for those interviewing prospective candidates. As such, you also want to ensure inclusion of the most helpful information on how to spot candidates with high levels of PSM-like qualities.

Length: 5-7 pages, not including title and reference pages

References: Include a minimum of 5 scholarly resources.

Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA 7th addition standards where appropriate.

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