Public Personnel Management

Muslims are a growing segment of the American workforce, both in the public and private sectors. With the World Trade Center disaster, public employers are now more aware of the presence of Muslims and, perhaps, concerned about how they will be integrated into their workforce. This article provides a description of Islamic religious practices. It then reviews the role of the First Amendment, state religious freedom acts and civil rights laws as protections afforded to religious persons in the public sector. Through a review of court cases from 1994 to 2001, it describes the status of court protections for Muslim religious practice in the public workforce.

Many employers are unwittingly violating a U.S. Department of Labor pay rule, and they could pay a high price as a result. In fact, U.S. companies could owe as much as $39 billion in back pay. The rule on overtime compensation has been in effect since 1954, but it has come to the fore, mostly in economically painful ways, because of a handful of recent court decisions and increased Labor Department enforcement action against companies. The rule states that employers must pay hourly employees at one-and-a-half times their hourly rate for each hour over 40 they work in a week. Employers are not required to pay overtime to employees who are paid on a salary basis and who meet certain requirements related to duties. However, employers often don't know which employees qualify for overtime, when to pay it, or whether to pay time and a half or compensatory time. In fact, violations are so common that some estimate that workers would get an additional $19 billion a year if the rules were observed. Perhaps it's time to revisit the provisions and interpretations of the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act.

Selection processes are critical to identifying and employing those individuals who will perform well on the job. Selection of senior management is equally as significant, requiring the selection process to be effective and robust. The Senior Executive Service (SES) selection process for the Department of the Navy (DON) is analyzed. Some practical insights and recommendations generated by this analysis are offered.

This article outlines the application of the theory of constraints (TOC) to the hiring process of the Odessa, Texas Police Department (OPD). Initially, the TOC is discussed. Then, background information on the OPD and its hiring process is detailed. Next, the TOC is applied to the hiring process of the OPD. As such, bottlenecks in the process are identified. Changes are then proposed in the hiring process to maximize throughput, as it applies to the number of applicants who successfully complete the phases of the process. An analysis of actual times involved in the hiring process prior to and after the application of the TOC is included for comparison purposes. Ultimately, the article identifies policy constraints in the hiring process and offers solutions to these constraints.

The purpose of this paper was to review state and federal court cases in order to assess the current status of judicial opinion regarding breast-feeding accommodations that may be required in the workplace. It was surprising to find that laws such as the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Civil Rights Act were not interpreted by the various courts to mandate that employers provide special accommodations for mothers in the workforce that were breast-feeding. As a result, various states have designed legislation fill the void left by the courts. Some of these laws are also discussed in this paper.

This article introduces the Ethics Exit Survey (EES), an empirical instrument organizations can use to effectively diagnose ethical problems in their environments. Both the content and process of the EES are discussed here, along with a critical examination of how common deficiencies in the traditional exit survey can be avoided with the new device. Emphasis is placed upon the strategic role an EES system can play in efficient, responsive and accountable management.

This study examined some of the factors involved in implementing Affirmative Action Programs (AAP) in three Arizona police departments: Phoenix, Mesa and Tempe. In light of recent efforts to end affirmative action in some states, the article suggests that AA is one of the few ways to keep public safety organizations focused on diversity and equity.

Personality traits, types and disorders powerfully influence human relations at work. In many cases, these dynamics can be crucial to the success or failure of public or private organizations and administrations. If nothing else, we would all like to know how to get along better with the people we work with. This paper describes the main diagnostic classifications of personality types and personality disorders with specific reference to their expression in employees' behavior. Practical guidelines are offered for managing employee personality styles in order to achieve maximal person-job fit and the most productive working relationships possible.

Municipal government part-time employee benefit practices were analyzed using a sample of 358 local governments. Municipal governments provide part-time employees with benefits at significantly lower rates than for full-time employees. The provision of part-time benefits is associated with organizations that provide more family-friendly benefits and have more highly educated personnel directors and benefits administrators. The most frequently provided municipal part-time benefits include vacation, sick leave pension and health insurance. Municipal government benefit provision levels are substantially higher than private sector employers, however.