PUB3702 - Public Human Resources - Exam Notes

PUB3702 – Public Human Resources – EXAM Notes Semester 2 / 2019 – Willmary Murtz (previous Examinations Questions and Answers) Oct / Nov 2017 – Exam Questions and answers 4 Basic Resources that Public Human Resource Managers use as guide in the Human Resource Function. Resources The HR manager in the public sector has several resources at his or her disposal to utilise for optimal management of the HR activities. It is the responsibility of the HR manager to see that a resource such as money is used in such a way that the relevant public sector institution’s objectives are realised in the best possible way. In other words, resources should be applied in such a way that value is added to the institution’s services. 4 basic resources – HRM must ensure they are utilized optimally 1. Financial (salaries, wages and petty cash funds) 2. Physical (buildings, lecture rooms, computers, cell phones, tables & chairs) 3. Informational (annual reports, research reports, data on survey questionnaires, post records, leave records, remuneration systems, human resource planning systems, service records, training records, statues, regulations and instruction codes) 4. Human (HRM, line function personnel, technical and administrative personnel and other human resource specialists) – HR play larger role because all activities are initiated and determined by people who make up the institution. All other resources are unproductive except for human effort and direction. Why Human Resources is regarded as most important resource in the resource management process  Increase in numbers of professional occupations  Human behavior can’t be monitored and controlled mechanically  If employee is placed correctly, undergone correct training, receives acceptable remuneration such a person can make a positive contribution towards enhanced performance of institution (causal relationship between success of public sector institution and utilization of Human Resources.)  Although the HR manager is responsible for utilising all the abovementioned resources, it can be stated categorically that human resources play a larger role than the other resources because it is people who have to take the decisions on how to utilise the other resources. PUB3702 – Public Human Resources – EXAM Notes Semester 2 / 2019 – Willmary Murtz (previous Examinations Questions and Answers) Oct / Nov 2017 – Exam Questions and answers External Factors at Macro level that influence Public Human Resource Management Technological Developments The rapid rate of technological change is altering the organization and character of work, as well as the work experience itself. The organization of work, for example, is being dramatically altered by the extensive use of automated, computer-based technologies. The implications of these changes are several. Desktop computers are now available to most white collar workers, creating extensive training needs in word processing, electronic spreadsheets, and data-based management. Those who use these technologies and those who maintain the systems require higher-level knowledge and skills, thereby intensifying recruitment and retention problems. Technical and professional workers, in particular, are highly mobile and are harder to recruit and retain. Computers are also changing traditional communication patterns by allowing workers to communicate with other employees across institutional boundaries and allowing them greater access to information. This in turn may hasten the movement toward decentralized organizational structures and create a need for managers to be trained in how to manage effectively in more open, less hierarchical work environments. Technological change is just as relevant for HR managers as it is for other workers. Such change imposes stringent demands on the HR manager, because the change continues under the impetus of research and development. By taking note of the latest technological developments and finding an application for them in the work situation, the HR manager can ensure that productivity is enhanced and considerable savings achieved as a result. The latest technological developments and applications include the following:  Satellites that can be used for video-conferencing purposes.  Computers that can be used for word processing as well as CD-ROM, e-mail and internet communications; and social media such as Twitter, Facebook and the iPhone.  Barcode scanners that can be used for registrations.  Office machines that can be used to send and receive faxes and also for photocopying and laser printing.  In general, the effects of technological advances are as follows, they:  Radically affect public institutions’ products, services and the customers/citizens (many services today are delivered through e-government, e-governance and m-government.  Result in the creation of new products and services.  Decrease or reduce cost barriers between government departments (cost effectiveness).  Create scarcities in technical skills.  Establish a close connection between the drive to “go green” and technology.