Benchmark - Civil Service Reform
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Benchmark - Civil Service Reform
Christine Martinez
College of Humanities and Social Sciences: Grand Canyon University
Admin-624: Public Governance
Professor Miriam Moore
February 15, 2023
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History of Civil Rights Before 1978
Since the beginning of the federation, two things have always been true. First, people preferred a more permanent group of efficient servants. In 1829, President Jackson made it clear that he did not believe in a highly professional social group and that all public officers have simple duties that intelligent people can efficiently perform. Jackson also stated that long-serving
politicians lose more than they gain and that no one particular person had the right to hold public office (Chapman & Page, n.d.). The second principle implied that as many government jobs as possible should be up for election. However, because this principle could not be put into practice at lower levels of government, the "spoils" system came into being. Under this system, holding public office became a perk of winning an election. It was often used to reward political support; unfortunately, this system was prone to inefficiency, corruption, and partisanship that were constant, obvious, and unacceptable (Chapman & Page, n.d.). In the wake of the Civil War (1861–65) and amid a period of rapid economic and social development, the government acceded to pressure and established the U.S. Civil Service Commission in 1883. It regulated entry into the federal service through competitive open examination. In the first 20 years of the 20th century, the commission's work was primarily limited to lower-grade jobs and subsequently took over all administrative positions in the federal government (Chapman & Page, n.d.). By the 1970s, federal workers were complaining about discrimination and inadequate procedural protections, which led to the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (Ballotpedia, n.d).
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Civil Service After the Reform Act of 1978
The Office of Personnel Management and the Merit Systems Protection Board, after passing the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, divided the commission's duties. The primary positions responsible for formulating policies continue to be exempt from the purview of these two bodies and are instead filled through presidential nomination (Chapman & Page, n.d.). The evolution of civil service in local governments across the United States took different
paths in different states, counties, and cities. Most significant cities in the United States have implemented municipal merit systems hiring system with a centralized personnel office and a civil service commission (Chapman & Page, n.d.). On the opposite end of the spectrum, some states only have a centralized personnel office led by a single personnel director and do not have an advisory board. However, merit systems were proportionally less common in smaller towns and even more uncommon in counties where the vast majority were rural and had few public employees (Chapman & Page, n.d.). Civil service administration has dramatically improved and is now referred to as human resource management. However, it bears some similarities to the civil services of 1883, except for the addition of retirement and position classification. The merit system has grown significantly, requiring competitive exams and job effectiveness while guarding against perks and politics. Furthermore, today's objective is to hire intelligent, capable government employees, not simply to avoid partisan shifts. (Reining, n.d.).
Federal Laws that Impacted Civil Service
The Pendleton Act of 1883 established the federal government's merit system and classified civil service, protecting federal employees from partisan politics and providing the
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government with a skilled and politically impartial workforce (Mitchell, 1992). The federal merit
system was updated with scientific management principles after the Classification Act was passed in 1923, making the idea of rank in position official. According to the American system, salaries and wages for each position were set solely by the requirements listed in the job description, not by the individual who would hold it. It also prompted the development of a uniform rating scale and mandated that managers evaluate staff members for each "service rendered,"; which was the first attempt at a government-wide description of job specifications and worker performance (Mitchell, 1992).
The Ramspeck Act created efficiency rating boards of review in 1940 and remained effective until replaced in 1950 by the Performance Rating Act. This Act required agencies to establish a performance rating system based on three levels, outstanding, satisfactory, and unsatisfactory. The Incentive Awards Act of 1954 allowed cash rewards for outstanding achievements, suggestions, inventions, or another personal efforts further supported by the 1962 Salary Reform Act. This Act defined an acceptable competence" for General Schedule within-
grade increases (Mitchell, 1992). The complexity of its history and development affected civil service reform's success. The 1978 Act largely ignored basic entrance procedures, classification, and federal compensation systems; instead, it reformed outside the system (Mitchell, 1992).
Best Practices For Human Resource Management Human resource management (HRM) is especially
essential to civil service organizations,
whose employees are their most valuable resource. HRM is concerned with maximizing a company's output by enhancing its workers' efficiency and productivity while valuing and caring for them as valuable assets. The best practice for HRM within a civil service organization is to hire people with appropriate skills and education. When executed effectively, the staffing
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recruitment and selection process provides a steady stream of qualified candidates for filling open positions within an organization. HMR must offer competitive compensation, incentives, and recognition to help motivate employees to achieve desired levels of allegiance, ability, and direction in the most cost-effective manner possible. Employee development and training are also needed to cultivate knowledge and skills to enhance performance, achieve efficiency and effectiveness, and increase their capabilities for maximum productivity (Nyameh & James, 2013).
Conclusion
When it comes to managing public services employees, the government's strategy is to develop a management style that is more accessible, adaptable, and compassionate in order to inspire and equip employees to fulfill an organization's mission. The government should be a good place to work, with an emphasis on developing its employees to their fullest potential through merit-based hiring and management (Nyameh & James, 2013).
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References
Ballotpedia. (n.d.). Civil Service Reform Act
. Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://ballotpedia.org/Civil_Service_Reform_Act
Chapman, B. & Page, E.. (n.d.). The United States. Encyclopedia Britannica. History of Public Administration.
Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-administration/The-Soviet-Union
Mitchell, D. J. B. (1992). Pay for Performance: Evaluating Performance Appraisal and Merit Pay. Journal of Economic Literature, v30
(n4). https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?
url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=edsbig&AN=edsbig.A13558774&site=eds-live&scope=site
Nyameh, D. J., &; James, A. N. (2013, April). Human Resource Management, Civil Service and Achieving Management Objectives.
IJBMI. https://ijbmi.org/papers/Vol(2)4/version-1/I246873.pdf
Reining, H. (n.d.). What is Federal Civil Service like today?:
AHA. What Is Federal Civil Service Like Today? | AHA. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/gi-
roundtable-series/pamphlets/em-38-who-should-choose-a-civil-service-career-(1946)
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