Social Issues in Public Sector Human Resource Management in 2034 Research Paper

Social Issues in Public Sector Human Resource Management in 2034 - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that many controversies that are commonly encountered in the public sector fall under human resource management (HRM). AS a matter of fact, HRM accounts for the greatest operating expenditures in the majority of public agencies. The activities of human resource managers in the public sector greatly affect government workers and consequently, public policy. Over the last quarter of the century, many things have happened and much has changed in the various aspects of human life. One of the most remarkable and most impacting happenings is the World War III. During this period many nations including the US used a good portion of their economic and human resources.   Owing to the magnitude of the war and its impacts on society, the country had to traverse a season of recession with its numerous challenges. At the present, the country is striving to address many social issues through its public agencies hence public personnel management is more relevant to the country today than ever. Considering the events of the past 25 years, it is beyond doubt that the human resource has evolved significantly, needs and demands being quite a lot different today.   Among the most vital issues that the current human resource needs to address include reward systems, affirmative action, and social security. Before the Third World War, the United States of America enjoyed a stable economy, the presence of a promising social security system and a relatively peaceful working environment.... The two main components of a reward system are performance and reward according to Norma (67). Over the years, rewards mainly have taken the form of affiliation, direct and indirect financial rewards, and career-related rewards. The hierarchical based rewards system is best suited to organizations that have had sustained success. The recent economic recession has made it difficult for most organizations to reward their employees using this system due to a general decline in the qualitative and quantitative output of the organizations. Most companies have gone through long periods of reduced profits and this has challenged the use of any type of financial rewards. The difficulty of using financial rewards has forced many companies to resort to the utilization of affiliate forms of reward like appraisals. Due to competitive business environment, companies are shifting to career-related motivations like employee education. Furthermore, public agencies have resorted to greater applicatio n of reward systems that focus more on intrinsic motivation as opposed to extrinsic motivation as has been the case during times of favorable economic environments. Formerly HR experts focused their actions on rewarding individual employees more than rewarding groups of workers. On their part, those of present times focus on encouraging group rewards. The present day HR professionals mainly focus on reward systems that promote intrinsic motivation among employees such as recognition and appreciation. Yet again, the current trend is in putting the employee in control of their payslip and rewards. Affirmative action Affirmative action has been very important in ensuring that groups of people who are underrepresented in terms of color, race, nationality or