N. Joseph Cayer

Changing Federal Government Employee Attitudes Since the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978

This study examines federal employee attitudes since the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. By reviewing seven employee surveys conducted by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management since 1979, we examine how attitudes have changed. We then analyze the degree to which organizational effectiveness, job satisfaction, and support for organizational change are affected by customer orientation, supervisory leadership, empowerment, teamwork, training and development, performance management, diversity, family-friendly policies, and labor relations. This study finds that (a) employee attitudes on most dimensions have been mildly positive; (b) employee attitudes somewhat reflect reform policies of each administration, presidential leadership, and environmental change; and (c) perceptions of organizational effectiveness, job satisfaction, and support for organizational change have been affected predominantly by customer orientation, supervisory leadership, empowerment, teamwork, performance evaluation fairness, and performance rewards. Finally, the study suggests that civil service reform integrate long-lasting strategies based on improved responsiveness and competitiveness of federal employees.

Factors Affecting Municipal Satisfaction with Health Care Plans

Rising health care costs are causing employers to search for alternatives to contain costs of health care benefits. Common alternatives to the traditional indemnity plans are health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) Conventional wisdom suggests that satisfaction with alternatives is lower than with indemnity plans. This study examines levels of satisfaction with indemnity, HMO, and PPO plans based on a national survey of personnel directors and develops a model of factors that should influence satisfaction

Evaluating Employee Assistance Programs: Concerns and Strategies for Public Employers

The growth in numbers of Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) in the public sector in recent years raises questions about their effects for employers. However, effective evaluation appears to be elusive. The article examines the special issues surrounding EAPs with particular attention to the unique setting of public sector programs. A broad evaluation strategy is recommended and outlined, and suggestions for its use are made.

Bridging the Other Divide: An Assessment of the Usability of Trinidad and Tobago Government Ministry Websites

This study examines the e-government Website usability dimensions of Trinidad and Tobago (TT) government ministry Websites. It assesses the extent to which TT, as a developing country, succeeds in its efforts to bridge the “other divide” by examining ministry Website usability variables based on Stowers’ usability dimensions. Website usability focuses on the ease with which users can find what they want on a Website and accomplish the tasks they desire. Stowers (2002) identifies six usability dimensions: online services, user-help tools, navigation features, legitimacy, information architecture, and accessibility accommodations. The study found that the Ministry of Legal Affairs and the Ministry of Trade and Industry are the highest performing ministries overall. The findings suggest that there may be implications for understanding Website usability for the Caribbean region and for government ministries in general. Finally, the study aims at stimulating further research about Caribbean government Websites that can help to reduce or eliminate the digital divides.

How Can Local Government Become an Employer of Choice for Technical Professionals? Lessons and Experiences From the City of Phoenix

Using lessons and experiences from the city of Phoenix in information technology professional recruitment and retention, this article argues that in spite of public-sector constraints, local governments can and should become an employer of choice for technical professionals in this age of rapid change and technological progress. The article concludes that those who think and act strategically will more likely be the winners in the next technological rally.

Public Pension Plans and Social Investing

Controversies over investing public pension fund money are examined. The concept of social investing is explained and compared to traditional investment strategies. The authors evaluate the policy and decision making consequences of social investing for government pension funds.

Experiences of a learning organization in the public sector

This article explores the experience of a municipal government agency as it confronts the challenges and opportunities of meeting seemingly unlimited demands with limited resources. The City of Scottsdale, Arizona, enjoys a national reputation for innovative approaches to public policy issues. This article examines Scottsdales efforts to create a learning organization, through a Venture Team which represents a core strategy for continuous improvement and lifelong learning.

Executive Directors of Local Arts Agencies: Who Are They?

ith approximately 4,000 local arts agencies (LAAs) in the United States, it is surprising that so little has appeared about them in scholarly publications. This is even more unusual when one considers the level of financial support provided to LAAs. For 2005, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) received an appropriation of

Public sector employer evaluation of health plans in the United States.

121 million, and for the same year, the state arts agencies in the aggregate received an appropriation of

The National Government and the Arts: Impressions from the State and Jurisdictional Arts Agencies

294 million and the local arts agencies in the aggregate received an appropriation estimated at