Nina Tomaževič

Factors Influencing Employee Satisfaction in the Police Service: The Case of Slovenia

Purpose – The paper has two purposes – first, to examine the dimensionality of employee satisfaction and, second, to identify the impact of the groups of factors on employee satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – The measurement of satisfaction of all employees in the Slovenian Police based on the comprehensive on-line questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to formulate the facets of satisfaction. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of three facets of employee satisfaction. Findings – Three facets of employee satisfaction were determined and the influence of three types of factors (demographic, job-related and organizational-support-related factors) on them was investigated. The results show that the worst assessed facet was salary and security, whereas no significant differences were found between two other facets, namely relationships and leadership, and tasks and working conditions. The three factors influenced employee satisfaction with different levels o...

TQM in public administration organisations: an application of data envelopment analysis in the police service

Performance measurement is an increasingly important and ever more frequently monitored measure of excellence in public sector organisations. For this purpose, public sector organisations employ excellence models such as the European Foundation for Quality Management model, Common Assessment Framework (CAF), Business Scorecard, etc. With the support of European Institute for Public Administration and the national organisations responsible for the development of quality/excellence, many European public administration organisations, including the Slovenian Police Service, use the CAF model as a basis for developing and improving both the enablers and results of their operations. In this respect, the main purpose of the paper is to present and apply a non-parametric methodology for measuring police performance results. The analysis shows that the data envelopment analysis scores and the rankings vary significantly across the police stations. In general, most police stations in the country could attain better results by fully implementing the enablers suggested by the CAF model. Consequently, the empirical results of the paper can serve as a guide for police management when further investigating how to enhance the performance results of police stations.

A three-stage data envelopment analysis approach to measure the effect of job satisfaction on organisational performance in law enforcement agencies

The aim of the article is to examine the relationship between the facets of job satisfaction and different results, i.e., the performance of law enforcement agencies in Slovenia. The data on job satisfaction were acquired through a job satisfaction survey and the data for the performance results from internal information system databases. Seventy-six agencies were investigated. Factor analysis was employed to define the facets of job satisfaction. In addition, a three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) was introduced to measure the relative efficiency of law enforcement agencies in Slovenia. The analysis showed that the DEA scores vary significantly across the agencies. Potential improvements in outputs were calculated for those agencies with a low DEA score. Consequently, the empirical results of the article can serve as a guide for management when further exploring how to enhance the performance results of law enforcement agencies.

Work-life Balance by Area, Actual Situation and Expectations - the Overlapping Opinions of Employers and Employees in Slovenia

Abstract Background: The question of work-life balance (WLB) is an area where increasing attention is being paid nowadays. States, organisations and employees all have responsibility and a role to play in WLB. This article presents the important areas of the WLB by key players in this field. Purpose: The purpose of the research was to compare and analyse the differences between the actual situation and the expectations of employers and employees with regard to specific areas of WLB in Slovenia. Methodology: Data was gathered using the Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) method. In the first part of the research project, employers across all sectors of the economy in Slovenia were questioned and in second part focussed on employees. In order to verify the areas in which employers and employees agree and those in which there are differences in perception, multidimensional scaling (MDS) was used. Results: The results of our research show that Slovenian organisations must pay more attention to flexible working time, the employees’ ability to take time off to care for family members, time and stress management workshops and paid leave for parents on a child’s first day of school. Conclusion: A significant role in WLB is played by organisations. The incorporation of WLB strategies into the strategic and financial planning of an organisation can, in fact, have positive business, economic and social effects. Employees have to express their expectations and needs, which is the only way that employers can be made aware of their problems and help with WLB. State responsibility is to encourage all social partners to shape the living environment in which employees’ can achieve a good WLB with an emphasis on gender equality

Reforming public administration in Slovenia: between theory and practice of good governance and good administration

Good administration has evolved in administrative theory and practice differently but within the concept of good governance, incorporating efficient and democratic authority with simultaneous implementation of public interest and guaranteed rights of defence to parties in administrative matters. In view of the above, a theoretical analysis of good administration in relation to good governance was conducted in 2015, with special research on the Slovene practices in various types of administrative agencies. Findings of the analysis based on views of heads of administrative units and regional financial and police offices, compared to statistical data, prove that Slovene administration consider good administration more as a compliance to formal requirements instead of proactive support of a party and public benefit. Hence, policy makers should consider in future public administration reforms the fact that value-based rather than purely structural and normative changes are needed.

The interaction between occupational values and job satisfaction in an authoritative public administration organisation

The paper has two purposes – first, to examine the importance of occupational values (those deriving from the specifics of the occupation and of the legal regulation) of particular groups of authoritative organisations’ public employees and, second, to find out how the perception of the importance of those values correlates with job satisfaction. The measurement of the importance of occupational values and of job satisfaction of all employees in Slovenian authoritative public organisations was based on a comprehensive online questionnaire. First, an independent t-test and the one-way ANOVA (F) test were used to test the differences between subgroups of demographic characteristics. Second, factor analysis was used to formulate the factors of both occupational values and job satisfaction. Finally, correlation coefficients of occupational values and job satisfaction were calculated. In general, the results show the impact of demographic factors (especially gender and age) on the perceived importance of occupational values and a positive correlation of occupational values with facets of job satisfaction. The awareness of the impact of demographic factors on occupational values and their correlation with job satisfaction might be very useful when deciding on measures for improving job satisfaction and, indirectly, the performance of authoritative public organisations.

Occupational values, work climate and demographic characteristics as determinants of job satisfaction in policing

ABSTRACT The purpose of the paper is to examine the relationship between perceived importance of occupational values, assessed work climate and selected demographic characteristics of Slovenian police employees, and their job satisfaction. A total of 1,848 police service employees completed a comprehensive online questionnaire. In order to formulate the factors of perceived importance of occupational values and work climate, factor analysis was applied. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of job satisfaction. The results indicate the impact of all studied factors on job satisfaction, the strongest one for work climate, followed by demographic characteristics and the perceived importance of occupational values. The awareness of the impact of those factors on job satisfaction might be very useful when deciding about the managerial approaches that result in higher job satisfaction and, indirectly, in better performance of police service.

Demographic determinants of usefulness of e-learning tools among students of public administration

Purpose In higher education, blended learning is already strongly established. The e-courses vary in their structure, assignments, prompt examinations, interaction between students and teachers, etc. Such aspects may influence the students’ perception of usefulness of blended learning. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors which influence that feeling and to look for possible differences in perception by different subgroups of students. Design/methodology/approach Students in the survey evaluated 13 aspects of e-courses in which they were enrolled. From enrolment documents, additional demographic data were collected (gender, high-school grade, study programme, etc.). A multiple linear regression was used with perceived usefulness as the response variable and the 12 other e-course aspects as predictors. Further, the same regression analysis was performed on different subgroups of students based on demographical data. Findings The empirical results showed that the general impression regarding the e-courses, their consistency with the face-to-face teaching and the teachers’ responsiveness had a significant influence on the students’ perception of the usefulness of e-courses. Further analysis based on demographic data revealed several subgroups of students where the perception of usefulness was influenced by different aspects. The teachers’ feedback and supplementing the tutorial play an important role in higher years of study, while the general impression loses its influence. Originality/value The paper is the first to explore the importance of demographic determinants of perceived usefulness of e-learning tools in EAPAA (European Association of Public Administration Accreditation)-accredited undergraduate public administration programmes.