Practical Human Resources for Public Managers

While books that focus on the theory of managing public sector workers abound, Practical Human Resources for Public Managers, Second Edition, offers case studies drawn from real events, written with multiple possible endings, to foster in-class discussion and critical thinking. Incorporating the authors’ experiences in public and municipal management, and including case studies with no perfect solutions, mirroring what one would find in a real-world professional setting, this second edition is designed to bring public personnel management material to life for students and to offer public servants hands-on practice working through potential human resource issues in their workplaces.

This second edition incorporates recent public personnel management changes at the state and federal levels, as well as in non-profit organizations. The new case studies reflect new realities for students and practitioners, including recent Supreme Court rulings on Affirmative Action, the dismantling of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, as well as federal and state statutes in relation to interviewing candidates. The book covers the full spectrum of Human Resource responsibilities through the lens of the public sector, including recruitment, evaluating employee performance, employee retention, rewarding, and disciplinary action, benefits, legal issues, and mentorship. This second edition includes two all-new chapters on mental health in the workplace and assistance programs for employees.

Practical Human Resources for Public Managers, Second Edition is an ideal supplementary book for courses on public personnel management and public and nonprofit human resource management. It also serves as an essential casebook for public employee training courses.