The purpose of this paper is to review the concepts of fiscal stress and decrementalism--a method of retrenchment management; to examine the consequences on public agencies and services; and to outline the challenges of human resource erosion for personnel managers and barriers to successful strategies. (SK)

Any legitimate theory of employment rights must be founded on the premise that employment is a voluntary relationship governed by mutual consent; an employment right does not exist apart from contract. Analyzes the legal aspects of public sector employment. (Author/MLF)

Ten-week tutorials focused on improving the reading competency of employees of a city housing authority. Materials and techniques for adult learners were used. Vocabulary and comprehension scores and high levels of attendance (17 of 19 students attended 80 percent of the time) indicated the success of the program. (SK)

Discusses the implications of equating occupational success with high self-esteem and the belief that work is meaningful. Suggests that unemployed and marginally employed men present serious career and personal problems as clients, and presents several counseling strategies emphasizing the development of a meaningful life style. (JAC)

Argues that an April 20, 1983, United States Supreme Court decision upholding the discharge of a former New Orleans assistant district attorney may have negative consequences for the free speech rights of public employees, including teachers. (JBM)

Describes the function of an assessment center, which consists of a standardized evaluation of behavior based on multiple inputs. Judgments are made in part by means of specially developed assessment simulations based on a thorough job analysis. Such judgments are used for management decision-making and career development. (JAC)

Identifies four approaches to career planning based on situational leadership theory: the network approach, self-help approach, engineering approach, and mentor approach. Guidelines for the selection of a planning method based on the nature of the work environment and personal preference are discussed. (JAC)

Reviews state supreme court rulings on constitutionality issues raised by compulsory arbitration for public employees. Cases are reviewed for the states of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Nebraska, Maine, Michigan, New York, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Washington. Concludes that courts have generally upheld the constitutionality of such…

Assessment of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) at a four-year state college with 8,000 students indicates that the PAQ job evaluation method is sufficiently valid and has enough unique advantages to warrant its serious consideration for use by college and university personnel administrators. (LBH)

Human Resource Development (HRD) programs are faced with overwhelming challenges as there is a dearth of computer literate employees to meet the growing demands of the workplace. In other words, many employees are technologically and computer challenged thus impeding the instruction and learning process. Innovative organizations utilize computer…

This report presents data on non-instructional employees in higher education institutions and looks specifically at the characteristics of those newly hired. Data are from the National Center for Education Statistics reports: "Fall Staff in Postsecondary Institutions, 1995" and the "Digest of Education Statistics, 1997."…

Based on executive order 11491 dealing with continued recognition of the collective rights of Federal employees, a systems model for labor management negotiations is developed. The evolution of the collective bargaining system is diagramed schematically and is being tested with the Air Force system of industrial relations. (DS)

The author describes the initial organization of a disease prevention/health promotion program for federal agencies involving 2,600 employees. It involved four categories of interventions: education of the medical staff, education of supervisors, client-centered case consultations, and consultee-centered case consultations. (AG)

Describes a cooperative venture in education for students at a technological institute and for employees of a chemical company. (Author/RK)

The Intergovernmental Personnel Act opens avenues of cooperation between various levels of government and the schools and the colleges. (Editor)