This study presents indexes estimating the cost of living, value of amenities, and equilibrium wages in 579 cities and averages for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. An additional index of the cost of providing government public services is derived from these data. The indexes are intended to be useful tools for employees, unions,…

To respond to the need for information about states' provision of child care services to state employees, the National Conference of State Legislatures conducted a 50-state survey on the status of state employee child care. The survey's purpose was to quantify state efforts to increase the affordability, availability, accessibility, and quality of…

No law or regulation exists at the present time specifying minimum time periods of training for executives, managers, or supervisors employed by federal agencies, although such a regulation did exist until June 1981. For fiscal years 1984 through 1986, 54 executive agencies or organizations that employ at least 95 percent of the nonpostal civilian…

Supervisors who evaluate staff members' performances often do not have first hand information concerning those performances. Consequently, the staff member is sometimes not aware of what caused a person's success or failure. In order to give constructive feedback to an employee, a supervisor or another colleague could observe the staff member at…

Productivity sharing plans were studied to determine how they operate, what benefits result, and whether long-term increases in productivity can be realized through the program. Thirty-six firms were interviewed that had productivity sharing plans. Nine firms that had either rejected adoption of a productivity sharing plan or were still…

Research has shown that stress and anxiety are significant correlates of perceived health, but the effects of job difficulty and job satisfaction are unclear. To study the effect of shift work, job satisfaction, and difficulty and anxiety on reported health, 6,281 electronics technicians, engineers, and support staff completed surveys of…

This book serves as a practical guide to be used by public agencies that have entered into collective bargaining with their employees and must therefore face the possibility of employee strikes and acts of militancy. Seven major areas are addressed: distinctions between public sector and private sector strikes; the use of interest arbitration as…

The tuition benefit policies of 10 companies are described, along with a summary of the results of a benefits survey of major companies. The survey items and responses are provided for 650 companies, representing the industrial Fortune 500 and the service Fortune 500: banks, insurance companies, retailers, and transportation and utility companies.…

According to National Center for Education Statistics data, faculty wages in higher education have barely kept up with cost-of-living increases over the last several years. For support staff who work at the nation's colleges and universities, the situation is even bleaker. Wages are flat and, in some cases, have actually declined when accounting…

This case study sheds light on how to avoid risks caused by manager-subordinate dating relationships (fraternization) such as employee misunderstandings, retaliation charges, favoritism complaints, wrongful termination lawsuits, and sexual harassment lawsuits, as well as associated ethical risks. Risk avoidance can be accomplished through a better…

This document consists of 13 tables that provide information on the 4,702,228 full-time employees of state and local governments who were members of employee organizations in October 1975. Areas of information covered include the extent of employee organization, labor relations policies and written agreements, negotiating units, and work…

A study investigated the mode of communication and the type of information that best serves an organization's purposes during the orientation interviews of new employees. Preliminary interviews with ten new employees and ten experienced employees indicated task-related performances for oral or written organizational communications--structured…

A study was conducted to examine the reading levels of United States Air Force civilian employees according to occupational groupings and grade structure. Approximately 1,050 Air Force civilian subjects were tested on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test or the California Reading Test. Subjects were selected from eight Air Force bases representing the…