Pulling Off Pay for Performance: Lessons from MPA Research
Pay-for-performance (P4P) has been a hot topic among public and private managers for years. The concept is popular because it embraces the ethos of rewarding hard work. Furthermore, the “new normal” for the public sector is to do more with … Read more
Lawyers and Public Sector Employee Relations: Chocolate and Peanut Butter vs. Ice Cream and Pickles
The involvement of lawyers in some public employment relations situations is like adding chocolate to peanut butter: the elements mix well together. In other situations, incorporating lawyers is like adding ice cream to pickles: the combination does not work. How … Read more
Running for Office: The Hatch Act is Nearly Dead
When an employee of a city or county wants to run for elective office, three legal considerations have traditionally leapt to mind—North Carolina’s criminal conflicts of interest statute, the state’s common law principle of incompatibility of office, and the federal … Read more
Paying Employees Who Are Absent in Inclement Weather
It’s that time of year. Winter storms may make it impossible for local government employees to make it to work. Sometimes absences are for only a day or two and once the roads are clear and it is safe to … Read more
Confidentiality of Applicant Names
Here’s an idea that many people in local government in North Carolina cling to: the names of applicants for governmental jobs are confidential. It’s a very handy idea. It allows a manager in a small county to apply for the … Read more
Green Tape in Organizations: Creating Good Rules That People Follow
Organizations – public, private and nonprofit – need effective rules to function. Whether policy, procedure, regulation, or guidance, rules accomplish a staggering array of functions that: