Engaging Public Employees for a High-Performing Civil Service
How can governments reduce workforce costs while ensuring civil servants remain engaged
and productive? This report addresses this question, using evidence from the 2014
OECD Survey on Managing Budgeting Constraints: Implications for HRM and Employment
in Central Public Administration. The results clearly illustrate the complex challenges
facing civil services, such as how to reduce size and cost while still attracting
and retaining high-calibre professional talent. The first part of this report shows
that the pressure on central public administrations to reduce costs has required many
OECD countries to make cuts that have likely resulted in negative impacts on the workforce
regarding trust, motivation and commitment. Overall, 67% of countries surveyed have
implemented a pay freeze since 2008. The second part explores how a number of OECD
countries are using employee surveys as a leadership tool to better manage employee
engagement, which is linked to better job performance, organisational commitment,
productivity and public sector innovation. Employee engagement can be a powerful counter
balance to austerity-driven measures.