Human Resource Management System in Local Government

The human resource management system reflects the entire image

of the effectiveness of LGs because of the fact that:
 the employees of LGs encounter directly with the local people
and such interaction leads to the formation of positive or negative
public image towards the local authorities;
 the effectiveness of the project implementation at the local level
largely depends upon the efficiency and skill of the employees of
LGs;
 the employees or the human resources of LGs provide needed
information and expertise for the policy formulation at the local
level which becomes one of the assessment of the image of LGs.

The human resource management system of the local government

constitute the support system highly facilitating the effective
functioning of the LGs.
Therefore, due attention should be paid for making the human
resource management system of LGs more effective in order to
make their employees more dynamic, skillful, efficient and
committed to work high level of morale and motivation.

Human resources are vital for achieving organizational

effectiveness. Better people achieve better results. Organizational
effectiveness depends on the performance of people working in
organizations.

All people possess energy and physical strength. People become

human resources when they combine energy and physical strength
with competencies. Competencies consists of knowledge, skills,
attitudes and potential for growth.

Human resources are people who are ready, willing and able to
contribute fulfill the organizational objectives.
Human resource management is about managing the people. It is
concerned with the management of human energy and
competencies. It aims at achieving organizational objectives
through productive contribution of people.

Human resource management in local government is concerned

with the management of human energies and competencies for
achieving local government’s desires through acquisition,
development, utilization and maintenance functions.

Competent, capable, skilled and potential employees of local

government can contribute to initiation, formulation and
implementation of different projects of local government.
 Functions and Process of Human Resource Management
Following elements are recognized as the functions and process
of human resource management:
Acquisition:
It ensures the entry of the right number of employees at the
right time at the place in the organization (LG). It is concerned
with hiring competent employees. Acquisition functions consists
of the following activities:
Human Resource Planning : Process of predetermining future
human resource needs.
Jon Analysis : It specifies job requirements and determines
qualification and skills for various jobs.
Recruitment: It consists of indentifying prospective candidates
and stimulating them to apply for the job.
Selection: It consists of choosing the qualified, competent and
skilled persons among the prospective candidates.
Socialization: It is the process of adaptation of culture of
organization by the employees.
Development Functions
This functions ensures proper competencies of employees to
handle their jobs. It consists of following activities:
 Analyzing developmental needs
 Employee training
 Management development

Utilization Functions
It is concern with the mobilization of employees potentialities for
increasing the productivity of organization. It ensures willingness
of employees for increasing productivity. It consists of employing
people productively through:
 Motivation
 Performance Appraisal
 Compensation Management
Maintenance Function
This function is concerned with retention of competent employees
in the organization. It ensures that employees maintain their loyalty
and commitment to the organization. It consists of :
 Employee Discipline
 Labor Relations
 Employees Welfare

Models of Human Resource Management System /Personnel

Following three models of the personnel / HRM system of LGs are:
 Separate Personnel System :
 Unified Personnel System:
 Integrated Personnel System :
Separate Personnel System :
Under the separate personnel system, the employees are hired,
promoted and fired by the local government themselves. Employees are
not transferable to the service of the central government. Even the
horizontal transfer from one local government to another is quite limited.
Such system is commonly adopted in the developed countries like Japan,
Finland, UK , USA etc.
Positive Features:
It facilitates for strengthening the autonomy of local authorities.
Negative/Adverse Features
 Restricts the mobility of the employees and limits their career path.
 Creating frustration and denying them the opportunity to have
experience in diverse fields.
 Difficult to attract and retain talented employees (technical) because
poor financial conditions of LGS.
 widens the scope for creating an environment of political patronage,
nepotism and favourtism in important areas of personnel system.
Unified Personnel System :
Under unified personnel system, all or some categories of LGS form a
single service for the entire country which is distinct from the national
civil service. Appointment, transfer and dismissal of personnel in this
service are usually administrated by an agency of national level. This
type of personnel system is practice in some developing countries like
Jamica, Thailand, Sri Lanka etc.
Positive Features
 Provides an opportunity for the mobility of LGs employees as they
horizontally transferable throughout the country.
 widens their promotions prospects.
 Gives them opportunity to gain working experience.
Negative Features
 Encroaches the autonomy of LGs.
 Conflict between elected and appointed officials.
Integrated Personnel System
Under the integrated personnel system, personnel of national/sate government
and those of the LGs from the parts of the same service. Horizontal as well as the
vertical transferability of the local government become a reality of LGs’
administrative life. The integrated personnel system does not envisage the different
types of personnel systems for central government and LGs. Those serving for both
central and local governments. Both of the employees are belonging to same
service and enjoys similar terms and conditions of services.
Positive Features
 Maximizes the scope for the mobility of the employees and expands their career
path to the highest level possible;
 Provides relatively better terms and conditions of services to the employees.
 Enabling the LGs to retain the services of talented personnel.
Negative Features:
 Encroaches the autonomous status of LGs.
 Conflict between political and administrative officers.

Issues and Challenges of HRM System in Local Government
Following are issues and challenges of HRM system in local
government :
 Issue of Existence
 Uncertainty into the career path
 Issue of efficiency and effectiveness
 Lack of technical employees
 Adoption of merit system
 Issue of training and development
 issue of customer friendly behavior
 Issue of political influences
 Issue of capacity building
 issue of accountability, transparency
 Issue of informal behavior
 Issue of public trust
 Issue of use of discretionary power
 Issue of scarce resource
 central intervention
 Power oriented behavior