{"id":386,"date":"2014-02-27T14:50:31","date_gmt":"2014-02-27T20:50:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aapaseaports.naymicrosite2.wpengine.com\/?p=386"},"modified":"2020-04-23T08:08:58","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T13:08:58","slug":"public-sector-agencies-with-private-sector-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/2014\/02\/27\/public-sector-agencies-with-private-sector-expectations\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Sector Agencies with Private Sector Expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recruiting and retaining high-quality employees at public ports requires addressing unique challenges.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Meredith Martino<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Most project managers acknowledge the triple constraints of their work, sometimes called the Iron Triangle: quality, time and cost. If a project is of high quality and completed quickly, it\u2019s going to cost a lot. If it\u2019s completed quickly and at low cost, the quality is going to suffer. And if the project must be of high quality and low cost, it will take a long time to complete.<\/p>\n

Human resource managers face constraints of their own in finding and retaining high-quality employees while balancing the cost to the organization with the ability to retain those employees for as long as possible. And within public ports, there are often unique challenges that can impact the staff makeup of the agency.<\/p>\n

Public Port Challenges<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cWe really act like a business,\u201d said Nancy Lawlor, manager of human resources at the Maryland Port Administration. \u201cOther state agencies focus on providing services to citizens, but we generate revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n

This duality is common among public ports. Functioning as arms of municipal, regional or state governments, ports are nonetheless expected to be sources of revenue \u2013 either keeping their financial ledger in the black on their own or generating funds for their larger government bodies. This tension creates challenges in recruiting and retaining port staff at all levels.<\/p>\n

Where private companies can determine their own hiring processes within the bounds of employment law, public agencies have to be accountable to taxpayers, with a high level of transparency and often limited budgets compared to their private sector counterparts. \u201cWe are accountable to the citizens,\u201d said Lawlor. \u201cWe have to be careful in how we reward and motivate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public ports also must deal with boards or commissions that change frequently, often the result of an election outcome \u2013 either directly or indirectly. Ken O\u2019Hollaren, interim executive director at the Port of Port Angeles and former executive director at the Port of Longview, is familiar with the challenges of this aspect of port employment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no avoiding political change. It is part of being a public agency,\u201d O\u2019Hollaren said. \u201cThe key role of the executive is to be a conduit between the board and the staff, to let management focus on their management roles and keep political issues out of the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Competing with the Private Sector<\/b><\/p>\n

O\u2019Hollaren, who also has served as AAPA chairman of the board, agreed that it can be difficult for ports to offer compensation comparable with private entities, but he noted that many ports attract talent from the private sector. \u201cPorts are seen as good places to work. People who come from the private sector are attracted by what we do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Baltimore\u2019s Lawlor said the benefits that come from public sector jobs are often attractive to many people. \u201cPeople who come here like the work and stay for the other benefits,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Maryland Port Administration has taken advantage of social media and technology to increase the size of its recruiting pool. While MPA representatives still attend career fairs at local colleges, they use websites such as Monster and LinkedIn to recruit globally. Lawlor said that it is easier to fill positions that have \u201ctransferable skills,\u201d such as information technology or finance. But jobs that require specific knowledge of the port and its maritime operations \u2013 such as marketing, cargo operations and harbor planning \u2013 are more challenging positions to fill.<\/p>\n

\u201cA real difficulty comes with hiring engineers because they can make so much more in the private sector,\u201d Lawlor elaborated.<\/p>\n

Culture as an Antidote to Compensation<\/b><\/p>\n

The salary constraints of public hiring are common among all public agencies, no matter their function within broader government. Art Glover is associate director of human resources at a large county library system that employs approximately 325 people, and he is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management\u2019s HR Disciplines Special Expertise Panel. Glover acknowledged that many public agencies don\u2019t have the flexibility or higher pay of the private sector, but agencies can create a culture that attracts high-quality employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere there is room for creativity and innovation, encourage that,\u201d Glover advised. \u201cGiving people a voice makes people feel listened to.\u201d Glover said his agency has created a culture where employees are given \u201croom to breathe,\u201d which has translated into great work from staff at all levels.<\/p>\n

Finding non-financial ways to attract and retain people is not just an idea popular with HR managers. Seasoned executives also recognize that office culture is critical to recruitment and retention at ports.<\/p>\n

Port Angeles\u2019 O\u2019Hollaren believes that involving employees in strategic decision making benefits both the organization and the staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet people engaged at the highest level possible,\u201d O\u2019Hollaren said. \u201cIt communicates the value of the employee to the organization, and it gives management an opportunity to see the employee in a new environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glover echoed this sentiment. \u201cOften public employees want to give back to their community,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir work is meaningful for them, and they are invested in the mission of the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recognizing and Rewarding Success<\/b><\/p>\n

In the December issue of HR News, the monthly publication of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources, Craig Southern profiled successful efforts within the state of Georgia to retain employees in various state agencies. The state runs a Georgia Faithful Service Awards program for long-serving public employees, but agencies within the state have adopted individual policies and created unique programs to retain talent.<\/p>\n

The Maryland Port Administration has a peer-driven recognition program to commend employees, and MPA\u2019s Lawlor said the agency has a high success rate of retaining employees. \u201cA lot of our employees are eligible for retirement right now,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is a problem of our success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Port Angeles\u2019 O\u2019Hollaren said he is \u201ca huge fan of promoting from within wherever possible,\u201d because identifying candidates who are known quantities removes risk and has great benefits for morale among staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many cost-effective things agencies can do around recognition,\u201d SHRM expert Glover said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t always have to be about money.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recruiting and retaining high-quality employees at public ports requires addressing unique challenges. By Meredith Martino Most project managers acknowledge the triple constraints of their work, sometimes called the Iron Triangle: quality, time and cost. If a project is of high quality and completed quickly, it\u2019s going to cost a lot. If it\u2019s completed quickly and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":389,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,442],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-leadership"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aapaseaports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}