Module Nine: Personnel Procedures and Practices

On-line Lesson

Personnel - the individuals employed within an organization, agency, or institution.

Repercussions on Effectiveness - human needs have a direct impact on employee effectiveness. This includes:

Process and Philosophy

1. organizations exist to serve human needs rather than the reverse

2. people and organizations need each other - organizations need the talents and energies of people, and people need careers, salaries, and professional opportunities.

3. when the fit between the individuals and the organizations is poor, one or both suffers

4. good fits benefit both the employee and the organization. A relationship of mutual exchange is created that both benefit.

Law of diminishing returns - states when additional variable inputs are added (such as more employees) while keeping fixed inputs constant (number of managers) each new input will contribute less and less after a certain point.

Organizational Capacity

Human resources capacity - the resources, supervision, and systems that an organization has in place to meet its human resources needs. Organizational areas include:

Organizational Needs - A classic personnel dilemma of hiring a techically skilled individual or one who possesses the qualities an organization wants in its employees. It is finding the right combination of conceptual, human, and technical skills in one individual.

Personnel Needs Based on Position

Employee Diversity

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Anther important factor in the selection process is complying with the equal employment opportunity regulations developed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

(a) It is the policy of the Government of the United States to provide equal opportunity in employment
for all persons, to prohibit discrimination in employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national
origin, age or handicap and to promote the full realization of equal employment opportunity through a
continuing affirmative program in each agency.

(b) No person shall be subject to retaliation for opposing any practice made unlawful by Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act

(Title VII) (42 USC 2000e et seq.), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) (29 USC 621 et seq.),
the Equal Pay Act (29 USC 206 (d)) or the Rehabilitation Act (29 USC 791 et seq) or for participating in any
stage of administrative or judicial proceedings under those statutes. 

Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE): An Equal Opportunity Employer does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, handicap, or any other non-job related reasons.

Federal legislation in the U.S. prohibits discrimination on the following areas:

What Is Age Discrimination?

The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 defined age discrimination as "When services and terms of employment exclude people on the basis of age, they may be reflecting discriminatory practices." Some examples of age discrimination:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Public Law 101-336, 1990.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil-rights law that is designed to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities by guaranteeing equal opportunities, full community participation, enhanced independent living, increased self sufficiency, and access to every important area of American life. The ADA includes protections in the private sector as well as the public sector. Discrimination on the basis of disability is prohibited in public facilities such as quasi-public recreation agencies, hotels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores, libraries, museums, and parks. Only religious organizations and private clubs are exempt. It is expected that reasonable changes in policies, practices, and procedures will be made to avoid discrimination. Before the ADA people with disabilities were segregated in most areas. Hopefully this legislation will encourage and empower people with disabilities to pursue choices, including recreation and leisure experiences.

THE FIVE MAJOR SECTIONS OF ADA

Title I – Employment Practice – prohibits employers from discriminating against "otherwise qualified individuals with a disability" in any employment action.

Title II, A –Government Services – prohibits state and local government agencies from discriminating against people with disabilities in the requirement of services and opportunities.

Title II, B – Public Transportation – prohibits providers of public transportation from discriminating against people with disabilities.

Title III – Public Accommodations by Private Agencies – prohibits private entities that offer public accommodations, goods, facilities and services, such as restaurants, theaters, hotels, zoos, and museums that provide public accommodations, from discriminating against people with disabilities.

Title IV – Communication Systems – requires the availability of communication systems for individuals with hearing impairments.

Title V – Miscellaneous – covers a medley of miscellaneous issues, including regulation and enforcement.

ADA and Employment Practices 

MAKE REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

The ADA makes reference to specific accommodations or methods of accommodations to enable people to participate and must be considered for each program. 

1. Modify services – Any rules, policies, or practices that result in the discrimination against or exclusion of an individual with a disability must be modified to meet essential eligibility requirements to participate in the program. 

2. Remove architectural barriers – Architectural barriers that exclude people with disabilities from entering a facility must be removed or services must be moved to an accessible area of the building. Elevators should be installed to access upper floors if reasonable. Facilities with historical significance are exempt but must still accommodate by developing a model scale of upper floors, or developing a video presentation of upper floors. 

3. Remove transportation barriers – When transportation is provided as a part of a program and the absence of the ability to participate in the program results in the exclusion of a person with a disability, the transportation barriers must be removed. 

4. Remove communication barriers – Communication barriers must be removed when communication poses a barrier to participation (e.g., procedures for registration).

5. Provide aids – Auxiliary aids and devices that will enhance participation and communication must be provided. 

6. Supply personnel – Additional staff must be provided as needed. 

7. Reassign programs – Programs offered in an accessible site can be reassigned to a site which is free of architectural barriers. Consider offering recreation programs to the participant at his or her home. 

8. Adapt equipment – Equipment that is an integral part of the recreation program such as camping or sport equipment can be adapted to help a person with a disability use the equipment. 

9. Conduct in-service training – It is recommended that agency personnel and volunteers using adaptive equipment receive appropriate training prior to use.

10. In-service training for personnel and volunteers should be conducted and should include topics such as principles of ADA, program planning strategies, adaptive techniques, use of sensitive language, or awareness of attitudinal barriers. 

CONSIDER THE EXISTENCE OF AN UNDUE BURDEN

There are conditions to be considered where accommodations may be denied: 

Economic burden – The agency must determine the cost of the accommodation in comparison to many pertinent factors (e.g., budget, tax funds, employees, etc.). 
Administrative burden – The shortage of qualified personnel needed for a specific accommodation. 
Programmatic burden – The accommodation results in a fundamental alteration of the nature of the program. 

WHO ENFORCES ADA? 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 
The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) 
The Department of Transportation 
The Federal Communications Commission 
The Department of Justice 

THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW

Recreation professionals must embrace the spirit of the ADA and develop inclusive leisure services because these programs benefit the entire community.

CONCLUDING STATEMENTS

The intent of the ADA is to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities by including them in all aspects of life, including recreation. According to McGovern (1992,2a), recreation professionals deal with quality-of-life issues on a daily basis and have the unique opportunity to make compliance with the ADA a visible and positive statement for the entire leisure industry and, most importantly, for people with disabilities.

PERSONNEL PROCESSES

Recruitment Methods

The general sequence of the following tasks are used by most human resources managers in the selection and hiring process:

Job Descriptions

Job description's should be written to reflect the minimum qualifications necessary for the position. The job description should list the specific knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) standards necessary to perform . Be careful not to violate laws that prohibit discrimination in employment and seeks to assure employment opportunities for people with disabilities (EEOC, ADA, Civil Liberties). You may not discriminate against applicants on the basis of their race, skin color, gender, religious beliefs, national origin, physical disabilities or age (if the applicant is at least 40 years old). Or in some states their sexual orientation. See EEOC, ADA and Age Discrimination Act.

1. salary range

2. General definition of the job and scope of responsibility

3. Supervision - describes the supervision the position receives and exercises

4. Job segments and functions - detailed list of job functions

5. Working conditions - the conditions the employee would be expected to work under including physical abilities and requirements.

6. Qualifications - minimum qualifications necessary including formal education and length and type of previous experience.

7. Competencies - Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's)

Use of Interviews

Goals of an interview.

1. to collect additional information about the candidate;

2. to asses the candidates character, personality, and style;

3. evaluate the candidates aptitude, intelligence, etc.;

4. evaluate the candidates "fit" with supervisors and potential peers.
   

Appointment and Probation

New hires are usually placed on a probationary period of 3 months to one year depending on the agency policies. During the probationary period the employee may be terminated "without cause." If the employee satisfactorily completes the probationary period they have more job protection and can only be terminated after a "due process."

ORIENTATION AND IN-SERVICE EDUCATION

Every new employee should receive:

In-service Education: definition: Employer provided opportunities for employees to increase their understanding of their work, improve work skills, and professional growth.

Types of In-service Education

PERSONNEL POLICY MANUALS

Personnel policies are a critical element in any agency or organization. They protect both the agency and the employee by providing clear descriptions of hiring, conduct, disciplinary actions, and operating procedures. An example is the Coconino County "Conditions of Employment" policy.

Employee Policies

Each agency will have their own employee disciplinary policies. They should be clearly defined in the Employee Personnel Manual. Areas which require employee discipline action include: 

Disciplinary Procedures

Reprimands: written or verbal warnings from the employees supervisor.

Probation: Usually 3-6 months with a written corrective work plan.

Suspensions: temporary leave with or without pay.

Demotions: removing the employee from their position to a lower job classification and less pay.

Dismissal: being fired for cause.

Ethics in Staff Performance

It is imperative that park and recreation professionals' actions reflect the highest level of honesty and integrity in their personal and professional lives. We must walk the talk! Below are three examples of a professional associations code of ethics.

SUPERVISION IN LEISURE-SERVICE AGENCIES

The currently popularity of human resource management approaches casts the manager as a coach and/or a counselor. Many job related problems have underlying causes related to employee personality or social factors.

Behavior Modification and Motivational Strategies

Behavior modification is based on the understanding that most behavior is learned. Modification techniques include the use of reinforcers, positive or negative and deterrents.

The use of positive reinforcement techniques are much more productive than the use of punishment or deterrents.

Employee motivation is a key to any successful organization. Employee motivation is a strong sense of personal and professional ties to their agencies and the professional in general.

There are many ways to achieve employee motivation. But the most powerful is a positive relationship between managers and  their supervisors, peers, and employees. These relationships are the basis for most successful employee teams.

High Performance Teams: "... a group of individuals whose coordinated competence and personal commitment to overall goals and to each others' success results in the outstanding performance of team tasks." (Moosbruker, 1995. p.45)

Team Development

Diversity: "... any differences in race, gender, age, language, physical characteristics, disability, sexual orientation, economic status ... lifestyle, religion, or position in the hierarchy of the organization." (Hollister, 1996, p. 18)

It is obvious, but all manager's must create, support, and enforce policies that treat ALL employees fairly.

PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS

Evaluations have two common purposes:

1) To help employees improve their performances; and 

2) To protect employers from false claims by former employees. 

To achieve both ends thoroughly and objectively evaluate each employee at least twice a year and more often if an employee is experiencing serious problems. Take the evaluation process seriously and do a careful conscientious job.

In some states employees have successfully sued employers who used poor evaluation procedures for "negligent evaluation" the failure of the employer to review employees' work fully and honestly and to warn employees that they faced discipline or discharge if they failed to improve.

"Remember: When receiving criticism from a supervisor (or anyone for that matter); you can take it personally and have your feelings hurt and get defensive, this response will eliminate any positive growth from the comments. OR you can take it professionally, and see it not as an attack on you, but how you can improve in your job performance. This will allow for positive job growth."

The Evaluation Process

To keep the evaluation process as consistent and objective as possible devise an evaluation form that you can use with all employees in the same job category. (See sample.) The form should focus on how well the employee has performed the various duties of the job.

Fill in the form before you meet with the employee. Consider these guidelines.

Leave space on the form for employee comment’s on the evaluation and acknowledge receiving a copy of it.

Once you've completed the written evaluation meet with the employee to go over it and to make sure the employee understands it. If you cringe at confronting an employee with criticism try the sandwich approach: say something positive something negative then something positive.

Benefits of Evaluations

Evaluating employees periodically gives them a chance to improve if they're not performing well. If you later find it necessary to discipline or fire an employee it won't come as a surprise to the employee.

By putting your evaluations in writing and saving them in the employee's file you normally have a credible history of documented problems you can use if an employee claims that he or she was fired for an illegal reason. Legally you don't have to have a good reason or any reason to fire an at will employee and you don't have to give notice in advance or afford the employee a chance to improve.

However an employee who is fired may claim for example that the firing was based on illegal discrimination so it's not wise to rely solely on your legal right to fire an employee.

You want to stand ready to rebut any possible claim that you fired an employee for an illegal reason such as discrimination based on race or sex. The best way to do this is to preserve in written evaluations and other documents the good reasons you relied on to fire the employee.

Example: Charlotte works at the counter of Parts Plus, a retailer of auto parts. Parts Plus fired Charlotte after she's been there for 18 months. Charlotte sues, claiming that Parts Plus fired her in retaliation for complaining to a state agency about photos of nude women that were posted in the back room where she had to go to retrieve auto parts for customers. At trial, Parts Plus produces copies of written evaluations from Charlotte’s file.

Eight months before the firing, Charlotte's supervisor had written: "You must become more familiar with our inventory of parts for imported cars. Also, you need to make fewer errors on the computer system."

Two months before the firing, the supervisor had written: "You're still having problems with imports. We will arrange for you to attend a computer training seminar at the community college at company expense, but you must improve your performance. "

Company records separately show that Charlotte attended only one of the six training sessions and that two days before the firing, she mixed up orders for three good customers. The upshot: Because of its thorough documentation of Charlotte's ongoing problems, the judge dismisses Charlotte's case against Parts Plus.

Remember too that employees will find it easier to accept criticism and try to improve their behavior if you focus on workplace performance and not on the employee's personality. The overall tone of the evaluation should of course be as positive as possible because you want the employee to feel motivated rather than resentful.

Whatever your approach you must tell it like it is. Should you later have legal trouble initiated by a fired employee a judge or jury won't look at your evaluations in a vacuum. For example they'll sense that something is wrong if you consistently rate a worker's performance as poor or mediocre but continue to hand out generous raises or perhaps even promote the person. The logical conclusion: you didn't take seriously the criticisms in your evaluation report so you shouldn't expect the employee to take them seriously either.

Just as damaging is to give an employee glowing praise in report after report perhaps to make the employee feel good and then to fire the employee for a single infraction. That strikes most people as unfair. And unfair employers often lose court fights especially in situations where a sympathetic employee appears to have been treated harshly.

If your system is working employees with excellent evaluations should not need to be fired for poor performance. And employees with poor performance shouldn't be getting big raises.

Once Is Not Enough

Feedback should be an ongoing process. The written evaluation should be a culmination of the feedback you've given throughout the year. Your goal is to have no surprises about how an employee is doing. It's perfectly appropriate too to give an employee a written warning between evaluations if the employee is in jeopardy of being disciplined or fired. A copy of course should go in the employee's file.

Sample Employee Evaluation Form

Some employers encourage employees to give their own evaluation of how they're doing and may also ask employees to rate their supervisors. You'll benefit by making the evaluation process a two-way street. Listen carefully to what the employees say. You'll likely learn a thing or two.

Disciplining Employees

Periodic evaluations can work hand in hand with another management strategy - progressive discipline - to keep employees fairly informed of how they're doing and when their jobs are at risk. Since losing a job can obviously be painful for an employee some employers make it a practice to fire problem employees only after the workers have gone through a series of less drastic disciplinary moves. A system of progressive discipline may not be right for all businesses particularly smaller ones. But if you do see fit to have such a policy in place it can go a long way toward demonstrating your fairness if you eventually have to fire an employee and the employee sues you.

Among the steps you can build into your program are: verbal warnings written warnings counseling probation suspension and finally dismissal. A fired employee's potential wrongful termination claim will be weakened if you can show that the employee knew about the problems that eventually led to dismissal but he or she muffed repeated opportunities to shape up.

If you follow this approach and generally practice a policy of progressive discipline make it clear to employees that you reserve the right to fire employees at will especially for serious infractions and that your policy of progressive discipline is left to your discretion as an employer.

Sample Employee Evaluation Form

The following form can be adapted to your needs to meet your personal style the set-up of your workplace and the type of work you do.

Sample Performance Appraisals

Sample 1

Sample 2

DECISION MAKING, PROBLEM SOLVING, AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Whenever two or more people are working together it is inevitable, and in the majority of cases healthy, that conflict will arise. When it does the manager and employee's interpersonal and communication skills in problem solving and decision making will be important.

Decision making: "...the act of making a determination in some area related to an organization's operation." (Kraus & Curtis, 2000, p. 224)

Problem Solving Approaches

 1. Authoritarian action. The manager or supervisor makes a decision alone, with little or no input from subordinates or other personnel.

 2. Avoidance. Too often, managers may avoid a problem, hoping it will simply disappear or resolve itself over time. This course of action in most cases, will make the problem worse.

 3. Analysis by planning specialists. In some public leisure-service agencies, problems of a serious nature are assigned to special teams of planners, consultants, or experts in systems analysis. Such teams carefully analyze the problem, in some cases making use of computer-based models, and recommend solutions.

 4. Decision by higher authorities. One approach to dealing with difficult problems is to "pass the buck" by moving them up the chain of command. 

 5. Group-centered problem solving. In this approach, team members are involved in a process of group discussion and analysis that examines alternatives and then decides on an appropriate course of action. 

It is widely accepted that the most effective approach to problem solving stresses group participation. Techniques using group discussion, brainstorming, or role playing, help identify problems and accepting opposing points of view or alternative solutions. (Kraus & Curtis, 2000, p. 226)

Brainstorming

For example, brainstorming offers a useful means of identifying possible solutions to difficult problems. 

Brainstorming Rules

1. suspend critical judgment of ideas; 

2. emphasize getting a quantity of ideas; 

3. free-wheel, by generating upbeat, energetic, and inventive ideas; and 

4. cross-fertilize, by "piggy-backing" on the ideas of others.

Participants should be encouraged to submit all ideas, even the wildest or most unusual solutions or suggestions. They should also avoid any negative or discouraging comments on the ideas from others. When a list of ideas has been developed group members will then analyze them in terms of feasibility and promise for solving the problem.

Problem Solving Process

1. Identify the problem, including it's symptoms and causes. Common management problems include:

1. staff functioning or interpersonal relationships;

2. interdepartmental or interagency relationships; 

3. community relationships;

4. problems between staff members and participants; or

5. inadequate finances or other difficulties in the agency's environment.

2. Assign responsibility for solving the problem and identify a preferred solution

3. Investigate the problem and collect all relevant information. 

4. Identify any and all alternative solutions.

5. The solution that seems to be the most logical and likely to succeed, and the most feasible in administration, should be selected and put into action.

6. After the solution has been implemented, it should be carefully monitored and evaluated. 

Conflict Resolution

Conflict has historically been seen by managers as a bad thing and should be avoided. Conflict can be a positive influence when managed correctly. The attitude of the individuals involved will determine to a great extent the outcome of any conflict. The most common attitudes are:

Obviously, the preferred outcome is some form of the win-win scenario. This can be achieved with hard work and a win-win mentality by the individuals involved.

OTHER ISSUES IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Use of Volunteers

Volunteers are an integral part of any park and recreation agency or organization. They perform a wide variety of tasks from simple office work and maintenance to highly skilled responsibilities. Some of the duties are listed below.

1. Assisting in administrative, promotional, or advisory activities;

2. Working with specific groups or activities;

3. Organizing special community projects;

4. Office and clerical assistance;

5. Special technical assistance; and

6. Maintenance of parks and other outdoor recreation areas and facilities.

Due to increased liability concerns, volunteers are now routinely screened before they are allowed to work with a park and recreation agency. Standard volunteer forms include:

Position Levels 

Administrative: May include the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for private/commercial organizations or the Director or Superintendent for government organizations.
 
Supervisory: This includes all mid-management positions. The job responsibilities may be defined by work units (parks, aquatics facilities, or special events) or geographical areas (communities or neighborhoods). 
Leadership: Individuals who provide the face-to-face leadership to program participants. Primarily responsible for planning and conducting/leading programs. 

Professional Certification

What is Certification?

The National Recreation and Park Association offers the Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) certification. Certification is the term applied to the process whereby an individual voluntarily submits his/her credentials for review based upon clearly identified competencies, criteria, or standards. The primary purpose of certification is to ensure that personnel employed in recreation, park resources, and leisure services meet high standards of performance.

The National Recreation and Park Association instituted a National Certification Plan in 1981. The purposes of this plan were: 

1. to establish national standards for certification in the recreation, park resources, and leisure service profession; 

2. to provide recognition of individuals who have qualified; and 

3. to afford a guarantee to employers that certified personnel have attained stated education and experience qualifications.

NRPA certification

Certified Park and Recreation Professional - CPRP: 

Other Professional Certifications

Professional Certifications

Licensure 

Licensure is the process by which an agency of government grants permission to persons meeting predetermined qualifications to engage in a given occupation and/or to use a particular title, or grants permission to institutions to perform specialized functions. Licensure is conducted under a state board, the members of which are frequently not only members of the respective profession, but are proposed by the state professional society for nomination by the governor. The CTRS is currently the only recreation and leisure services area under consideration for licensure. It is currently required in the state of Utah.

University Department/Program Accreditation

Accreditation (Humphrey, 1990) is the term applied to the process whereby an institution, program or curriculum voluntarily participates in a continuing review of its activities based upon a set of evaluative standards and criteria. The accrediting body maintains a file of accredited programs, communicates this information broadly and authorizes the accredited unit to identify its status on letterheads and informational brochures. The Council on Accreditation, jointly sponsored by NRPA and AALR, represents the current operational accrediting body. Graduation from an accredited program does not automatically qualify a student for professional certification. 

Parks and Recreation Agency Accreditation

The Accreditation Program for Park and Recreation Agencies is administered by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, an independent body which is sanctioned by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA). 
Nearly two hundred million people use local park and recreation services annually to enhance their physical and social well-being. They seek the highest quality recreation experiences. Agency self-assessment and peer review is an excellent process for evaluating the quality of the system which delivers these services. 

What are the Benefits? 

To the public - 
- Assurance of well-administered services in accord with approved professional practices
- May translate into external financial support and savings to the public
- External recognition of a quality governmental service 

To the agency - 
- Public and political recognition 
- Increased efficiency and evidence of accountability
- Answers the question, "How are we doing?" 

Historical Background
In 1989, the National Committee on Accreditation for Public Park and Recreation Agencies was formed by the AAPRA and the NRPA, with support from Michigan State University and the National Recreation Foundation, to develop a pilot program. It developed the standards and procedures, conducted the pilot program including training the visitors, and recommended the final version of the standards and procedures. A forerunner of the standards was a document, Standards and Evaluative Criteria, published in 1965 and revised in 1972 after field testing. The Commission replaced the Committee, formally adopted the accreditation program, its standards and procedures, and is now fully responsible for the administration of the program. 

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