The Power of Public Service: Human Resource Management and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Symposium Guest Editors: Meghna Sabharwal, Nicole Elias, Maria D’Agostino, Helisse Levine, and Shilpa Viswanath

COVID-19 drastically interrupted public service workplaces across the world, requiring both temporary and lasting changes to how work is done. Government and nonprofit organizations had to figure out how to protect their workers and continue to serve the public with essential services. These public service workers had to continue serving those in need while balancing the disruptions to their own lives and concerns about the health and safety of themselves and their loved ones. COVID-19 highlighted the dedication of public servants across the world, but also showed that public service work is not without risk or costs and demonstrated the need for human resource management (HRM) policies and practices that are able to adapt to changing circumstances while promoting the well-being of those who spend their professional lives in the service of the public good.

As we transition to a “new normal” in public service agencies, human resources (HR) managers are now, more than ever, central to the critical functioning of governance. Given that public administrators are being tasked to construct policy under pressing and unprecedented circumstances, the long-term impact of the disruptions to the public service workplaces since 2020 is uncertain. What we do know is HR managers will be compelled to implement guidelines, policies, and practices that protect and safeguard their employees and communities while still maintaining the essential functions of government and governance.

While many journals in public administration have produced thoughtful symposiums around the COVID-19 pandemic, at the Review of Public Personnel Administration, we maintained that it was important to wait to specifically address changes to the workplace, to give scholars and practitioners time to begin to make sense of what was happening and reflect on the impact of changes to the workplace and public service work. Therefore, this symposium explores existing HRM policies and practices in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges that emerged, and the path forward post-COVID-19. The seven thought-provoking studies presented here offer critical insights into various dimensions of work dynamics during the global pandemic. Each study presents unique perspectives on the challenges and transformations experienced by employees in government and the nonprofit sector.

Several cross-cutting themes emerge across these seven abstracts, showcasing common threads in exploring the emotional toll, organizational resources, public service motivation, and coping strategies among employees during the COVID-19 pandemic in various workplace contexts. These studies delve into the emotional impact of the pandemic on local government workers. They examine the emotional labor experienced, the blurring of work-home boundaries, and the consequential impact on employees’ well-being, highlighting the need for understanding emotional dynamics in the workplace and how it affects employees’ mental health during the crisis. These studies investigate the role of organizational resources in mitigating burnout and enhancing employee resilience during the pandemic. Finally, these studies focus on the dedication of employees to public service amidst the crisis.

The Studies Included in This Symposium Are the Following:

Putting the Humanity Back Into Public Human Resources Management by Sarah Berry, Maren B. Trochmann, and Judith L. Millesen conducts a narrative inquiry to explore how front-line public employees coped with increased demands for emotional labor and maintained their public service motivation during the pandemic. This study offers a human-centered perspective, showcasing how employees coped, remained motivated, and fulfilled their roles amidst heightened emotional demands and evolving work-life environments.

Wellbeing During a Crisis: A Longitudinal Study of Local Government Civil Servants by Joëlle van der Meer, Brenda Vermeeren, and Bram Steijn delves into the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on civil servants’ well-being. This longitudinal study explores the influence of job demands, resources, and role perceptions on employees’ well-being, highlighting the dynamic interplay between work-related factors and individual well-being during times of crisis.

The Emotional Toll of the COVID-19 Crisis on Local Government Workers by Cynthia Barboza-Wilkes, Esther Gonzalez, William Resh, and Stephanie Wong analyzes the emotional labor experienced by local government officials during the COVID-19 crisis. The study emphasizes the need for understanding the complex emotional dynamics inherent in crisis response work. It illuminates the challenges faced by these workers in navigating emotional strains while fulfilling their duties amid the pandemic’s disruptive landscape.

Workplace Disruption in the Public Sector and HRM Practices to Enhance Employee Resilience by Phil Kim, Wonhyuk Cho, and In Yang investigates the impact of pandemic-induced disruptions on public sector employees in South Korea. The study evaluates the influence of resilience enhancing HRM practices on employee satisfaction and turnover intentions. It provides insights into how strategic HR practices can bolster employee resilience and satisfaction amidst challenging and disruptive work environments.

When Perceptions of Public Service Harms the Public Servant by Brenda Sciepura and Elizabeth Linos investigates how employees’ perceptions of themselves, co-workers, and beneficiaries impact psychological distress among state and local public servants during the pandemic. This study sheds light on the nuanced relationship between individual perceptions and psychological well-being, emphasizing the importance of self and peer perceptions in determining distress levels.

In Work-Family Conflict and Burnout Amid COVID-19, Michelle Allgood, Ulrich Thy Jensen, and Justin M. Stritch uncover the potential mitigating effects of instrumental leadership and social belonging in preventing burnout among local government employees grappling with work-family conflicts during remote work transitions. This study sheds light on the pivotal role of supportive leadership and a sense of belonging in alleviating burnout, particularly amid the challenges posed by remote work setups.

Doing Good Work in a Crisis: Views of Pay and the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Public, Nonprofit, and For-Profit Sectors by Susan M. Miller and Miyeon Song examines employee perceptions of pay across sectors during the crisis. The study explores how emphasizing public service can mitigate the perception of underpayment among public and nonprofit employees, highlighting the impact of sector-based perceptions on employee remuneration views.

Together, these studies offer a comprehensive view of the several challenges faced by employees in the public sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. They shed light on the emotional, organizational, and psychological dimensions of work-life during this unprecedented crisis. We hope these insights will catalyze discussions and drive initiatives for improved work environments and policies in the post-pandemic era. We still have work to do understanding the long-term impact of the pandemic on public service workplaces and workers and hope that the Review of Public Personnel Administration will continue to drive efforts to build strong and humane public service workplaces.