The Personnel Function in Small Public Organizations

• DOI: 10.1177/009102609502400309
• Author: David K. Hamilton
• Date: 01 September 1995
• Published date: 01 September 1995
• Subject Matter: Article

The Personnel Function in

Small Public Organizations

As the personnel function becomes more complex and sophisticated, small public organiza-

tions without apersonnel unit are increasingly at a disadvantage. Through asurvey of park

districts, the author analyzes

how

the personnel function is administered in smalI public

organizations. Questions investigated include

how

large a public organization must bebefore

it starts to centralize the personnel function and

how

centralization affectsthe distribution of

personnel activities and the involvement of line managers.

By

David K. Hamilton Establishing a personnel unit and designating apersonnel officer is

dependent upon anumber of variables including number of employees,

type oforganization, size of budget, and expectations regarding the person-

nel unit. A major variable is the number of employees. Although there is

no magic number necessary to establish a personnel unit because of the

many other variables, there is surprising consistency in the literature on the

size of the personnel department according to the number of employees in

the organization. Heisel suggests that apersonnel department will employ

one staff member for every

200-250

employees, a ratio of .4 to .5 per 100

employees.' Yodar

and

Standohar write that their research indicates one

staff person can handle the personnel functions for an organization with

100 employees, and that a good share of the duties are clerical in nature.f

Finally, Hays and Reevesindicate that publicorganizations with fewer than

200employees normally do not have a full-time personnel officer.3

Nu.merous

per~onnel-oriented

issues have surfaced in the past

twenty-fi~e

'years

whic~

have

~ade

the personnel function more complex

and

legalistic. The social equity movement in the work place

and

other

movements have affected both large and small organizations. Such con-

cerns as affirmative action, discrimination, comparable worth, sexual har-

In many small

and

medium-sized public organizations, the concept

of personnel administration as an important facet of management is

not

well developed. For example, a survey of53Illinoiscounties in

1991

showed

that only 16 percent have a designated personnel officer." Another

1991

survey of illinois municipalities with populations of 5000 or over (except

Chicago) revealed that only 55 percent had a designated personnel officer

and

only 47 percent had a central personnel department.' In small

and

medium sized organizations without adesignated personnel officer, the

essential elements of the personnel function, e.g., staffing, rudimentary

-------

record keeping, pay and benefits are handled by the executive director,line

managers or the financial unit. The more complex and legal aspects of the

personnel function tend not to receive much,

if

any, attention until there is

a crisis.

David Hamilton Isassociate

professor of public

administrationat Roosevelt

University. He was

previouslydirector of the

program. He has published a

number

of articles on

personnel, metropolitan

issues and localgovernment

reform. He has also consulted

extensively In personnel and

management functions with

govemmentsand nonprofit

organizations. He has a Ph.D.

from the University of

Piltsburgh.

Public Personnel Management Volume 24

No.3

(Fall, 1995) 399