Human Capital Management in Federal Agencies: Do Perceptions and Satisfaction Levels Differ Across Generational Cohorts?

This study examines U.S. federal employees\u27 satisfaction with areas of human capital management and addresses the extent to which the relationships vary across generational cohorts. Using responses to the Merit Principles Survey, data were obtained from 36,926 employees in 24 federal agencies. The overall model predicts the effects of satisfaction with rewards and recognition, satisfaction with training and development, and levels of supervisory trust on job satisfaction levels. Contrary to the profiles of the four generations prevalent in popular and business literature, the results of the structural equation models suggest that the attitudes of these generations of federal employees are more similar than different. Implications for agency leaders and future research are discussed

From charm to harm: A content-analytic review of sexual harassment court cases involving workplace romance

We reviewed U.S. federal and state sexual harassment court cases involving a prior workplace romance between the plaintiff and alleged harasser. Results of our content analysis show that, unlike employees’ decisions, judges’ decisions can be predicted from legal but not ethically salient extralegal case features. Hence, when compared to prior research, our study reveals the following discrepancy: judges follow a traditional legal model, whereas employees follow an ethical model when making decisions about romance-harassment cases. Our study also reveals that the mere presence (versus absence) of a prior romance reduces the likelihood of a plaintiff’s success in a harassment case. We discuss implications for management practice and research from the perspective of legal and ethical decision making. © 2008 M.E. Sharpe, Inc