Sustainability, HRM and Public Services

Abstract

Human resource management could be a strategic field to ensure sustainable and high standard public services that meet the needs of the citizens, deliver public services to local communities and other stakeholders. This paper is focusing on the theoretical background of sustainability, the sustainability questions of public services and the sustainability issues of HRM in order to outline the potential connections between these fields. The authors draw up recommendations for local public service actors.
The sustainability movement started in the 1980s when it became clear that human activities could not be sustained in terms of the planet’s resources. Public service organizations – similar to any other organizations, like market actors, governmental and non-governmental organizations all around the world – also have to cope with the present global, regional and local challenges of sustainability. These economic, social and environmental issues and the potential answers for these challenges should be an integral part of the new public management and new public government approach. In this new vision of sustainability.