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PRESENTATION OF THE PSC REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF RECRUITMENT AND

SELECTION PRACTICES ON THE FUNCTIONALITY OF SELECTED NATIONAL

AND PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENTS

OCTOBER 2015

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENT

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OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION

1) Introduction

2) Mandate, role and responsibilities of Public Service

Commission (PSC)

3) Problem Statement

4) Methodology

5) Findings

6) Recommendations

7) Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION

• The purpose of this engagement is to share information with the

Minister and the Minister’s team regarding the findings and

recommendations of the PSC in respect of its report on:

“The impact of recruitment and selection practices on the

functionality of selected national and provincial departments”.

MANDATE, ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES• The PSC derives its mandate from sections 196 of the

Constitution and the Public Service Act, which vests it with

oversight responsibilities on the organisation, administration and

performance of the Public Service.

• In summary, the PSC is a constitutional body entrusted with the

powers and functions to investigate, monitor, evaluate, propose

measures, give directives, promote, advise and report on the

organisation, administration, personnel practices, values and

principles, effective and efficient performance of the Public

Service.

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PROBLEM STATEMENT• There has been non-compliance with Departmental HRM policies

and procedures, inconsistency in the implementation of legislative

and regulatory framework (PSA and Regulations) and allegations of

nepotism during Recruitment and Selection processes. The PSC

report on the Assessment of the State of HRM in the Public Service

(2010) revealed this.• Cognisant of the importance of recruitment and selection, the

challenges alluded to above and approximately 1388 grievances

related to recruitment and selection reported by departments to PSC

for 2013/14, the PSC decided to undertake a study on the impact of

recruitment and selection practices on the functionality of selected

national and provincial departments.

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METHODOLOGY • A total of 35 selected national and provincial departments were

identified to participate in the study.

• Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to Employees,

Organised Labour representatives and Human Resources officials.

• A total of 999 completed questionnaires were received.

• A review of the applicable legislations and prescripts was

conducted.

• Focus group discussions with officials from various selected

departments to discuss the draft findings and recommendations

were held.

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FINDINGS• Departments do not verify if posts are funded before embarking on

recruitment and selection processes, resulting in processes being

stopped at the later stage.• Some employees experience performance challenges due to being

incorrectly placed, thus resulting in functions being reassigned to

performing officials, and thus creating work-overload for few

employees. • There is non-compliance with prescripts which leads to incidents of

irregular appointments, which in turn contribute towards staff

demoralization. • There is a perception that in the education sector there is too much

control by trade unions in determining who should be appointed,

and this has ripple effects on staff morale and motivation.

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FINDINGS (2)

• It is also alleged that in some areas competent and dedicated

educators have lost faith in the system because their upward

mobility is ‘in the hands of union members’ who do not have

knowledge of staff performance in specific schools. • Some employees are not aware of their departmental recruitment

and selection policies.• The study revealed that some departments do not provide a job

analysis outline before a post is advertised and sometimes posts

are filled without even being advertised;• Respondents further indicated that inexperienced and under

qualified individuals are appointed to positions due to non-

compliance with recruitment and selection policies.

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FINDINGS (3)• It was also reported that the inability of HR practitioners to play

the role of strategic partners in departments results in some of the

recruitment and selection challenges.

• There are views that recruitment and selection processes in the

Public Service can easily be manipulated – hence discrimination,

tribalism, nepotism, interference by executive authorities and

senior managers are some of the practises that were cited as

different forms of manipulation.

• Recruitment and Selection challenges contribute negatively

towards employee performance and strained labour relations in

departments.

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FINDINGS (4)• Some employees are reluctant to lodge grievances related to

recruitment and selection due to fear for victimisation.

• The study revealed that poor performance is not being managed,

thus resulting in the uneven distribution of work among

employees and work overload for some employees to cover up

for underperforming employees.

• There is a general lack of compliance with and inconsistent

application of recruitment and selection policies and prescripts in

some departments.

• It seems there is confusion on the specific roles of different

stakeholders in departments and schools in particular when it

comes to recruitment and selection, especially in the Education

Department, KZN.

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RECOMMENDATIONS• Departments should use the PSC’s Toolkit on Recruitment and

Selection to ensure the appointment of people who meet the job

requirements in terms of appropriate educational background,

skills, competencies and experience within the parameters of

applicable legislative prescripts and the human resource policy

framework.

• An in-depth investigation should be carried out using a case study

methodology to establish the extent of the challenges and impact

in selected departments.

• A longitudinal study should be carried out to establish the impact

of recruitment and selection practices on the functionality and

effectiveness of departments in the Public Service.

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CONCLUSION

• People are the most important asset and the key determinant to

whether departments will achieve their objectives or not.

• Mechanisms must be put in place to limit and/or address

Recruitment and Selection challenges.

• The PSC hopes that this engagement will result in continuous

interactions for purposes of improving governance in public

administration. Departments are invited to engage with the report

discussed for detailed information to facilitate internal reflection and

enhance further engagements.

Report accessible at: www.psc.gov.za

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