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The Federal Bureau of Prisons was founded in 1930 as a means of offering more advanced and humane care to the Federal prisoners, to enhance the professionalism of the prison service, and to guarantee consistent and centralized management of the 11 Federal prisons that were in operation then. As of now, the total number of Federal correctional institutions has increased to 105. In addition, the agency has 6 regional offices, one headquarter, as well as local corrections offices that manage the local corrections centers and home confinement programs. The central and regional offices offer administrative supervision and support to the correctional institutions and local corrections offices. Presently, the Bureau is responsible for more than 180,000 Federal prisoners (The U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2004). About 85 percent of these inmates are incarcerated in Bureau-operated detention institutions. The remaining 15 percent of the offenders are locked up in secure facilities that are mainly run by private companies and to a lesser degree by state and local governments. The safety of the public is ensured by the Bureau by making sure that the Federal offenders serve their terms in safe, secure, humane, and cost-effective facilities. The Bureau also provides productive programs such as educational and vocational programs to the inmates to keep them active and reduce their recidivism rates. As a result, the most important asset to the Bureau is its staff. The Bureau employs approximately 35,000 employees who work in different capacities. The employees ensure the safety and security of the Federal correctional and detention facilities. They also provide necessary programs for the prisoners and instill important values in them. In short, the Bureaus employees work towards the achievement of the agencys objectives which include the protection of public safety and provision of a secure and safe environment to the staff as well as the inmates in the institutions (The U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2004).
Use of contingent employees at the Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has many facilities and offices around the nation. The agency has plans to construct more correctional facilities to cater to the needs of the increasing number of offenders. Likewise, the agency needs to employ more workers to serve the large and increasing number of facilities. Besides its core workers, the agency can make use of contingent workers. The agency can employ contingent workers based on time, space, and the kind of employees it is in need of. Based on time, the agency can employ contract workers to work during particular hours of the day or even during the busy seasons. Second, the agency can make use of telecommuters who can carry out particular assignments such as data entry. Third, the agency can contract an employment agency that can provide it with seasonal employees. Contingent employment would provide the Federal Bureau of Prisons with numerous benefits. First, the Bureau would benefit from cost reduction by minimizing the direct costs involved in the entire hiring process of more workers. Second, contingent employment would enable the Bureau to effectively respond to demand changes (Connelly and Gallagher, 2004). During busy seasons, the Bureau can easily find additional workers to assist the core workers. During the inactive seasons, the Bureau can make use of fewer workers without necessarily going through the process of retrenching its permanent workers. Contingent employment would therefore be an effective means for the Bureau to deal with its staffing needs.
Implementation of Contingent Employment at the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Introduction
Contingent work has been defined in somewhat different ways by various authors who work in this research area. Nonetheless, there are three key elements that seem to be consistent across research studies on the topic. First, contingent work does not entail permanent positions with any one employer or client. Second, contingent work generally consists of less than 30-35 hours per week with any given employer (Connelly and Gallagher, 2004). So, although a contingent worker may be employed in total more than 40 hours per week, rarely does that contingent worker put in all those hours with one particular client or, certainly, does not do so for extended periods of time. Third, contingent work is limited in scope in some way. In some cases, that scope is defined by contract (e.g. temporary workers); in other cases, that scope is defined by the duration of a specific project or task to complete (for instance web site designers). The Federal Bureau of Prisons can use contingent employment as a staffing strategy to meet its objectives. The agency has plans of constructing additional correctional facilities and is therefore in need of additional staff to work in the new facilities. In addition, the agency wants to renovate and upgrade the existing facilities hence it will need workers to carry out the renovation work. Most importantly, the agencys administration has financial concerns due to the budgetary cuts it currently suffers as a result of the economic crisis. An effective staffing strategy in the form of contingent employment will therefore enable the agency to hire adequate staff and at the same time achieve its cost-effectiveness objective.
Steps the Federal Bureau of Prisons should take during the implementation of contingent employees
There are four steps that the agency will need to follow during the employment process of the contingent employees. These steps include:
Determine the needs of the agency The agency will be required to create a staffing plan that is related to the utilization of both regular workers and contingent employees. In this plan, the agency should clearly indicate the tasks that need to be carried out by the regular employees and those tasks that should be executed by part-time or temporary employees. The plan would assist the agency to accurately determine the perfect ratio of regular to contingent employees (Fink, 1996). The plan would thus protect the agency from the need to hire on an emergency basis. The agency should be in a position to anticipate the overall quantity of work, both presently and in the future given its future plans of constructing additional facilities and renovating the existing ones. The agency should also be in a position to anticipate the amount of time needed to complete its pending projects and the timing at which the projects would be done. Hence, the agency should know the number of the contingent that would be required for each project and during specific seasons and it should therefore plan accordingly for the contingent employees.
Decide whether to use an employment agency, a contractor, or direct employment Once the agency has developed its staffing plan, it should then proceed to determine the method that it would use to employ the contingent workers. This can be either through direct employment, through the use of an independent contractor, or through an employment agency. The decision of whether to hire directly or to hire through an employment agency is a difficult decision for an organization. It is a decision that is normally influenced by the financial, legal, and other human resources factors of the organization. The federal agency should there gauge its financial, legal, and human resources capacity and determine whether it will hire the contingent workers directly or whether it will use a temporary employment agency. Hiring through a temporary employment agency however, would provide many benefits to the agency. First and foremost, temporary employment agencies are many around the country. The agencies have access to many professional and entry-level employees from all fields. The agency can therefore easily find the number and qualifications of the contingent employees it needs at any time of the year. Second, hiring through temporary employment agencies is time-saving and cost-effective. The employment agency selects and trains the required employees at its own costs (Gray, 2002). The agency would therefore save lots of time and huge costs that are involved in the training of new workers.
Review potential benefits to be provided The agency should consider the degree and types of any benefits that it would provide to the contingent workers. Although contingent workers are not subject to the employment benefits that regular employees enjoy, some firms provide some benefits, particularly to long-term temporary workers or to contingent workers working on technical projects. Such benefits help to boost the morale of the contingent workers and enhance their productivity. Indeed, some research studies show that contingent workers are more productive than regular workers. According to a study conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, temporary workers produce about two more hours of work per day than do their counterparts holding regular positions, (cited in Fink, 1996, p. 208).
Develop policies of treating the contingent employees Once the contingent workers have been employed, the agency should avoid creating a two-tiered workforce. This refers to a case in which the regular employees receive choice projects while the contingent employees receive the worst assignments (Fink, 1996). In order to create harmony in the workplace and boost the contingent workers morale, the agency should treat the contingent workers as part and parcel of the agencys personnel. This should entail involving them in all social activities of the agency, supervising them in the same manner that the regular employees are supervised, and providing them with similar opportunities as the regular employees for decision making and career development. It should be the policy of the agency that contingent workers should not be easily distinguished from regular employees. Such policies would enable the agency to minimize rivalry between the regular and the contingent workers, and enhance the productivity of its workforce.
Potential Benefits of Contingent Workers to the Federal Bureau of Prisons
The employment of contingent employees by the Federal Bureau of Prisons would provide the agency with many benefits.
Cost-saving
Cost-saving is perhaps the greatest motivation for employing contingent employees. As discussed earlier, contingent workers are not as subject to employment benefits as regular workers are. In addition, contingent employees are not usually on the payroll of the organization. As a result, the agency would be saved from having to pay payroll taxes, social security taxes, and unemployment contributions to the government. Hence, the agency would save dollars of money from employing such workers (Fink, 1996).
Increased efficiency
Employing contingent workers would increase the agencys efficiency. This is because the agency can hire the workers only when it needs them, for instance, during peak periods or seasons or when special one-time projects arise. The agency can then cease using them during off-peak periods and seasons. Closely linked to the increased efficiency is flexibility. Fink (1996) states that an organization can readily increase staffing when its labor needs are high and decrease staffing with minimal legal risks and economic consequences when its labor needs are low, (p. 210).
Administrative benefits
Using contingent workers would also benefit the agencys administration division. The agency can for example employ contingent workers to execute non-core jobs such as freelance accountants and data entry clerks. This would enable the administrative division to concentrate on the core jobs such as balancing the budget, overseeing prisoners enhancement programs, and planning for the new construction projects. In addition, if the agency decides to hire contingent workers through a temporary employment agency, the administrative division would be saved from the tedious task of screening job candidates, hiring, training, or firing them (Fink, 1996).
Recruitment opportunities
Hiring contingent workers would provide the Federal Bureau of Prisons with a valuable base from which it can hire future permanent employees. The agency can monitor the progress of the contingent workers and note those workers who are productive. In case a need arises to employ regular workers in the future, the agency would not need to go through the whole process of screening, interviewing, and training new workers. It can easily select from the list of contingent workers it has. This would be beneficial to the agency because the workers are already trained, they have some on-the-job experience and skills, and they are already familiar with the agency and its working environment. In addition to the recruitment opportunities, contingent employees would also provide the agency with a wide range of talents from which to choose. Given the different projects the agency is planning to undertake, it can easily and in a short time find suitable workers for its projects particularly if it goes through a temporary employment agency (Gray, 2002).
Potential Disadvantages of Using Contingent Workers to the Federal Bureau of Prisons
The benefits derived from employing contingent workers are many. However, some potential disadvantages also exist depending on how the organization/company handles the contingent workers.
Decreased loyalty and productivity
Unlike regular workers who depend on one employer for their livelihoods, contingent workers depend on a number of employers. As a result, the loyalty to any particular organization may not be as high as that of the regular workers. Loyalty is also affected by the lack of employment benefits that regular employment offers. The Federal Bureau of Prisons can enhance the loyalty of its contingent workers by offering them some minor benefits as a way of motivating them (Fink, 1996).
Impact on employees
Research shows that organizations that use contingent, as well as regular employees, often experience rivalry between the two groups of employees. Regular employees may feel resentful towards the contingent workers because they view them as a threat to their job security because contingent workers are cheaper to hire and maintain. In addition, regular employees may feel that the contingent employees are denying them overtime opportunities (Davis-Blake, Broschak and George, 2003). This disadvantage is a possibility and one that the agency is likely to face once it employs contingent workers. To prevent this from happening, the agency should communicate openly with the regular employees beforehand. It should assure them of their job security and should make it clear to them that the contingent workers will only be hired to undertake additional projects. Such an assurance from the agencys administration would ease the regular employees fears about their job security and would help to prevent rivalry between the regular and contingent employees.
Measuring the Effectiveness of the Contingent Employees at the Federal Bureau of Prisons
The effectiveness of contingent employment at the Federal Bureau of Prisons can be measured using three variables: job attitudes, job perceptions, and turnover.
Job attitudes
Job attitudes by the contingent workers can be used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to measure the effectiveness of the staffing strategy. Conway and Briner (2002) argue that job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment can be used as dependent variables to study the differences between full-timers and contingent employees and of differences among contingent employees. In one study, it was found that contingent workers who receive the least pay/benefits and who work on the least motivating jobs are much less likely to have positive job attitudes (Isaksson and Bellagh, 2002).
Job perceptions
The perceptions held by contingent employees towards their jobs and utilization of skills can be used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to measure the success or failure of contingent employment as a staffing strategy. In one of their studies, Feldman and Doerpinghaus (1992) examined the degree to which contingent employees believed themselves to be working at jobs significantly below their skill levels and previous work experiences. Because some contingent workers have been forced by circumstances into taking temporary or part-time jobs instead of full-time employment, the issue of whether contingent employees are fully utilizing their skills and abilities becomes particularly germane as a work-related outcome. The term psychological contract violations mean the extent to which employees perceive that their employers have not honored commitments made to them, either in terms of transactional elements (e.g. pay) or relational elements such as flexibility in work hours. A major reason that psychological contract violations might be an important dependent variable to consider is that the expectations of contingent workers may be less realistic than those of permanent, full-time workers (Ho, Ang, and Straub, 2003).
Turnover
In terms of job behaviors, the most frequently studied dependent variables have been turnover and turnover intentions (Isaksson and Bellagh, 2002). Particularly at a time when contingent workers were seen as having low-skill jobs with few benefits, turnover was found to be a natural consequence of job dissatisfaction and job insecurity. The Federal Bureau of Prisons can therefore use the rate of turnover among its contingent workers as a measure of the success or failure of its staffing strategy.
Conclusion
Contingent employment is a staffing strategy that the Federal Bureau of Prisons can use to address its staffing needs as well as achieve its budgetary target. The advantages of using contingent employees are many and range from cost saving to increased efficiency and flexibility, administrative benefits, and recruitment opportunities. However, contingent employees can affect the agency negatively by creating a rivalry between the regular workforce and themselves and being disloyal to the agency. Addressing these potential disadvantages would enable the agency to reap maximum profits from this staffing strategy.
Reference
Connelly, C.E., & Gallagher, D.G. (2004), Emerging trends in contingent work research. Journal of Management, 30, 959-83.
Conway, N., & Briner, R.B. (2002), Full-time versus part-time employees: understanding the links between work status, the psychological contract, and attitudes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61, 279-301.
Davis-Blake, A., Broschak, J., & George, E. (2003). Happy together? How using nonstandard workers affects exit, voice, and loyalty among standard workers. Academy of Management Journal, 46, 475-85.
Feldman, D.C., & Doerpinghaus, H.I. (1992). Patterns of part-time employment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 41, 282-94.
Fink, C.B. (1996). The managers desk reference. New York: AMACOM.
Gray, A. (2002). Jobseekers and gatekeepers: the role of the private employment agency in the placement of the unemployed. Work, Employment, and Society, 16, 655-74.
Ho, V.T., Ang, S., & Straub, D. (2003). When subordinates become IT contractors: persistent managerial expectations in IT outsourcing. Information Systems Research, 14, 66-86.
Isaksson, K., & Bellagh, K. (2002). Health problems and quitting among female temps. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 11, 27-38.
U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons. (2004). About the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Web.
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