Personnel Administration as Actual and Important Perceived by Head of Public Health 0ffice of Phatthalung Provincial Public Health Office

Abstract

              The objectives of this descriptive research were to investigate: 1) the level of personnel’s satisfaction towards the actual personnel administration of Phattalung Provincial Health Office; 2) level of personnel’s opinion on aspects of personnel administration regarded as important; 3) personal factors associated with satisfaction towards personnel administration; and 4) problems, obstacles, and suggestions for personnel administration of Phatthalung Public Health Office. The subjects group consisted of 141 personnel of Phatthalung Public Health Office. Data were collected using a questionnaire tested by three experts for its content validity. The data collection period was during 15 – 30 August 2017. The data were analyzed using a computer application
with descriptive statistics of percentage, mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values, and paired t-test and chi-square test were also performed.
              The study found that 54.6 percent of the subjects were female with the average age of 44.3 years ( = 44.3, S.D. = 9.1, MIN = 34, MAX = 56), 89.3 percent were with marital status and the average length of service was 22.2 years ( = 21.2, S.D. = 9.7, MIN = 10, MAX = 35); 77.3 percent were bachelor’s degree holders and most of the subjects were public health technical officers having held the position for the average of 10 years ( = 10 , S.D. = 6.5, MIN = 3, MAX = 29); 76.6 percent of the subjects worked in Tambon Health Promotion Hospitals. And 51.0 percent of them had been trained in a primary-level course in Public Health Administration. The five actual personnel administration aspects were: 1) manpower planning and positioning; 2) recruitment, selection, and placement;
3) reinforcement of efficient performance; 4) discipline and maintenance of discipline; and 5) retirement or termination of employment. The overall satisfaction towards personnel administration in all five aspects was at a moderate level. The overall satisfaction towards all aspects of personnel administration regarded as important was found to be at a low level. When compared between the average levels of satisfaction towards the actual and the important aspects of personnel administration, it was found that the difference was statistically significant at the level 0.05 (p < 0.05). Personal factors found to be associated with satisfaction towards the actual aspects of personnel administration were position and having been trained on administration, and the
association was statistically significant at the level 0.05. Problems, obstacles, and suggestions made by the personnel were that they desired to have recruitment with the merit system, fair, and transparent; they also desired to have welfare provided for all levels of personnel and related persons. It is recommended that the research results should be utilized in improvement of personnel administration of Phatthalung Public Health Office by organizing
training according to personnel development plans, and improving the welfare system.