There are immense challenges facing the Irish public service as we move into 2010. With an unprecedented demand for public services in light of current economic conditions and recent weather emergencies, individual public servants are faced with a challenging operating environment with issues concerning morale, resource management and a moratorium on recruitment and promotion. In circumstances where the public appetite for services provided by the State or public agencies is undiminished, how can the public sector address these challenges and demands? In particular, how can people charged with a HR or wider organisational management functions respond to the difficult working environment at present.

 The seminar will address a number of core areas of direct relevance to the public sector at present including;  

• Motivation/morale - how can managers and staff be motivated in difficult external operating environments?
• Resource management - how can resources be managed effectively in circumstances where there are cutbacks - how can the skill set of staff be best applied to the requirements of individual organisations within the public service. What are the challenges, opportunities and potential hurdles presented by redeployment, re-allocation and secondment if these options are available to meet resource requirements?
• Moratoriums on recruitment and promotion- the options for meeting HR needs in light of the curb on recruitment and promotion.
• Identifying and addressing HR risks particular to current conditions - what steps can public service organisations take to address some of the potential HR risks which arise from current conditions.