Staff and Human Resource Management in Public Authorities: The Theoretical Foundations and Adaptation to Wartime and Post-Wartime Conditions

The article discusses the key aspects of staff formation and human resource management in public authorities in wartime and post-wartime conditions. Firstly, the main characteristics of staff in public authorities are identified. Analysis of the staff structure by education level and minimum sufficient work experience showed that: a) the vast majority of employees (50%) have a master’s degree; b) managerial positions are mostly held by specialists with more than 10 years of experience (30%); c) an important factor for efficiency is maintaining a balance between experienced staff and young specialists. Secondly, the specifics of the challenges faced by staff and the human resource management system in wartime and post-wartime periods are characterized. Among them are: a staffing shortage caused by the war and migration; a high level of employee turnover; a lack of experienced workers; low motivation among young professionals; the complexity of training and retraining; bureaucratic barriers; social-psychological pressure, and limited flexibility in personnel policy. Thirdly, existing theoretical approaches to defining the concepts of «staff» and «human resource management» have been analyzed in terms of their applicability to the realities of public authorities under crisis conditions. Based on this analysis, updated definitions have been proposed. Staff is understood as a combination of permanent and temporary employees involved in fulfilling professional duties in public authorities, who possess the relevant qualifications or are undergoing professional training. Human resource management is defined as a system of strategic and tactical measures aimed at ensuring the effective functioning of the staff of public authorities in a changing environment, which includes adaptation, motivation, professional development, and psychological support. The defined perspective for further research lies in the formation of mechanisms for managing staff in public authorities that combine adaptation to crisis conditions with the strategic development of human resource potential. Special attention should be paid to examining the psychological resilience of employees and the role of digital technologies in enhancing the efficiency of personnel processes.