Abstract
This study explored the public service motivations of civilian employees working at an Army post in the Midwestern United States. Using a qualitative embedded case study design, it sought to understand the encouragements of Army civilians to start and persist in their career fields. In the study, I examined the Baby Boom Generation retirement phenomenon, considering how aging U.S. workers, generational changes in the labor market, and institutional knowledge gaps might influence the federal workforce and national security. I also reviewed Public Service Motivation, prosocial motivation, Social Determination Theory, and intrinsic task motivation to construct a conceptual motivation model for analysis. Weaved throughout the discussion were extracts from federal regulations, policies, and operating procedures pertinent to the study. In addition to the document reviews, the study utilized semi-structured interviews and observations to explore employees’ motivations to serve. The study found the encouragements to start and persist as Army civilians were different and contextual. In addition, the study identified combinations of mixed motives with some differences between employees and supervisors. In the end, I make two recommendations with multiple lines of effort that Army leaders and human resource professionals might use to attract and retain civilian workers now and in the future.