Civil Servant Bashing

Snoozle

pgilc1 wrote: »

Also, given the O/P saying how overworked he / she was in their department, surely you posted this whilst at work?

Or were you

(a) taking an extended lunch break?
(b) working from home?
(c) on a flexi day?
(d) off "sick"?

Congratulations on single handedly destroying any credence the O/P had gained....

When someone is on a flexi day, it means they have worked up enough hours to use it as a day's leave. And if you take a two hour lunch break, then you have to make up for the hours over and above your standard lunch break. Whats so wrong with that anyway? And if someone has the type of job where some of their duties can be fulfilled working from home (usually IT or something) then why not? When my OH works from home, ironically he works a longer day than he might do in the office, because there is an extra hour at the start of the day and the end when he would otherwise be commuting - why would anyone think it more productive to spend two hours sitting in traffic when you could be working? (And no, before you ask, he doesn't claim these extra hours as flexi).

As I've said before on here, I'm all for weeding out the slackers, in the public sector and every other workplace, but people legitimately working flexi seems like the wrong target. What does it matter to the general public if someone works from 10am to 6pm, instead of 9 to 5? If its not a 'customer facing' role, it makes no difference to anyone, they could do it in the middle of the night just as long as its done......

absoluteutopia

The poor hard working Civil Servants anyone know what was wrong with that statement?

darwin-rover

pgilc1 wrote: »

Sorry to hear that you're having to live like the rest of us in the 'real world' thrifty, but you have to admit that there are desperate desperate inefficiencies in many civil service departments.

A friend of mine is an IT contractor in the civil service and he says pretty much everyone in the office hes in runs a business on the side - car sales, pub, property developer - you name it they can do it during working hours!

The staff come in late, sit and chat for 20 mins, read the paper, then have a smoke break, then a coffee break, then nip down the office for a chat with a friend. Not much point in starting anything new before lunch, best leave it to after....

Oh and then theres the 'perks'

35hr week
finally salary pension
possibility of retiring at 55 (was 50)
flexi time
30 days hols a year

Where do i sign up?

What a load of tosh
Although I know a few who have second jobs , no-one runs one while they're working (I for instance have worked for Argos over Xmas a few years but I can't exactly do this while I'm in Stormont)
Its a 37 hour week - NOT including lunch breaks
Pension is compulsory to pay in to , minimum 3% , you cant opt out
Miniumum retirement age is 60
You have to start between 8 and 10 and finish between 4 and 6 , flexi is also there for the business needs of the department
25 days hols a year , 30 after 10 years

motorguy

darwin-rover wrote: »

What a load of tosh
Although I know a few who have second jobs , no-one runs one while they're working (I for instance have worked for Argos over Xmas a few years but I can't exactly do this while I'm in Stormont)
Its a 37 hour week - NOT including lunch breaks
Pension is compulsory to pay in to , minimum 3% , you cant opt out
Miniumum retirement age is 60
You have to start between 8 and 10 and finish between 4 and 6 , flexi is also there for the business needs of the department
25 days hols a year , 30 after 10 years

A lot of those changes you're describing are recent. There are a high percentage of people still on very favourable terms that are completely out of sync with life in the real world. Those people will never leave as they know that they'll never get terms like it elsewhere.

Unfortunately, a percentage of those people on those contracts exploit the system and thats where the civil service gets and will continue to get its bad rep from.

Oh, and relative to your terms and conditions, heres mine (as management in a company in belfast)

Its a 40 hour week - NOT including lunch breaks
Pension isnt compulsory, but is not final salary based.
Miniumum retirement age is 65
Start and end time as per deparmental requirements - no overtime.
20 days holidays

So i dont think youre doing too bad on the T&C front.

safename

pgilc1 wrote: »

Oh, and relative to your terms and conditions, heres mine (as management in a company in belfast)

Its a 40 hour week - NOT including lunch breaks
Pension isnt compulsory, but is not final salary based.
Miniumum retirement age is 65
Start and end time as per deparmental requirements - no overtime.
20 days holidays

So i dont think youre doing too bad on the T&C front.

Sorry for the stupid name but I wonted to remain anonymous!!!!

It seems fairly obvious to me that this whole argument is about choice!

People who choose to work in the NICS do so because of the benefits, ie:
Leave
Flexi
Pension etc

Whereas people who choose to work in the private sector do so because of the benefits, ie:
Higher Rates of Pay
Professional Interest
Vocation

Other people choose to start their own business (or sign on the dole), each to their own, freedom of choice, right???

Civil Servants are a soft target for the media as they have a responsibilty to conform to legislation such as the FOI act and the Data Protection act where anyone can ask any question they like and they can interpret the answer they receive to suite public perception or their own motive.

The NICS is accountable where as the private sector can focus on profit only if they wish and hire/fire as they see fit.

The NICS has less powers to dismiss wasters but in the private sector if you don't pull your weight your out.

If a vacancy arises in the NICS (ie by someone leaving) the post is reviewed to see if it is necessary to fill the post or can the NICS do with out it.

Im sure everyone will agree they know (or know of) a skiver wether they work in the CS or in the private sector, Its not just a CS problem.

Don't knock the CS, at the end of the day if you are that annoyed about the perks apply to join and take a pay cut.


P.S. By looking at the times on some of the posts it's not only civil servants who abuse thier employers internet!!

Snoozle

safename wrote: »

P.S. By looking at the times on some of the posts it's not only civil servants who abuse thier employers internet!!

Not guilty! My posts are always in the afternoon, but its on my own time, I only work mornings.

Mind you, I'm as guilty as the next person of thinking that way - when I am heading home from work at lunchtime every day, I can't believe the number of cars I see, and always find myself wondering why they aren't at work.:rotfl:

motorguy

safename wrote: »

Sorry for the stupid name but I wonted to remain anonymous!!!!

It seems fairly obvious to me that this whole argument is about choice!

People who choose to work in the NICS do so because of the benefits, ie:
Leave
Flexi
Pension etc

Whereas people who choose to work in the private sector do so because of the benefits, ie:
Higher Rates of Pay
Professional Interest
Vocation

Other people choose to start their own business (or sign on the dole), each to their own, freedom of choice, right???

Civil Servants are a soft target for the media as they have a responsibilty to conform to legislation such as the FOI act and the Data Protection act where anyone can ask any question they like and they can interpret the answer they receive to suite public perception or their own motive.

The NICS is accountable where as the private sector can focus on profit only if they wish and hire/fire as they see fit.

The NICS has less powers to dismiss wasters but in the private sector if you don't pull your weight your out.

If a vacancy arises in the NICS (ie by someone leaving) the post is reviewed to see if it is necessary to fill the post or can the NICS do with out it.

Im sure everyone will agree they know (or know of) a skiver wether they work in the CS or in the private sector, Its not just a CS problem.

Don't knock the CS, at the end of the day if you are that annoyed about the perks apply to join and take a pay cut.


P.S. By looking at the times on some of the posts it's not only civil servants who abuse thier employers internet!!

I pretty much agree with what you're saying here.

My main beef is that the O/P has come on here and told us how busy he and his department are - and I've no doubt thats true BUT there are still many many areas of the civil service - and many many people IN the civil service who get it really handy.

So maybe the rep is justified?

I also found it amusing that someone would subsequently come on and go 'yes its jolly unfair that they're not using tax payers money to pay for our office radio licence' whilst, no doubt, in work (they subsequently removed their posts) - it does highlight how far removed some civil service employees are from reality.

Yes, i have the odd check on here in work, and maybe checkout hotukdeals too, but then i'm not posting threads on here about how hard done by i am, am I?