Civil Service

TELLIT01

pioneer22 wrote: »

You mean the generous sick leave that everyone abuses, 10 days before a sickness investigation = 10 days extra leave.

Flexible working that means your colleagues doing nothing 7-9am then clock off at 3pm?

Add into the mix the well its not in my job description therefore I'm not doing it attitude with a dash of management who are seemingly transferred from post to post because the CS can't attract talent.

The only part of that statement I recognise is management moving from post to post. I worked in the same building for under 8 years and we had over 10 office managers in that time, one of those was there for nearly 3 years so you can work out the average time for the others. Each one came in determined to make their mark. All they achieved each time was to create massive confusion and demotivate staff.
"It's not my job" was certainly prevalent back in the '60s and '70s but not now and anybody sitting for 2 hours not doing anything would never be able to get anywhere near the Minimum Acceptable Level of performance these days.

anmarj

TELLIT01 wrote: »

but not now and anybody sitting for 2 hours not doing anything would never be able to get anywhere near the Minimum Acceptable Level of performance these days.

In our office that is a sure way of getting promoted

TELLIT01

anmarj wrote: »

In our office that is a sure way of getting promoted

You may have a point there. The Peter Principle in full action (or inaction)

Wayne_O_Mac

pioneer22 wrote: »

You mean the generous sick leave that everyone abuses, 10 days before a sickness investigation = 10 days extra leave.

Flexible working that means your colleagues doing nothing 7-9am then clock off at 3pm?

Add into the mix the well its not in my job description therefore I'm not doing it attitude with a dash of management who are seemingly transferred from post to post because the CS can't attract talent.

This may be the most ignorant load of rubbish I've ever read, and I read the UKIP manifesto.

Literally everything you typed is false.

BobQ

TELLIT01 wrote: »

I do love a man with a sense of humour!

That may all have been true in the 'good old days' but certainly not true any more.

I am generally inclined to defend the terms and conditions in public sector jobs but your post is ridiculous

Contracts are being changes so people have to agree to work between 7:45 am and 8:00 pm, plus Saturdays.

So you are suggesting a 72 hour working week? Pull the other one! Such employment will probably include some degree of flexible working or shift working.

But even in the CS, not all jobs are amenable to flexible working and there may still be a need for some rules such as being willing to work when benefit offices are open or when helplines are available. Being available for business when your customers want to contact you is hardly unreasonable and quite normal in the private sector.

Go sick for more than a total of 8 days in a rolling year and discipliniary action will follow. In fact 4 x 1 day absence will have the same result.

CS still get PAID sick leave. It is not holiday and there should be checks to see it is not abused.

Not many employers would give you 1 months PAID sick leave from Day 1 and 5 months PAID sick leave after a year. Is it unreasonable that there are checks that it is not abused?

When you say disciplinary action, people might be disciplined for saying they are sick when they are not but if they are sick then these are merely the triggers that require managers to review the sick leave. If someone is genuinely off work with say a broken leg they will get PAID sick leave

There was one case in the office where I worked where a manager actually went to the hospital to ask somebody when they would be returning to work (no urban myth that one!).

Outrageous, a line manager speaking to someone on PAID sickleave. I assume this person was not at death's door. It is not unreasonable to ask such a question in a sensitive manner.

Training is a total joke. When I moved to a different benefit we were given 5 weeks training, down from 13 weeks a few years previously. Latest intake of people with no benefit processing experience got 3 weeks.

Paid training is provided as I said. Training is supposed to be appropriate to the task being trained. Many systems are more automated than previously and do not need as much training and some training can be done on line now.

Is it any wonder error and fraud has gone through the roof?

You are making that up. See below. In general F&B is falling.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/528719/fraud-and-error-prelim-estimates-2015-16.pdf

Annual leave is little more than the national minimum until you've been there 10 years.

So 22 days leave plus 8 days Public Holiday plus 2 Privilege Days. Many CS jobs have progression to 25 days after a year (HMRC for example).

Many private sector employers choose not to offer paid leave on BHs, quite lawfully.

Pension isn't great for most people. I know of people who had worked there 40 years and still couldn't afford to take early retirement. The pension may be gold plated for those at the top, but not those at the bottom.

The pension is worth about 20% of salary even now!

Austerity has eroded pensions for those lucky enough to have them I agree. But people who have worked there 40 years will be able to take a pension equal to half salary at 60 plus a lump sum three times that and cannot afford to retire? So someone earning £25K will get a pension of £12.5K mostly tax free and cannot afford to live on it? They could get a part time job for 6 years and then be retiring with an income of £19K with their state pension all index linked. They could carry on working to the same date others have to and earn a pension of £21K index linked.

I will continue defending Civil Servants but its posts like yours that make people think that you must live on another planet.

BobQ

pioneer22 wrote: »

You mean the generous sick leave that everyone abuses, 10 days before a sickness investigation = 10 days extra leave.

Flexible working that means your colleagues doing nothing 7-9am then clock off at 3pm?

Add into the mix the well its not in my job description therefore I'm not doing it attitude with a dash of management who are seemingly transferred from post to post because the CS can't attract talent.

As I said CS sick leave is generous but it is only right that there are checks that it is not abused. If it is abused then it is poor management that those doing it are not disciplined. (If your statements are true).

As before if flexible working is abused it is poor managment, if job descriptions are not fit for purpose it is poor managment

Alice_Walker

pioneer22 wrote: »

You mean the generous sick leave that everyone abuses, 10 days before a sickness investigation = 10 days extra leave.

Flexible working that means your colleagues doing nothing 7-9am then clock off at 3pm?

Add into the mix the well its not in my job description therefore I'm not doing it attitude with a dash of management who are seemingly transferred from post to post because the CS can't attract talent.

When I was in the CS my most productive hours were the early ones, I'd get loads done before the office got busy.

You sound very bitter, and from other threads I'm doubting you've ever even worked in the CS. Did you get turned down?

xapprenticex

Wow so you (as a starter) only get 24 days plus the 8 bank holidays? I've always started on 26 + 8 which obviously increases every year, maybe I've been lucky with leave.