Start of civil service job - so confused!

OrbitHeadache

MovingForwards said:

I can relate to everything you've said. It seems to be a public sector thing, never experienced it in the private sector.

I'm expected to know and understand everything. The e-learning is for systems the place no longer uses. Searching the website means going through page after page of 'see here for more info' type links, it's easier / quicker to search via Google. Don't even get me started on acronyms. 

It's nearly 2 years I've been in my role, had a regrade with stacks more responsibility, plus I'm covering another role. I push back by explaining I'm learning, teaching myself, doing the best I can with zero knowledge, lucky guesses and common sense, things take time and be honest saying it will get done, just not immediately. Some accept it, some just add even more new things to my growing list.

I'm treating it as experience, loads more to add to an already good CV, but it doesn't help my stress / confidence levels. I will never get another job in the public sector again as it's just not for me.

May I ask when you started your civil service job and did e-learning how much of that actually applied to your specific role once you started the job proper?

MovingForwards

@OrbitHeadache I'm in public sector, not council, although I know some are and we frequently compare which is worse.

Even management admit the available training doesn't explain how to do the jobs.

I'd say less than 5% of the training I've undertaken shows me how to do parts of my job, it all seems to be more about policies, legal compliance and the company. 

Changing my tactic with training, I now do what I want to learn under the guise of 'personal development' and 'transferable skills'. 

I'm slowly building up an internal contact list for the different aspects if I get absolutely stuck. My role covers so many different topics, none of them tie in with eachother.

I email someone outlining what the issue is, what I've found / believe is the way to deal with it, ask for clarification / links to read and say to let me know if I've missed anything. 
- this works for me as I draw on previous experience / former career, common sense and internet searches.

Since I took the stance of 'stuff it, I'm moulding this role to how I want it done', it's become easier in a way.

My nice colleagues have started passing comment, asking what my background is and replying "that makes a lot of sense" or "that explains a lot".

The only real advice I can give you is to say it's not you. Have a pen and huge pad to write things down or do screen prints, work out your own learning style and don't be so hard on yourself.

It's antiquated and desperately needs dragging into the now rather than remaining in the dark ages; that would take a working committee, steering group, ideas in triplicate to be passed to another department who send itto another steering group, who send surveys out........

TELLIT01

MovingForwards said:

It's antiquated and desperately needs dragging into the now rather than remaining in the dark ages; that would take a working committee, steering group, ideas in triplicate to be passed to another department who send itto another steering group, who send surveys out........

You sound just like me when discussing their training and the hoops to jump through to get any changes.

At the office I worked in we tried a very unofficial pilot of a new way of working.  It cut processing times by about 20% and was at least as accurate as the official way of working.  Our managers put the suggestion forward to higher management who weren't interested. "We've always done it this way" was the basic response.

MovingForwards

@TELLIT01 I'm in my 3rd PS role, I've seen more than enough to know it's not for me and I've given it a good run. Like you I tried to make a simple change not long after joining them, but got told off for doing it as it was always done the other way; my way made more sense.

There's a few people changes now which may let the department embrace modern thinking and I've been told to make all the changes I want as it's acknowledged nothing has moved on over the last 50 years! 
- as you can imagine I've inherited 50 years of paperwork, equipment and everything else.

I'm slowly chipping away at getting access to other budgets, getting to know the right people and asking for funds to do changes or finding out when I can ask again then doing it on that date, demanding my requests are referred up the chain, latching on to any projects and putting a business case forward to get it.

I've managed to get enough of the department on side to begin pulling this off, but it will take years to finish. 

While none of the helps OP, it lets them see why things are what they are.

TELLIT01

Well done for getting support to make changes.  Unfortunately DWP isn't so much a 'sleeping giant' as a 'long dead dinosaur'.  They really were not interested in any change when I was there even when the change could be shown to be beneficial to both the department and the claimant.

MovingForwards

Thank you. I've seen your comments about them before and wondered how you stuck it out!