What is it like working for the Texas State Government? (Austin: car registration, homeowners insurance)

[caluig]

1- What are the pros and cons of working for a Texas State government agency?
2- Does it differ much from one agency to another? Any better ones or some to avoid?
3- What about their pay comparing with private sector?
4- What about job security? Has any layoff happened?
5- Any comments on benefits, vacation, pension, time off, health, etc.?
6- Overall working environment/culture? What is the work-life balance like there?
7- Weather like in Austin?
8- Cost of living: housing, taxes, state income tax, property tax, car registration, homeowners insurance?

Thanks all!

[txgolfer130]

Originally Posted by caluig

1- What are the pros and cons of working for a Texas State government agency?
2- Does it differ much from one agency to another? Any better ones or some to avoid?
3- What about their pay comparing with private sector?
4- What about job security? Has any layoff happened?
5- Any comments on benefits, vacation, pension, time off, health, etc.?
6- Overall working environment/culture? What is the work-life balance like there?
7- Weather like in Austin?
8- Cost of living: housing, taxes, state income tax, property tax, car registration, homeowners insurance?

Thanks all!

LOL!!! There are some Pro's, and some Con's. Their weights depend on you...

1. Pro- Lot's of holidays. Con-Lot's of holidays
2. Avoid TxDot
3. Pay sucks, unless your Manager/Director level
4. Many layoffs have happened as well as pay freezes. There is NO real job security w/in State Gov't., but comparatively there is more than private sector.
5. Benefits suck, Vacation is great, Pension sucks, time-off, not bad, but could be better, health care is EXPENSIVE, but better than nothing.
6. Depends on agency, and department, but overall your a State employee, your lower than scum, your sucking off of the people of the State of Texas, your lazy and it takes three of you to make a copy and get coffee. Oh, and you always have the day off, and you suck b/c of it. I know I worked for the State for 3 years...and this was the sentiment of family and close friends!
7. Beautiful baby...beautiful (Channeling Rat Pack)
8. Housing is okay, but Austin is relatively shock proof. Property taxes suck, and the tax rate is 8.25%!!! There is no state income tax, so while you get off there, the property tax is a mutha'! Insurance is not to bad compared w/ other places, but is still high.

Hope it helps.

[joejitsu]

I dont work for the government, but I work in the capitol most of the day and interact with many different government employees of varying jobs. What job did you have mind?

[caluig]

An opportunity with TxDot!

Since I do not know anything about working for a Texas agency and living in Austin, I decided to get some feedback here. I heard a lot of good things about Austin but now it comes down to the potential job.

The posting from txgolfer130 makes me wonder about that opportunity now. I would like to know why TxDot should be avoided, is there any particular depto within that agency or is just the worst agency overall regardless of the depto?

[joejitsu]

TxDot's tactics are not very popular with the government, and the citizens of Texas. They sre not transparent, always want more money, uncooperative, and scandal ridden. A job is a job though.

[achtungpv]

I was a manager at TxDOT for 6 years. I really enjoyed my job but you are set up for failure every step of the way. For example, I had 14 employees. I was allowed to give 1 raise per year TOTAL. Half my staff didn't get a pay raise the entire 6 years I was there. That really builds morale.

It is impossible to fire anyone, regardless of incompetency, unless they surf the internet or call long distance. Literally, another group had a employee threaten to kill an HR person. Did they suspend him w/o pay? Fire him? Put him on probation? No, they didn't allow him to take a training class for 1 year. That showed him. When we were told this story in a manager's class, I asked "So, let me get this straight...if an employee threatens another employee's life, they keep their job but if they spend 15 minutes of their lunch hour reading the news online they will be fired?" The answer from the HR trainer was "That's correct." Since I filled a manager position that was vacant for several months, the director moved a problem child from another group to mine so I would have to deal with it when I started. This was pretty common at TxDOT since it's easier to move the problem employees to another group than deal with the paperwork.

The internet nazi policy is so bad that every month I was given a print out of every website each employee visited and I had to verify it was work related. I spent easily an entire day each month doing this. We were informed that any emails with attachments over 3MB were automatically forwarded to IT security personnel to review to make sure it wasn't an email forward, movie file, etc.

[caluig]

Achtungpv...

That is PRETTY bad and it definetely reinforces bad behavior! How about that say of "leading by example"? That employee's bad behavior set the example for others...

I can not understand that HR policy, one that seems to be lost in time, in the dark ages. I am now thinking twice about that possible move. For a big move, the pros need to outweight the cons but it does not seem that way at TxDot. I would prefer to continue looking for an opportunity.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[txgolfer130]

Originally Posted by achtungpv

I asked "So, let me get this straight...if an employee threatens another employee's life, they keep their job but if they spend 15 minutes of their lunch hour reading the news online they will be fired?" The answer from the HR trainer was "That's correct." Since I filled a manager position that was vacant for several months, the director moved a problem child from another group to mine so I would have to deal with it when I started. This was pretty common at TxDOT since it's easier to move the problem employees to another group than deal with the paperwork.

The internet nazi policy is so bad that every month I was given a print out of every website each employee visited and I had to verify it was work related. I spent easily an entire day each month doing this. We were informed that any emails with attachments over 3MB were automatically forwarded to IT security personnel to review to make sure it wasn't an email forward, movie file, etc.

Funny...I think we had the same job! You either had basically a serial killer working for you or had to deal w/ lead workers trying petty things to get someone fired for some petty reason. Write-up's for 1 minute late, reading a newspaper in a cubicle. But they physically push them in the parking lot and there is just a "counseling session". But talk on the phone for 15 minutes on 9/11 to family in NY, and yes...I had to fire them.

TxDot is not the shining bright example of State Gov't.

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by txgolfer130

Funny...I think we had the same job! You either had basically a serial killer working for you...

That reminded me of my other problem child that we were pretty sure was mentally imbalanced and on the verge of going postal. Another employee told me he had two escape routes planned depending on which direction the guy started shooting. We always figured he brought a gun to work in his briefcase since he had no reason to take work home and he was never once seen opening it in the 6 years I was there.

[austinite45]

Originally Posted by txgolfer130

LOL!!! There are some Pro's, and some Con's. Their weights depend on you...

1. Pro- Lot's of holidays. Con-Lot's of holidays
2. Avoid TxDot
3. Pay sucks, unless your Manager/Director level
4. Many layoffs have happened as well as pay freezes. There is NO real job security w/in State Gov't., but comparatively there is more than private sector.
5. Benefits suck, Vacation is great, Pension sucks, time-off, not bad, but could be better, health care is EXPENSIVE, but better than nothing.
6. Depends on agency, and department, but overall your a State employee, your lower than scum, your sucking off of the people of the State of Texas, your lazy and it takes three of you to make a copy and get coffee. Oh, and you always have the day off, and you suck b/c of it. I know I worked for the State for 3 years...and this was the sentiment of family and close friends!
7. Beautiful baby...beautiful (Channeling Rat Pack)
8. Housing is okay, but Austin is relatively shock proof. Property taxes suck, and the tax rate is 8.25%!!! There is no state income tax, so while you get off there, the property tax is a mutha'! Insurance is not to bad compared w/ other places, but is still high.

Hope it helps.

I think Austin's single biggest turnoff right now is high property taxes - no relation to reality.

I think if one really wants a govt job, he or she should first consider cities with low property taxes.