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I know this does not apply to all Government Workers...However in my experience dealing with government workers it seems that most wouldn't make it in the private sector... I think the following from a government employee proves my point...
"it is assumed that the government employee is lazy. This is a fairly accurate assumption. While not true for each and every employee, it is correct for most. When you become employed by the government, what usually happens is you become part of a union. This is a good thing for the employee, because from this point on, he or she has job security. As long as you do not do something enormously stupid, chances are you will never be fired. Lectured, yes. A bad mark on your permanent record, maybe. Pressured to quit, certainly. But if you have stamina and balls, then you have a job for the rest of your life. As soon as you get comfy, the slack begins. Hour lunches turn into hour and a half lunches. Work starts at 9:00 AM, but if you get here 9:30 AM, you're still on time. Go figure. And best of all, you get "wash up" time which means that at 4:50 PM every day you are excused to go "wash up", which means you get to bail and get on the T early, as opposed to the rest of the other poor schmucks working around Government Center who get out at 5:00 PM. You would think that the government employees are leaving early as you see them running out of City Hall at this time, but in fact, the people who are leaving early are already home because they left anywhere around 4:30 PM. So counting smoking breaks (which you learn to take even if you don't smoke), regularly scheduled 15-minute breaks, getting in late, leaving early, extended lunch, and of course social gatherings around the water cooler... the average employee may work approximately four hours, while being paid for seven. This is the epitome of being lazy.
Lastly, resentment. I do believe some people are jealous of the so called high life that the government employees take advantage of. Plenty of people try to acquire one of these positions, but usually people get promoted from within. Unless you are related to someone, or sleep with someone, your chances of getting a job here are slim to none. And no... I didn't sleep with anyone (this time) to get my job, I took a co-op position which most any loser can acquire for a small fee. Close enough for government work is so true. Half assed is standard around here. You get a small amount of power to bully the average citizens. As they say, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This all contributes to the bitter and pompous attitude of the government employee.
Now, don't get me wrong. I dread being a government employee. It is not the ideal work environment. We get 13 paid holidays, the internet connection is pretty fast, and you can slack consistently, but there's no free snacks, no fooseball and there is the fear of being a government employee for the rest of your life. I want out. But I am also perplexed, because I don't actively pursue another job. I just sit and gripe and node on the taxpayer's buck. I think I am on my way to being a really great government employee. So if you run into me, ask me how the job search goes. In the meantime, I am a government employee. Hear me snore.... ROAR. I mean roar."
The answer to your question is NO, because you asked a wrong question. The correct question is: WHYare government workers lazy? The simply answer is because there is no profit motive. Regardless how you performance is, you get pay the same. So why work hard?
When you have a disincentive to work hard, why work hard?
I know this does not apply to all Government Workers...However in my experience dealing with government workers it seems that most wouldn't make it in the private sector... I think the following from a government employee proves my point...
"it is assumed that the government employee is lazy. This is a fairly accurate assumption. While not true for each and every employee, it is correct for most. When you become employed by the government, what usually happens is you become part of a union. This is a good thing for the employee, because from this point on, he or she has job security. As long as you do not do something enormously stupid, chances are you will never be fired. Lectured, yes. A bad mark on your permanent record, maybe. Pressured to quit, certainly. But if you have stamina and balls, then you have a job for the rest of your life. As soon as you get comfy, the slack begins. Hour lunches turn into hour and a half lunches. Work starts at 9:00 AM, but if you get here 9:30 AM, you're still on time. Go figure. And best of all, you get "wash up" time which means that at 4:50 PM every day you are excused to go "wash up", which means you get to bail and get on the T early, as opposed to the rest of the other poor schmucks working around Government Center who get out at 5:00 PM. You would think that the government employees are leaving early as you see them running out of City Hall at this time, but in fact, the people who are leaving early are already home because they left anywhere around 4:30 PM. So counting smoking breaks (which you learn to take even if you don't smoke), regularly scheduled 15-minute breaks, getting in late, leaving early, extended lunch, and of course social gatherings around the water cooler... the average employee may work approximately four hours, while being paid for seven. This is the epitome of being lazy.
Lastly, resentment. I do believe some people are jealous of the so called high life that the government employees take advantage of. Plenty of people try to acquire one of these positions, but usually people get promoted from within. Unless you are related to someone, or sleep with someone, your chances of getting a job here are slim to none. And no... I didn't sleep with anyone (this time) to get my job, I took a co-op position which most any loser can acquire for a small fee. Close enough for government work is so true. Half assed is standard around here. You get a small amount of power to bully the average citizens. As they say, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This all contributes to the bitter and pompous attitude of the government employee.
Now, don't get me wrong. I dread being a government employee. It is not the ideal work environment. We get 13 paid holidays, the internet connection is pretty fast, and you can slack consistently, but there's no free snacks, no fooseball and there is the fear of being a government employee for the rest of your life. I want out. But I am also perplexed, because I don't actively pursue another job. I just sit and gripe and node on the taxpayer's buck. I think I am on my way to being a really great government employee. So if you run into me, ask me how the job search goes. In the meantime, I am a government employee. Hear me snore.... ROAR. I mean roar."
I would agree. I have a half day clinic at the VA. While there, it is like being on a construction road crew- I am the only one working, while five people sit around and watch me work.
The VA system is unionized, of course, and one cannot easily fire all these people. It is mostly among the ancillary staff, who really are not interested in working very hard.
I would agree. I have a half day clinic at the VA. While there, it is like being on a construction road crew- I am the only one working, while five people sit around and watch me work.
The VA system is unionized, of course, and one cannot easily fire all these people. It is mostly among the ancillary staff, who really are not interested in working very hard.
Regardless how you performance is, you get pay the same. So why work hard?
Because you have personal standards and gain satisfaction from doing your best at anything you do. Personal pride in accomplishing things and doing the right thing is an attribute sorely lacking in too many people. It's all about "what's in it for me" in those people. Fortunately that isn't true for everyone, there are people who are internally motivated.
Quote:
When you have a disincentive to work hard, why work hard?
There isn't a disincentive, they aren't punished if they work hard. There may not be an external incentive, that isn't the same.
Some are lazy, some are not. I spent over 20 years in the private sector (defense contractor) and saw my share of do-nothings and star performers. I moved over to federal service and have never worked harder in my life. I have also hired a few people from the private sector into federal service. Before the came, I tried to prime them for the workload. They *thought* they were busy in the private sector. Each and every one of them have come to me and told me "I've never worked so hard in my life but I love it." Anectdotally, I would say "No, government workers are not lazy" but it is true that there are many who do just the bare minimum.
Of course, you can just go and as the NON PARTISAN Heritage Foundation (/sarcasm). They have studies to back up how lazy we are. Good, well done studies.
No not by nature. But they reside within a system whose priority is to justify its own existence rather than actually perform the job it is intended to do.
The blatent disregard for waste within the system screams for attention and instead we get excuses. The culture is one of complacency.
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In General are Government Workers lazy and incompetent
