Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There is a big difference between being a warm body for 8-12 hours, and actually working. There is no argument what so ever, that state, and federal work is harder than private. That is a joke, your funded by tax payers, you have no competition, seriously do not compare government work to private. If the hardest job you've had was in government then you've hardly been working.
Your premise is that a government job is the easiest job. Let's pose a hypothetical situation which may or may not be common in the federal government and see what your response is, shall we?
You're plugging along at your easy job, data entry for the IRS. I think your title would be "analyst" or maybe accountant. It doesn't really matter because all the jobs are the same and anyone can do it so long as they've graduated high school.
So you're plugging away counting beans for the 501s when you notice an uptick in income for a church. You're a reasonably diligent person, so you dig a little deeper. The church is located in South Dakota for a congregation of about 50 people, in a town of 600 that has only one small factory making widgets for a Chinese owned company. This year they report $300k in donations, but just last year they only reported $15k. You happen to have been reading the news of late, and you bring your common sense to the job. You've read that this town has recently become aware that they are sitting on a huge mound of lithium hydride.
Please explain to me what a "warm body" would do versus what a "hard worker" would do.
Keep in mind, that as you attempt to figure this out, federal employees who peruse this board may be tempted to pipe in with their own two cents worth of experience and provide "feed back" on your response.
Also, please keep in mind that "they" answer to the tax payer, so you must consider time, resources and "the public response" as you craft a response.
Additionally, you must keep in mind that whatever you suggest will be subject to review from three supervisors, a review panel, an administrative body with one to 7 people on the panel, and a three person panel appellate court, if it gets that far; all while communicating with a team of attorneys, politicians and scientists about why your response is the most correct.
And finally, please keep in mind that you're a bean counter; not a chemist, economist, lawyer or an MBA with a minor in Chinese studies who spent 4 years in China.
There is a big difference between being a warm body for 8-12 hours, and actually working. There is no argument what so ever, that state, and federal work is harder than private. That is a joke, your funded by tax payers, you have no competition, seriously do not compare government work to private. If the hardest job you've had was in government then you've hardly been working.
What does that have to do with how hard the work is?
There are plenty of gov jobs that are much more difficult than the private sector, and a heck of a lot more responsibility.
Ah the feds, doing nothing all day and getting mad benefits. My friend worked for the feds but, he moved to state. Went from making 40k to 55k from one job switch. He always jokes about how nobody is doing work, and how you can take a two hour lunch, and leave work around 3pm. Sometimes I think hes trying to recruit me lol.
Ah the same stereotype BS repeating; no, fed workers do not sit around and not do anything, ridiculous notion to even think they all do, have you ever even worked in or around federal workers? Do some slack off? Of course, but the private sector has more than its fair share of slackers as well; this is a human issue and poor management issue which can happen anywhere.
Lunches are 30 minutes, managers can authorize an extra half hour depending on facilities available for eating. Many people do leave at 3 or 4, but they also come in early' these people are usually the ones dropping/picking up their kids, or always beating the rush hours. Most of the gov operates on a flex schedule, where they can come in between 6-9:30am, and leave between 3-7pm, and do their eight hours of work.
As far as pay; I guess you forgot back in the economic boom years how the fed gov was begging for people to come, they cannot jack pay up to compete with the private sector, so they can only offer benefits and job security, they could hardly get anyone to come work for the gov, even the military had issues and had to stop-loss many people. Now that the boom cycle is over, everyone and their brother wants in the gov (and military), and criticize the gov and its workers out of envy; sorry, they were recruiting heavily before and could not get anyone, do not blame gov workers for your private sector failures.
As a note, I work in the private sector, I had a fed gov job before but it was not interesting and I was offered a much better private sector job.
Ah the same stereotype BS repeating; no, fed workers do not sit around and not do anything, ridiculous notion to even think they all do, have you ever even worked in or around federal workers? Do some slack off? Of course, but the private sector has more than its fair share of slackers as well; this is a human issue and poor management issue which can happen anywhere.
Lunches are 30 minutes, managers can authorize an extra half hour depending on facilities available for eating. Many people do leave at 3 or 4, but they also come in early' these people are usually the ones dropping/picking up their kids, or always beating the rush hours. Most of the gov operates on a flex schedule, where they can come in between 6-9:30am, and leave between 3-7pm, and do their eight hours of work.
As far as pay; I guess you forgot back in the economic boom years how the fed gov was begging for people to come, they cannot jack pay up to compete with the private sector, so they can only offer benefits and job security, they could hardly get anyone to come work for the gov, even the military had issues and had to stop-loss many people. Now that the boom cycle is over, everyone and their brother wants in the gov (and military), and criticize the gov and its workers out of envy; sorry, they were recruiting heavily before and could not get anyone, do not blame gov workers for your private sector failures.
As a note, I work in the private sector, I had a fed gov job before but it was not interesting and I was offered a much better private sector job.
I never lived to enjoy in the boom years I was a kid. Private sector failures? You couldnt pay me enough to work in goverment, Im a capitalist I believe in creating wealth, not job security. My focus in life is not to raise kids like the average middle class Joe. the reason people are flocking to gov jobs is they have mouths to feed, where as I would not create such a situation for myself. Working in gov would strip me of the values I stand for. (sent from ipod sorry if misspelling occurred)
I worked briefly for the federal government at mid-career, but mostly I've worked in the private sector. In the fed, as with everyplace I've worked, there were people who worked hard, people who worked smart, people who did both, and people who did neither. I can name you three people I worked with in govt who were worth zero. I can name you three people in my private sector job now who are worth zero. And I can name you people in both who are superheroes.
People who hate government because it is government are simply haters. And re the original question, if you want benefits for life, you have to work a full career for a very long time no matter where. So settle in and get busy. You have a lot of years ahead of you.
This is wrong. Your health benefits continue for the rest of your life once you retire.
But, they are not free.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YaFace
Also you don't get "free health care for life" as some people are implying here, you get the same coverage you had before you retire, but you still have to pay for it, the exact same rate as before.
Yes, indeed, they pay. We've had a few federal workers post on the health insurance forum. Retired, they are paying somewhere in the area of $300-$400/mo. for health insurance - per person. Usually inquiries are made on that board because they're wondering if they'd be better off dropping federal coverage and going on Medicare and buying a Medigap. Total cost per person if they do that w/Parts B, D & Medigap is about $350/mo., increasing with age.
Federal workers' retiree health coverage is not free and it's not cheap.
Yes, indeed, they pay. We've had a few federal workers post on the health insurance forum. Retired, they are paying somewhere in the area of $300-$400/mo. for health insurance - per person. Usually inquiries are made on that board because they're wondering if they'd be better off dropping federal coverage and going on Medicare and buying a Medigap. Total cost per person if they do that w/Parts B, D & Medigap is about $350/mo., increasing with age.
Federal workers' retiree health coverage is not free and it's not cheap.
That excludes dental and vision, for which the employee pays the entire premium.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
