A Federal Job Is A Career For Life

Fedsmith.com ^ | 9/27/2005 | Ralph Smith

[stuartcr]

They can move your job somewhere that they know you won't go, and then give you little to choose from locally.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[The_Media_never_lie]

Good post!

[hardworking]

I have a friend I've known for forty years. Immediately out of college, she took a Federal Gov't job, and shortly thereafter married a fellow who did the same. We visited ocassionally over the years and I can safely say that neither of them EVER had a stressful day 'on the job'. They retired about a year ago - full pay, full benefits. I've always said they were a whole lot smarter than me and in 'my next life' I'm going to do the same d**mn thing!

[Hunterb]

Yes, you can fire a FED employee after the probation period; however, there is a level of paperwork and counseling that most supervisors will not engage in. Then the (in my opinion) de balled union steps in and everybody runs for cover. It is a corrupt process, but not impossible to enact if you have the tenacity to pursue said action. It’s all about ones self-confidence and comfort level.

[Pippin]

They can let you go if you commit a crime or acts of terrorism or murder.

I know, I'm a federal employee.

[utahagen]

I know from how experience how difficult it has become to fire someone in the PRIVATE sector. In light of that, I view employment with any branch of the government as de facto lifetime employment.

[Question_Assumptions]

*cough*nepetism*cough*

[Question_Assumptions]

*cough*nepotism*cough*

[stuartcr]

I know that the fed employees at the shipyard here, got all upset when someone suggested that they actually have their jobs reviewed.

[mabelkitty]

They're civil employees - you aren't getting the best and brightest to begin with.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Well, they never really succeeded, either, did they? I mean, a government job is just like a union job - a wonderful way of guaranteeing yourself a maximum salary. If all you want out of life is forty years of terminal boredom and no hope of ever accomplishing anything, then, yes, a government job is the way to go.

[hardworking]

Ah-h-h-h, but by the standards held up as 'perfection' in our society, they DID succeed. They 'held down a job' for thirty years, they paid off their house by age 50, they saved their money in a nice ever-growing savings account, they were very 'active in their church', they raised two law-abiding citizens who both obtained college degrees from good universities (neither of whom have gone to work for the gov't, by the way), they have traveled extensively and they are enjoying a lovely retirement. Sounds pretty good to me!

[xenophiles]

These recommendations are largely useless. "In order to change the culture you should change the culture. And if something fails for a year, give it two years, maybe three."

I am no expert on this, but it seems to me that the problem has two roots:

1) Federal agencies are unlike businesses in that how much money they get has little to do with how good a job they do. Therefore there is no incentive to fire bad workers.

2) Federal agencies operate under many restrictions which make no sense -- every one of which once sounded like a good platform to some politician. Among these are standards of fairness which are impossible to satisfy, and which require administrators to justify actions which hurt someone's interests (e.g. firing someone). In some places a complaint from an "unfairly" fired employee can move up the tree from boss to boss. If the complaint lands on your desk you have a choice: cave in, reinstate the employee and give all of the subordinates below you in the chain a black eye, OR stand up for them, let the complaint pass to your boss and see how high it goes before you get a black eye of your own. So there is an incentive not to fire.

[Hank Rearden]

We need to get in there, practice firing a couple million of these parasites, and learn how to do the process painlessly.

After that, we can start some serious cutting.

I've got one of these useless mouthbreathers next door; he apparently did absolutely nothing during his "career" in the Agriculture Dept. (talk about a department that needs serious pruning!) except give away our money to hobby farmers - now he sits on his "retired" ass, sucking on the taxpayer tit fulltime, resting up from his arduous "career".

And you know the funny part of all this? The Republican Party has made Big Stupid Government a lot bigger, more expensive, less useful (one word: Louisiana) and more parasitic.

Way to go, 'pubbies.

[BubbaBobTX]

Right out of college I took a job at the State Department in Washington. and I lasted 3 months. I was supposed to be training for a post at an embassy. My training consisted of making copies of useless reports. I found out they were sending me to West Germany which would have been fun but I had spent 4 years studying Spanish. Go figure.

My favorite story was a guy who came in every day and put his eight hours in. He had been doing so for the past forty years. He told me one day over coffee that about 15 years earlier his unit was reorganized and he no longer had a direct report or any official duties. He came in read the paper, napped, took coffee breaks, read a novel and went home. I suspected he wasn't the only one doing it.

[dr huer]

Down with Civil Service! Back to the spoils system!

[Muleteam1]

Federal Civil Service is a big and easy target for agenda-driven politicians and the public who has not experienced it personally. There are more Americans (Repubs, Dems, Libs, and else) with their snouts in the trough than ever before in the history of this country and all want to get in front of the hog in front of him. The old argument about whether or not Federal employees have it "easy" is a very broad-based and subjective argument which lends itself to personal opinions which may or may not have worth. My suggestion for those who think it is all easy, is to nudge further to the trough and try Civil Service for a while, then get back to us.

Muleteam1

[goldstategop]

He got paid for doing nothing? They should just have pensioned him off.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)