Comfortable or committed?
By Kath Lockett | smh.com.au | 19 September
Misconception...the do-nothing public servant stereotype is unfair.
Jenny* sighs tiredly when she recounts a dinner-party conversation.
"When I said that I worked for a state government agency, the bloke opposite said: 'Oh, that must be a nice, cruisy environment to be in' and he set the tone for heaps of disparaging comments about how slack all government workers must be."
For someone who manages a department of 20 and a budget of $80 million a year, this kind of conversation is becoming old.
The image of government or public-sector jobs being all dusty offices, rubber stamps and bored clerks is outdated. Such jobs involve careers as diverse as teaching, health care, research, policing, emergency services, environment protection, the arts, planning and the armed forces.
As a public servant, the title is quite literal – you are a servant of the public, delivering the best outcomes for the greater good of society. This noble goal often means departmental projects are long term with large budgets.
Ray worked as an accountant for a large international company before applying for a position in a Victorian government agency three years ago.
"I have a young family and my job security and superannuation plans are very important to me now," he says.
"Being able to access better leave arrangements so that I had some time off at the birth of our second child and to start early and leave early on some days has been invaluable."
However, he has noticed the salary range is not as generous or the road to promotion as flexible.
"I have seen a few colleagues here who are stuck at higher levels but don't seem to be doing much to earn their keep," Ray says. "It can be frustrating to have my salary set within a rigid banding system and to have to jump through various corporate reporting and interview panels to get to the next level quicker."
Legal adviser Eleni moved from working for a private law firm to a government body. "It is so nice to not have to worry about billing for every six minutes of work but to be able to focus on a larger project that benefits the community," she says.
"I leave the office at a decent time and work from home a day a week, which gives me a chance to focus on my work without distractions."
For academics, staying within the public sector via universities and other tertiary institutions makes sense.
Helen Masterman-Smith, a lecturer and researcher at Charles Sturt University and author of the book Living Low Paid: The Dark Side of Prosperous Australia (Allen and Unwin), worked in the private sector before and during the completion of her PhD.
"I didn't want to be told what kind of research outcomes I needed to produce in order to satisfy the wishes of a private corporate sponsor," she says.
"Applying for and attaining grant funds can be tedious and frustrating at times but it's been essential to my research and hopefully had an impact on how we see issues affecting people who don't have much of a voice, such as the low-paid worker in Australia."
The founder and director of Freedom Recruiting, Isidora Carpenter-Rowland, has been a recruiter and trainer for more than 10 years and remains cautious about the perceptions employers have about public servants.
"Of course, it does depend on the client but the stigma of being a public servant is still there and hard to get rid off," she admits. "It's an employer's market right now and if they see that someone has been in the same job in the public sector for more than five years, they're going to question whether that person is too comfortable, whether they've bothered to update their skills or if they're still interested in extending themselves."
Carpenter-Rowland says no one should stay in a public-service position for longer than four or five years: "This time shows an employer that you have longevity and loyalty but any longer and it works against you."
One recent applicant had worked in the same public-service role for more than 19 years. "How have they shown that they've upgraded their skills or been willing to try new ones?" she asks.
As for her private-sector clients, she says: "It's a broad generalisation but private-sector workers seem more motivated and more mobile and employers like the fact they want to keep improving their skills and experience."
HR practitioner Morgan suggests mixing things up: "Don't automatically write off working in the public sector if it means you'll achieve something worthwhile, as well as increase your skills and knowledge.
Just don't get too comfortable. Stay mobile and ready to move on to the next challenge."
* Some names have been changed for anonymity.
Is the public service for you? Tell us at mycareer.com.au/vote
First published by Smh.com.au on September 19 2009
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