Ask any civil servants how they find their work routines and bureaucracy is often the first response. Indeed, the bureaucratic work processes can be extremely infuriating and unhelpful, especially in an organization that expects healthy level of conformity and adherence.Much of these less needed problems can be resolved if there weren't an urgent sense to find a finger to point at when something goes wrong. Everything just become much less transparent and much more inflexible.
Civil servants will often be familiar with having information go through rounds and rounds of vetting and amendments before it is passed down to the relevant department, only to realize in the end the data collated will be kept for reference and probably never be used again. Then, there are times when emails are circulated for responses after much deliberate efforts, only to realize that there are no responses after reminders over reminders.
As much as I enjoy every second of my life as a civil servant, I will give that up any day for quality work and productivity. Here are 10 scenarios only a civil servant will understand:
1. Bureaucracy
If you hadn't already looked through the first paragraph, look again. The hierarchical scrutiny of all written reports, budgeting, minutes and down to written emails to ensure full accountability to the general public is understandable. Many times, the rounds were made but returned unfavorable results. Processes generally take months to be approved, and when it does, you realized you don't need it as much as you do 6 months ago. Take for instance, the hiring process in the civil service as opposed to the private sector, a typical position takes approximately 4 to 12 weeks, from aptitude tests to interview sessions to job preview before conducting reference checks, health checks and background clearances. By the time the government agency gets down to creating offers, the best candidate would already have left for a fast- growing and challenging job opportunity in the CBD area.
2. Micro-management
Friends from MOE will tell you how some HOD and SH like to say they give you the freedom to pursue your interests in exploring opportunities for a borderless learning experience. Please know that it will not happen. Your lesson plans have to be submitted every single day and they need to know your progress, teaching methodologies, teaching objectives, homework assigned, ICT tools being used...etc Not to mention that principals and vice principals, sometimes both will make rounds around the school to look at how you teach and what you are actually doing in the classroom. You are being watched, every single second. A friend of mine reportedly had her principal hid behind the corridor to see what she was doing in the classroom. That sucks.
3. Scholars and Farmers
It is not unusual for scholars to be promoted earlier and embark on a fast track promotion scheme to eternal bundle of joy and wealth. After all, the government paid for their education and they want to make sure their investments yield extraordinary outcomes. I wonder if they expect the same from our foreign talents. In a place where qualification speak louder than words, you can expect to experience slower promotion rates if you do not have a degree. You just have to work harder than farmers and scholars if you are at the lowest rung of the corporate ladder.
4. Politics
It is true that civil servants are generally more self- contented and less bitchy, but it is not true that we do not have our own share of backstabbers and tales-spinners. It is especially frustrating because there are some extremely incompetent people who tries to make life difficult for others. We have all seen it, the loathed teacher who sits in the canteen and eats with the principal everyday to bad mouth others and stops suddenly because you walk pass. They may not be talking about you, but they make sure nobody else knows except for the head of the school. Thing is, many (I would say all) principals love people like that, they love to listen to these tales and make their own judgments thereafter. The self- promotional, begrudging civil servant who hates you and think that you are young and incompetent, makes his own judgement and tries to make things difficult for you, declaring to the world that you are nothing but thrash. What you only did was to advise him against home-schooling his beloved only son.
5. The Boastful
Have you ever had a senior commander (in the SAF) tell you he earned a quarter million last year and have problems with filing the income tax? You will look down at your pay check for the longest time ever and shut up.
6.The Incompetent and Complacent Chap
Have you had the experience of working with lazy and unmotivated people who sits around the office and wait the whole day to return an email? I have met people whom I have absolutely no idea how they come to this position without putting much of a fight. I sometimes email them, and wait weeks for a single reply that takes less than 5 mins! Weeks! I AM NOT KIDDING. They are the slow performer who happens to sit in the position because they went to NTU and studied Engineering but didn't make it as an Engineer and decided to stall other people's precious time and make people wait for things that can be done within minutes! There are the completely clueless chaps who have no idea where their files are and promises to deliver action items and agendas and YOU NEVER HEAR FROM THEM AGAIN. This is annoying. Hate working with people like that!
7.The Qi Gong Master Points his Fingers
The Qi Gong Master is usually a veteran at work who offers nothing more than words and orders when there are work to be done. This person is usually your direct supervisor. While it is understandable that you have to take on some of these responsibilities to gain a competitive edge during performance appraisals, some supervisors have no idea how to draw the line. The more you do, the happier they are. You sometimes end up doing their jobs for them because they often end a discussion saying, 'So how long do you think you need to prepare this?' That's it, no more than just 'When can you finish it?' There are circumstances when the work has nothing to do with you, and you just end up giving a deadline and doing it promptly, with the supervisor forgetting about it after you are done (Read # 6). You do, he presents, and he claims it all, didn't even mention it in your appraisal. Even more maddening is the audacity for these Qi Gong Masters to always be able to find someone to point a finger at the first thing something goes wrong. Never mind if it does not solve the problem, you have to make sure all responsibilities are not yours and your fingers need to be pointing somewhere else.
8. Meetings, Again!
When I was a teacher, there were 2 meetings a week, a 1hr departmental meeting and a staff meeting that lasts between 2 hours to 5 hours! Crazy! Sometimes, the updates are loooong and booooring, and some VP/P have developed the habit of talking about themselves. Me, myself and I. Now in SAF, the senior commanders have the same habits, wonder if it's the nature of their positions. Sometimes, there can be very long arguments on a very simple topic ending with SOMEONE (usually close to the Heads) very upset, and all of us have to listen to the elevated GOD-like figure within the department. These meetings can sometimes go on for very wrong reasons, and the management usually don't understand why time is so important because they don't need it as much as we do.
9. Civil Service is a lousy place for losers.
Take that back, dumb ass! Just so you know, the civil service attracts the cream of the crop (at least that's what I have been told). It is not easy to come into the civil service (except maybe MOE and SAF) and we are very degree-conscious. Distance-learning? Nope. Foreigners? Nope. History of bankruptcy? Maybe. Bad debts? Nope. Criminal records? Nope. Broke bond. Nope. It is not easy to enter the service and don't say things to put your civil- service friends down if you have no idea what we are doing.
'I have a friend in the civil service come out liao cannot make it outside lah!' Yada yada who is your friend?
'Civil Servants waste tax- payers money la' Hello, only you pay tax ar, I never pay is it?
'Civil Servants good life one la!' I reach office at 8am and I am home only after 7pm. Don't come and BS that you stay pass midnight everyday. If work was that bad, why don't you come to the civil service? Oh wait, I think I know why, you can't get in!
There are many times I have heard people (friends, jealous perhaps) spit me on my face to tell me Civil Service is a place for lazy ass and CMI uni grads. I do agree that some civil servants tend to slack around pretty badly, but many of us work hard to earn our pie and eat it. Most of the times, we laugh it off and don't really bother about what others say. Many people chose teaching for work-life balance and realized they are better off being a banker. Remuneration sucks, pathetic increments and below-average compensation package. Many civil servants have broke bonds and opted out to busier lifestyles and not regret a single day of our life.
10. Non transferable skills
People are often shunned by civil service job seekers. We can send resumes after resumes and not get a single reply. Some of the interviews I went through openly shared with me that they despise the civil system and wish to have nothing to do with us, and I was only called up for the interview to make up the numbers. Ouch, but interestingly true. After all, many companies will tend to assume civil servants who opted out are less likely to survive outside if they cannot hold out long enough on government jobs. Many of them rather pick fresh grads than someone who has walked the shoes of a civil servant. Our skill sets are specialized in different domains which makes job hunting very difficult because we are unable to explain our track records and awards in ways people can understand. Very often, we are stuck long enough before we eventually commit to a lifetime of red tapes, bureaucracy and rigidity.
Singaporean Civil Servant
TRS Contributor