26 November 2010

43% of public servants to retire over the next 10 years?

| johnboy
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The ABC has a piece on the release of the State of the Service report indicating some major succession issues for the Australian Public Service.

More than 43 per cent of permanent will become eligible for retirement in the next 10 years.

APS commissioner Stephen Sedgwick says the service is facing a recruitment time bomb.

“That puts an obligation on us to plan for that generational change and to make sure we identify and nurture the future leaders of the public service,” he said.

There’s going to be a lot more people coming to live in Canberra.

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TVStar said :

I think many public servants have already retired. They continue to attend the building they notionally work in however, so as to continue to receive their welfare cheques each fortnight.

OMG, so true! There is one in my office. No-one ever knows where they are. They can’t use the computer system and refuse to learn how to.

TVStar said :

Tell a story about something that happened in 1985 which solidified all your views about public policy ever since.

Beer just came out my nose 🙂 I also love it when they refer to people who used to work there who have long since died or really retired. The rest of us have no clue what or who they are on about but are forced to sit and smile and pretend to listen. And they finish the reminiscing by saying something like “So you see, XYZ will never work because we tried it in 1985, didn’t we Beryl?”.

TVStar said :

deye said :

Spoono said :

Great news, that’ll free up some cushy EL1s and 2s!

Cushy ?? not likely for a lot of them.

I think many public servants have already retired. They continue to attend the building they notionally work in however, so as to continue to receive their welfare cheques each fortnight.

The APS Career:

APS4-5: Learn how to use the computer. Organize the Christmas Party.

APS6: Cut and paste dot points.

EL1-2: Go to meetings and purport to be on the cusp of introducing a plan to assist with the cuting and pasting of dot points. Never deliver the plan because your job will immediately be redundant, and your unit may have its budget cut. Walk out of meetings saying “I don’t think we have to do anything until they come back to us with something.” Complain about not being a SES.

SESB1: Develop a high level framework (two pager) that guides the cutting and pasting of dot points. Tell minister that the plan is being further developed. Never implement plan. Meetings.

SESB2-3. Ask people in your organisation, whose entire future is contingent upon your view of them, if they agree with you. Talk about supporting the Government’s policies until your budget looks like being cut, then background a journalist to destroy the policy. Tell people about leadership and efficiency in the Public Service. Mock the private sector. Tell a story about something that happened in 1985 which solidified all your views about public policy ever since.

Awesome!
Except, you forgot to include stress leave every 2-4 weeks.

Erg0 said :

Could’ve used some dots before each paragraph.

🙂 I’ll get the Dot Point Committee to adjust the high level framework at their next face to face fact sharing session, and put in place some proactive evidence based policy.

Riot Police said

“I can only see positives, out with the old in with the new. With any luck all the positions will be filled by the private sector, people who know how to make a decision with out endless meetings and who get the job done”

I dunno about that. I’ve worked for private enterprise nearly all my life, I make decisions and I get the job done. I have to, because unlike the APS, if the job doesn’t get done then the money stops coming in and I can’t feed my kids.

I applied for a relatively senior APS job in a large department a few years ago because they were looking for people with industrial experience. The position description could’ve been written for me and I thought I’d have a pretty good chance. Other people who know me thought the same, but I didn’t even get an interview.

I didn’t mind not getting the job, but failing to be offered an interview made me wonder what was going on. I think that the APS much prefers the easy solution of promoting internally, rather than bringing in outsiders. As things have turned out, I think that not getting the position was really the best outcome for me in the long term.

Other statistics from the report:

“Most APS employees (78%) enjoyed the work in their current job and 82% were motivated to do their best possible work.”

Well, there’s 20% we won’t miss for a start.

“The majority of employees (85%) agreed that people in their work group cooperate to get the job done.”

And the remaining public servants won’t miss them either.

“The majority of employees continued to be proud to work in the APS (79%) and in their current agency (68%).”

Look at your colleague to the left and your colleague to the right of you – one of them is embarrassed to tell people they work with you.

“Over four-fifths (84%) of employees would recommend the APS as a good place to work, and 66% would recommend their agency as a good place to work.”

In fact, they are so embarrassed they’re looking through the gazette right now for a job as far away as possible from you.

Diggety said :

I don’t understand why a retiree would want to remain in Canberra(?)

Sell your overpriced house and live it up somewhere else!

Yeah well, you won’t have the Public Service to kick around anymore because, gentlemen, this means they will move the jobs out of town.

All praise TVStar! Now, he (or she) is SES material!

Could’ve used some dots before each paragraph.

Gungahlin Al2:20 pm 26 Nov 10

Good. Hurry up and bugger off to make some space. 🙂

georgesgenitals2:01 pm 26 Nov 10

capn_pugwash said :

lol TVStar!! ;-D

LMAO!

capn_pugwash1:44 pm 26 Nov 10

lol TVStar!! ;-D

deye said :

Spoono said :

Great news, that’ll free up some cushy EL1s and 2s!

Cushy ?? not likely for a lot of them.

I think many public servants have already retired. They continue to attend the building they notionally work in however, so as to continue to receive their welfare cheques each fortnight.

The APS Career:

APS4-5: Learn how to use the computer. Organize the Christmas Party.

APS6: Cut and paste dot points.

EL1-2: Go to meetings and purport to be on the cusp of introducing a plan to assist with the cuting and pasting of dot points. Never deliver the plan because your job will immediately be redundant, and your unit may have its budget cut. Walk out of meetings saying “I don’t think we have to do anything until they come back to us with something.” Complain about not being a SES.

SESB1: Develop a high level framework (two pager) that guides the cutting and pasting of dot points. Tell minister that the plan is being further developed. Never implement plan. Meetings.

SESB2-3. Ask people in your organisation, whose entire future is contingent upon your view of them, if they agree with you. Talk about supporting the Government’s policies until your budget looks like being cut, then background a journalist to destroy the policy. Tell people about leadership and efficiency in the Public Service. Mock the private sector. Tell a story about something that happened in 1985 which solidified all your views about public policy ever since.

I can only see positives, out with the old in with the new. With any luck all the positions will be filled by the private sector, people who know how to make a decision with out endless meetings and who get the job done.

Spoono said :

Great news, that’ll free up some cushy EL1s and 2s!

Cushy ?? not likely for a lot of them.

georgesgenitals11:53 am 26 Nov 10

When in the next 10 years? If it’s spread evenly that’s about 4% per year (not quite as dramatic).

Such a shortfall can be filled either by finding more people to move to Canberra, or by using more consulting type services (bringing more people to Canberra). Great times for those who are on the up and up, and want to climb into higher positions, I reckon.

Amanda Hugankis11:34 am 26 Nov 10

Well butter my buns and call me Betty! They’re only feeling obligated to do this now?

Great news, that’ll free up some cushy EL1s and 2s!

Holden Caulfield10:42 am 26 Nov 10

Wow, that is pretty amazing. Only thing is, they’ll retire at 54y11m (or whatever age is best for the super-scam) and come back as “consultants”.

I don’t understand why a retiree would want to remain in Canberra(?)

Sell your overpriced house and live it up somewhere else!

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