Have you ever considered leaving your job? We know a lot of you have, whether for financial reasons or because you didn’t like the work environment. In the 2012 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey many of you filled out, you were asked:
- Are you considering leaving your organization within the next year, and if so, why?
How many of you said you were considering it? Did you go through with it or did you stay? What are the main reasons you would want to leave? For the people out there who wanted to stay, what is the main reason that keeps you where you work?
Feel free to comment on the blog post or send an anonymous email to me at amedici@federaltimes.com and tell me what it is — the perks, the bosses, the pay or anything else — that keeps you satisfied, or pushes you to leave.
8 Comments
36 years and I have had enough. Working for the military, USN, and treated as if you are under their authoritarian thumb (stand at attention when the almighty CO walks in the room), without any of the benefits enjoyed by the military (and don’t give me that 24/7/365 crap, how about the 96 hour liberties and doing personal work on the govt dime, heavy financial compensation, career development while civilians are denigrated, etc., etc.) now add the furloughs and that is the final insult. Ok, fine, I have a job offer where they have been begging me to retire and come to work for them; work 10-2, 3-4 days a week at $300 per day, meals gratis, treated with equal respect. I’m out of here. “Take this job and shove it, I ain’t working here no more” said Johnny Paycheck.
Working with the government can be compared to your relationship with your significant others. If only one is giving, then that relationship is doomed to failure. It is just a matter of time.
I’ve been a dedicated civil servant for nearly 10 years. I started right out of college because I wanted to give back to this wonderful country that has provided me with safe infrastructure and the opportunity for a terrific education. The work has been every bit as fulfilling as I had hoped. The agency I work for has provided me with outstanding opportunities to make communities, states, and the entire region better.
Over the last decade, public opinion of my work has gone from ambivilent to openly hostile. That wouldn’t be enough to push me out the door, but it is definitely strike one.
For the last several years I’ve been pursuing an MBA and an MS in Information Systems at night and on weekends. Advanced education is not valued here, but I’ve always been able to put what I’m learning in the classroom to direct use in my role as a manager. The impact has been well worth the cost of tuition, time, and books. The fact that most of my classmates are reaping the same benefits for their non-government organizations (and having a large part of their tuition reimbursed) makes me resent their inability or unwillingness to adopt to a more modern outlook on staffing and benefits. Strike two.
I’m so weary of these budget showdowns. They stoke the public’s misperceptions by giving voice to a very vocal minority. They waste precious resources planning for shutdown after shutdown. They sap the last few ounces of morale from my overworked staff. Now that’s all covered in a layer of sequestration which is freezing the opportunities for advancement solid. Strike three.
I’ll collect my diplomas next spring and I will be out the door as soon as possible after that. I will sincerely miss the work. And I will especially miss the bright, talented people I work with. But I won’t miss the public resentment, the ‘congress as incompetent and medling board of directors’ business model, or the impossibly slow rate of change.
I am moving to another job within my agency and am moving to DC for it, but I plan to take classes in finance/accounting and work towards a CPA. I already have two graduate degrees (public admin is one) but unfortunately they won’t provide the opportunity to leave and my current job doesn’t exactly “wow” private employers.
After serving time on active duty I chose the civil service for the stability; however, the stability is no longer there. I should not have to stress about the budget every year and whether or not I will be furloughed. This is ridiculous! If Congress cannot do their job they should be furloughed…not those of us busting our butts!
I also see a lot of what Ed Welch commented on. I would say that at least 50% of the time the service members I see are doing personal errands (getting hair cuts, hair dyed, nails manicured, shopping for the new movies, games, etc. at the PX) during their work time. They have a slight cold and ask to go home for the day/week (although medical approved them for work). I see a lot of entitlement these days. This would have never been tolerated during my years on active duty.
After 25+ years at USPS, I will be hitting the road by year’s end. Yes, I will be retiring due to 6 years USN time, but I’m not really sure I could tolerate anymore. This job hasn’t become unbearable, just the idiots running it. Managers no longer give a rat’s you-know-what about customer service or their employees, only what they can do to make themselves look better. And the top dog is trying to destroy the organization, and he’s getting help from his henchmen in Congress. I’m the lucky one, being able to go, but I fear for my co-workers who have no choice but to stay due to too much time invested.
The government has to decrease its number of government employees because it’s BROKE!
After about 10 years of civil service, I’ve had it. I put up with the insane bureaucratic shenanigans in exchange for paycheck security. Starting about two years ago, and for who knows how long into the future, that security is gone.
The worst part is that I let my skills that were marketable in the general non-DoD job market atrophy, so I could really specialize my skills needed for my job at DoD. I *thought* that was a save plan, back when I thought DoD offered paycheck stability.
So now I’m spending weekends and evenings trying to revamp my skillset as I start to look for jobs in the private sector.
Thanks, Congress. Thanks, Hagel. Thanks, OPM.