I worked in a global corporate affairs consultancy many years ago that wasn’t paying its staff super and often paid salaries late due to terrible cash flow management. I moved to the VPS after a few years and was paid my salary on the first day as it was pay day and I was so shocked to work in an environment where they value paying people on time, benefits beyond compare and full of systems and processes that may seem bureaucratic but actually benefit staff! Yes Utopia is accurate but the stability is wayyyyyt better than in private!
Former private here.
In many ways the systems and process will be worse. But at least you’ll never lose track of your corporate mission of making more profit at the expense of anyone and anything.
My partner was watching some Utopia and The Hollowmen shorts on YouTube yesterday and asked me to join him.
I politely declined because it was the long weekend and I didn't want to watch docos about work (fantastic shows but sometimes too real hah)
I don’t really think so.
I have noticed in public sector everyone is aware of their rights and paid accordingly. When I have been in positions eligible for OT, even if I worked 15 mins over, I would get overtime.
In private sector you work 10 + hour days, 5 days a week, for 6 weeks to get a project in on time, and ask for some time off afterwards, and they begrudgingly approve 1 day off.
This is true of the public sector unless you’re a contractor. Contractors are often made to work overtime but are never compensated for it. The treatment of contractors by the public sector is pretty poor.
I work in a company that's larger (by headcount) than the entire APS, and organisational structure is extremely opaque with processes that are mostly undocumented and never explained to non-managers. Once had to wait \~12 months for my manager to get approvals from multiple executives across multiple business units to spend approximately $50 per month with an external IT provider (with whom we already had contracts for other parts of the company).
On the other hand, I'm lucky to not have to do timesheets and to have extremely flexible and chill working conditions - which not everyone in either the private or public sectors is lucky enough to have - and I get paid substantially more. Wouldn't trade it for the APS.
Nope, not really, "worker rights" are somewhat respected in APS while commonly sidelined in megacorp by comparison, in small ways that add up over time, subtle and insidious. Also, if you think APS HR are cunts then wow you're in for a surprise new low in private.
Yes, both have archaic software, but in APS you're much likelier to find the form fields completed instead of blank skipped, plus some support team and information to guide, so even though IT or finance systems suck at least there's a good bunch of procedure (convoluted maybe, but at least they are informed and applied) and templates to show how it's meant to go, and some proper records management to find some precedent work instead of asking permission for some old fucks email archive for clues.
I never got stuck in approval chains of 10+ emails like APS demand, though yes you do still wait for exec OK to get your shit done either way.
Consultants at the executive level are globally garbage, this isn't exclusive to any particular entity type. I'd say APS has (recently developed) much stronger integrity guardrails though in this context in particular. Private execs can be absolute cowboys in comparison.
I’ve worked both.
IT issues are same everywhere (in fact worse on private). Management also same, bureaucracy is everywhere as are consultants and senior exec vying for attention.
Key difference in govt is responding to the crazy whims of ministers while negotiating public perception. That is unique and the source of some of my best stories.
Former government, now private.
Strangely I am finding that government was more productive. It has taken 4 weeks in private organisation to get access to the systems I require to do my work.
Also, I still have no idea what I am doing or what I am supposed to be working on. Training here is a joke and no one seems to want to take responsibility. At least whilst working for government they had plenty of resources and a good induction program.
I worked in a global corporate affairs consultancy many years ago that wasn’t paying its staff super and often paid salaries late due to terrible cash flow management. I moved to the VPS after a few years and was paid my salary on the first day as it was pay day and I was so shocked to work in an environment where they value paying people on time, benefits beyond compare and full of systems and processes that may seem bureaucratic but actually benefit staff! Yes Utopia is accurate but the stability is wayyyyyt better than in private!
Good thing QLD Health wasn't your employer then
Former private here. In many ways the systems and process will be worse. But at least you’ll never lose track of your corporate mission of making more profit at the expense of anyone and anything.
> the skits from Utopia Skits? Utopia is a documentary.
Yeah the occasional episode i watch I'm just sitting in the corner rocking that it's to real.
My partner was watching some Utopia and The Hollowmen shorts on YouTube yesterday and asked me to join him. I politely declined because it was the long weekend and I didn't want to watch docos about work (fantastic shows but sometimes too real hah)
I don’t really think so. I have noticed in public sector everyone is aware of their rights and paid accordingly. When I have been in positions eligible for OT, even if I worked 15 mins over, I would get overtime. In private sector you work 10 + hour days, 5 days a week, for 6 weeks to get a project in on time, and ask for some time off afterwards, and they begrudgingly approve 1 day off.
This is true of the public sector unless you’re a contractor. Contractors are often made to work overtime but are never compensated for it. The treatment of contractors by the public sector is pretty poor.
You're also often paid double or triple the salary of an APS member too.
I work in a company that's larger (by headcount) than the entire APS, and organisational structure is extremely opaque with processes that are mostly undocumented and never explained to non-managers. Once had to wait \~12 months for my manager to get approvals from multiple executives across multiple business units to spend approximately $50 per month with an external IT provider (with whom we already had contracts for other parts of the company). On the other hand, I'm lucky to not have to do timesheets and to have extremely flexible and chill working conditions - which not everyone in either the private or public sectors is lucky enough to have - and I get paid substantially more. Wouldn't trade it for the APS.
Nope, not really, "worker rights" are somewhat respected in APS while commonly sidelined in megacorp by comparison, in small ways that add up over time, subtle and insidious. Also, if you think APS HR are cunts then wow you're in for a surprise new low in private. Yes, both have archaic software, but in APS you're much likelier to find the form fields completed instead of blank skipped, plus some support team and information to guide, so even though IT or finance systems suck at least there's a good bunch of procedure (convoluted maybe, but at least they are informed and applied) and templates to show how it's meant to go, and some proper records management to find some precedent work instead of asking permission for some old fucks email archive for clues. I never got stuck in approval chains of 10+ emails like APS demand, though yes you do still wait for exec OK to get your shit done either way. Consultants at the executive level are globally garbage, this isn't exclusive to any particular entity type. I'd say APS has (recently developed) much stronger integrity guardrails though in this context in particular. Private execs can be absolute cowboys in comparison.
I’ve worked both. IT issues are same everywhere (in fact worse on private). Management also same, bureaucracy is everywhere as are consultants and senior exec vying for attention. Key difference in govt is responding to the crazy whims of ministers while negotiating public perception. That is unique and the source of some of my best stories.
And the media.....
The APS is EXACTLY as depicted in Utopia.
Former government, now private. Strangely I am finding that government was more productive. It has taken 4 weeks in private organisation to get access to the systems I require to do my work. Also, I still have no idea what I am doing or what I am supposed to be working on. Training here is a joke and no one seems to want to take responsibility. At least whilst working for government they had plenty of resources and a good induction program.