Government employees unhappy but loyal

Government employees are the most likely in Australia to hate their managers, hate their colleagues or be bored at work, yet they are the most likely to say they intend to stay working where they are for another 10 years or more.

The annual SEEK Satisfaction and Motivation survey conducted by SEEK Ltd found that 28% of Government employees hate the quality of overall management where they work, 17% hate their boss and 7% hate the people they work with. Compared with other industry sectors, Government employees are the most likely to report having left their last job due to poor management (55%), with feeling unappreciated at work (56%) and boredom (36%) also driving staff churn.

Yet despite the evidence that all is not well, the survey found that public servants are more likely than anyone else to have been with their employer for 11 years or more (17%) and the most likely to intend on staying with their employer for another ten years plus (7%). It appears that employment benefits such as leave and flexible work arrangements are a redeeming feature of Government employment with 20% of employees saying they love this aspect of their job.

SEEK Sales Director Joe Powell said that the government sector may well be the last bastion of the ëjob for lifeí and that this is something of a double-edged sword.

ìThe public sector has really set the benchmark for providing flexible working conditions and clearly this is highly valued, resulting in a high staff retention level.

ìHowever, there comes a point where conditions can become so comfortable that it is difficult for staff to move on when itís time. If staff members are bored, unmotivated and dislike their fellow employees and managers, then chances are their productivity isnít high and theyíre not achieving their potential.

ìWith a new Federal Government and a number of major policy changes taking place, now is the ideal time for public sector workers to consider a personal change, whether that be a shift in department or even a move to the private sector. There are many employment opportunities available right now, so these employees should think about making a change for the better.î

Other interesting findings for the government sector include:

- These employees are keen; they are the most likely to finish one job and go straight into another (59%)

- The top three things that these workers love about the current job are the benefits/conditions (20%), their colleagues (15%) and their boss (13%)

- 69% of employees in this sector browse through job ads at least once a week

- Increasing their pay (40%), rewarding individual performance (37%) and promotion on merit rather than tenure (31%) are the top ways to encourage employees to stay with their current employer

- They are the least likely group of employees to hate their work hours ñ (only 4%)