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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Elitism at work

3 replies

Cluedoh · 21/07/2023 06:03

I work for a civil service department. Within the same department, one of the directorates cannot stand the main directorate. They almost see the main directorate as a separate entity and lesser than them, and see themselves as elite. So the culture created is that thousands of “elite” people are writing off thousands of other people in the same company…it’s weird. Ultimately to the public, it’s the same company and to the company, the ethos is that our goals should be aligned.

But the elite directorate tend to refuse to hire people from the main directorate, tend to gossip about them in meetings, tend to have a private club almost, make other colleagues feel like outsiders, bullying etc. My Aibu is should I keep quiet? Should I challenge it? As it’s public sector, it’s not like I would personally have much impact. It’s really strange to navigate. I would never have guessed my own company would negatively judge me for having work experience in a different part of the same company.

OP posts:
daisychain01 · 21/07/2023 06:13

I don't have a solution I'm afraid - it's hypothetical but I can't imagine all of the thousands of people having the same opinion. If you're finding it unbearable or the "elitist" attitudes prevent you doing your job, or enjoying your work, then it would probably be best to move Govt departments so you don't lose your service longevity but get away from that culture.

Cluedoh · 21/07/2023 07:03

Yes, it makes more sense in context. it’s almost like the elite side think the main side are against them. This is not the actual example but imagine that the main directorate spend money on marketing and the elite directorate audit the money.

So the elite directorate feel the main directorate create extra work, don’t do things properly, are a wildcard, tend to be hopeless staff etc. Hence why they don’t want people from the “spending” directorate to work for them - I’ve transferred across to “audits” on promotion and feel like I’m having to fight against a lot of stigma as I don’t have an “auditing” background

OP posts:
CDiamond · 21/07/2023 13:36

Depends what you want. 1. If you want advice for yourself (for a stable career and peace of mind), then dont take this on, unless you are a VERY VERY senior person and can actually change/influence this for the better. Unless you have that kind of authority, you will probably not achieve anything and will have only wasted your peace of mind/energy. 2. If you want agnostic advice as to what the right thing to do would be, regardless of your own position, then the right thing would be to stand up against this shit every single time. You most likely wont get anywhere and will have a lot of frustration (see no. 1), but it would be the right thing to do.

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