To want to leave the Civil Service?

[PublicSector]

I’ve worked in the CS now for just over three years and when first joining I was enthusiastic and upbeat, however three years on I am so depressed and discouraged with my work.

The team are all friendly enough but I don’t feel ‘involved’ with them. I feel like I’ve lost a lot of of confidence as I don’t know where my job ends and my managers begins. The lines are so blurred and I sometimes feel like I’m useless (although manager always positive about my productivity and output etc) I do a lot of work, kind of get a lot ‘dumped’ on me but just feel so disheartened. It’s very top heavy and as nice as the people are it seems most are creating unnecessary bureaucracy to justify their positions. When I joined I thought the CS was stepping away from all that and allowing innovative and creative ideas but my god it’s so frustrating not being able to do your job without a million processes to keep up with. I am all for scrutiny and accountability to ensure work is conducted to a high standard but it’s getting ridiculous. Nobody has a clue what process they are supposed to follow and it’s always contradicted.

The pay is OK and I could go for promotion in my team but I still wouldn’t be happy as the system won’t change. A positive is the benefits of flexitime for family and the pension - this is the only reason I’m staying but I’m so unhappy and lonely. I literally dread each morning having to see what nonsense awaits. I’ve tried changing my mindset, being grateful etc but I’ve realised it’s just not for me.

Has anyone ever left a public sector role to join a private organisation? Or know of any CS departments with a good reputation?

Find a different team or find a role that gives you something extra.

Don’t lose your civil service benefits! At least not before our version of Elon Musk pushes you out!

Is there a way you can work on changing things? It really needs reform.

That sounds very frustrating, I don’t know if I could cope with that, it would drive me mad.

There are a few points to consider before moving to the private sector, for example working hours, flexibility, holidays etc. which could all be a lot worse than where you are now. What are your current working hours, how flexible are the hours, how many days holiday do you have, are you allowed time off in lieu, are you paid overtime?

Move role.

My husband has been in the CS for decades and eventually he changed roles, got a promotion and now works in a different department.

It’s not as simple as “CS departments with a good reputation”. It’s all down to the team you are in, and what floats your boat. Im also very surprised that you thought CS was about innovation and creative ideas! I think you might benefit from a careers counsellor to understand what motivates you before you make the jump. It’s not a case of CS vs private sector .

Keep moving with the CS until you find something you want to do or a team you love. The proccess are rubbish, jobs will always overlap a bit and I once had a 10 year pay freeze, but if you are working in an area you care about, the frustrations are worth it.

I don't think it's any different in the private sector but if you've got some specific skills and there's something that matches that salary wise what have you got to lose.

Weigh up the pros and cons of course ie hours, flexi, pension, holidays, before you jump ship. Promotion from within might work just as well.

@myplace I know I dread to think what’s coming down the line 🙈 It needs such an overhaul but can’t see it happening when people further up the chain need to justify their positions, I’m not knocking them at all btw, it’s totally an outdated team in terms of driving things forward. We are struggling to retain staff too which is never a good sign, I can totally see why people leave.

There are a lot of different types of work and organisations, if you’ve worked in just one it might be worth looking into opportunities in different areas.

I left local government for a large international company and while overall I’ve been happy with my decision, there is still a lot of nonsense, politics, processes or ideas that are introduced one week and forgotten about the next.

@Purplegiraffe345 i have excellent hours, four day working week, supported if sick etc that’s what makes it so tricky! However I also feel because they can’t recruit the qualified or experienced staff we need more and more is being put on a small number of us, that in itself is ok as I enjoy being busy but it’s the slow processes and hoops we have to jump through to get the most basic of things done. I’m such a chilled person but it’s making me want to scream, also feel totally isolated from everyone which doesn’t help.

@Civilservant i think this is a really good point, I’ve only ever worked in this team and in this role so perhaps looking within is safer and testing the waters.

Sorry another question - is it easy to move between departments? I would likely look for a promotion and do have a niche set of skills that are in demand. I’m so frustrated with how much confidence I’ve lost since being here.

That is difficult. It would be a very difficult decision for me to give up so many perks like good working hours, holidays, sick pay, presumably good pension, and good holidays for a job that I found more fulfilling. That is a hard one!

I guess you need to think what matters to you most, is it the working hours, holidays, time off in lieu, holidays etc that matter to you more than the actual work you are doing?

Yes, if other departments want your type of skills it is pretty easy to move via the jobs site.

It was always fairly easy to move Depts, set up an alert on civil service jobs for your preferences and start applying.

I'm so interested to know which dept this is!!! 3yrs isn't that long to stay for the pension i think? Have a look on the intranet for leadership/ shadowing/ mentoring schemes. That might pep you up

Most of the CS is anything but innovative but I went in with my eyes wide open. I want to use my skills for public service rather then against it and I value the flexibility and my pension.

I don’t like the pay or the processes but on balance I’m happy. I’ve found my current department to be better than the one before so there is variation.

Look at ALBs smaller and more agile, though you tend to become a jack of all trades as less people to specialise. Avoid the MOD

All such great advice thank you!

Just to clarify, I totally understood that the CS was always going to have tight processes and regulations that slowed down work but the hiring team seemed so energetic and passionate about the work that I felt it might be better. On reflection they are so short staffed that they just wanted it to look appealing. I’m so appreciative of the flexibility but struggling to stay motivated.

I think I will have a look at applying for different departments. What is the etiquette when looking for new roles in the CS? Do you let your LM know or keep quiet until you have an offer? My previous organisation was always open about these kind of things. I will still put in 100% effort until I left regardless.

@BreezySwan I was thinking this. I saw something on LinkedIn from the Disclosure and Barring Service who stated why they are different to the main government departments and found that interesting.

@wizzywig would you like to take a guess 🙈?

Good point about mentoring etc will have a scan over the intranet tomorrow

@Purplegiraffe345 its so tricky because I know benefits like this aren’t common and I do love that side of it but when you’re sat for 8 hours a day feeling frustrated and disheartened that’s tricky too.

I’ve tried pepping myself up and listening to music/podcasts whilst working, putting my all into my projects which does give me satisfaction (when and if they are able to be finalised due to the ridiculous amount of processes everything goes through) I think the problem is the team seem to be creating more work for works sake that doesn’t benefit anyone (certainly not the public) but it does justify their roles.

I too wish to know which department you’re in!

If you’ve been in one team for 3 years it’s fine to seek a move and you can either let your manager know you’re job seeking or wait to get an offer.

The non-pay benefits are huge and something you would struggle to find elsewhere, but there is a lot to be said for private.

I’m CS & love my job/role/team but aware I am in the unique position whereby we are a self managed & half external specialist team who manage to avoid a lot of the shit. I have colleagues in other teams who say exactly the same as you and I can see why people get fed up. I’ve seen lots of very experienced & knowledgable colleagues try to change things for the better and be blocked by red tape, I’ve also seen those same colleagues apply for promotions that should have been a no-brainer be knocked back because their words didn’t score highly enough, people who deserve to be paid far more due to knowledge/experience leave the department because they have realised they’ll never get more money or appreciation where they are but could privately.

It’s a huge contrast looking at my external colleagues & my husband/friends who work privately where if you’re good at your job, you get a pay rise, if you’re really good you get promoted, you’re appreciated and shown that, you decide something could work better and as long as you can demonstrate how your manager will give you the okay to crack on and try it etc.

Depends what is most important to you though as I don’t know anyone else who gets the sick, annual leave, flexi, wfh etc CS get.

Oh that is tough. I hate things that are there to justify people’s jobs and cause a massive headache for everyone else, it’s so unproductive and wasteful. At the same time I would love to work 8 hours a day, 4 days a week. There are many weeks I do double that and don’t get paid for the overtime.