Getting your money's worth out of government

The government worker stereotype is of a spiritless worker either doing make work or laying around doing nothing. That isn't true but the image lingers. I had first hand experience this week with one of the real causes of malaise in the civil service ranks.

Everyone likes to believe if you work hard, bring more than just the minimum work and you will be rewarded with promotions and better pay. For the most part, that is actually what happens. Then we get to the dirty little secret in the civil service ranks. Those job bulletins are often no more than a end run around the laudable goals of hiring the most qualified person for a job. I have seen a good many times where the promotion went to someone already working for the hiring authority given the so-called competitive opening and clearly not the best possible hire.

A manager hired for a technology department who had never worked in information technology. A customer service manager hired into the same department with no experience in computers. An elections official hired without actually ever conducting an election or even worked as a deputy or a full-time assistant to an elections manager. The list goes on and on but you have to wonder what runs through the hiring authority's head.

It is bad enough to hire someone based not on their actual qualifications. What is happening to the employees who thought they had a competitive shot at the new job? How often does this preferential treatment in a supposedly open process must this occur before the rank and file employee starts to give up and just does the minimum needed to hold onto a job?

Government has a ton of managers but I don't see many leaders. I also do not see many veterans in leadership either. I wonder if there is a connection? I don't know but unless government at all levels starts to lead and inspire their workers, we the taxpayers are going to increasingly take it in the shorts.