Public sector downsizing

[Number One]

Who else here is currently on the end of a public sector restructuring exercise? How's it going? Processes being followed? Timelines honoured? Communications clear or even happening? What would you score your leaders on their change management skills?

Does it make sense the roles that are being disestablished or does it just feel a lot like a slash and burn cost cutting exercise that also has the side attraction of using restructuring as an easy out to exit people they haven't properly managed...actually that bit I'm not so heartbroken over though it is not good practise.

I'm in the middle of a completely shite restructure at the moment and witnessing a few others around the traps. Leadership fails to put it mildly and PG risks all over the place! Even if people keep their jobs many of them don't want them anymore anyway and have said they will hang around just long enough to find something else.

I really do struggle to understand how gubbermint seem to believe that public sector workers will blindly deliver more work for the same (well let's be honest if you are doing two jobs it becomes less) money. AND then you consider the public vs private sector wage bands for some roles and you have to wonder if the public sector will be reduced to a few saints, a few more who are paid so much they don't really give a toss anymore anyway and of course a bunch of idiots that can't get jobs elsewhere.


Leaders in organisations seem to have this blind faith too that no matter how poorly they treat you, you will just bend over a little further and say No really, I like it - shaft me a little harder why don't you please! WHILE doing more work under the awareness that they plan to outsource all your work anyway (once you have completed a few things for them within their restructuring timetable) so that at the end of the day they can pay some wanky external contractor three times the amount they paid you for the privelage of just being told what they want to hear. Good on ya!

As for that word ENGAGEMENT - if one more person says that in front of me during a poorly delivered restructure update I am going to rip off their head and shit in their neck! I completed my gallup today - big fat woo for that. The leader concerned will no doubt be writing all her poor results (the whole team wants her blood) off to peoples lack of resilience within a change process.

arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh

Anyone know of any postie jobs going?

[Edbear]

Bad day, love...? :innocent:

[Number One]

LOL I'm just getting old and jaded...shoot me now ;)

[cindymay]

It has been a long while since I worked for anyone but myself. Even if you are an employee you can still consider you as working for you. Then the shit like "Engagement" talk just flows over the top without any effect.

[CookMySock]

no matter how poorly they treat you, you will just bend over a little further and say[I] No really, I like it - shaft me a little harder why don't you please!Start applying for jobs, miss. Do it right in front of them. Ask for time off to go to job interviews, and when they ask why - tell them the truth.

Steve

[Number One]

I'd like to make a big stick and engrave the ENGAGEMENT all the way down the side of it and then give it to one particular manager as I believe she beats people with the concept and she is as emotionally devoid as a robot and would be about the last person you could expect ANYONE to be engaged with or by. I'd really rather work for myself...lots more homework and networking to do for that me thinks and shite am I not in that headspace right now!

[Number One]

Start applying for jobs, miss. Do it right in front of them. Ask for time off to go to job interviews, and when they ask why - tell them the truth.

Steve

Yeah well my eyes are not closed to opportunities however if I am gone because they change the game they can pay me for the privelage of my leaving them. I doubt that will come to pass to be frank - I can see them wanting to wiggle out of the redundancy payments - it all makes no sense actually given they apparently want to save money yet the apparent proposal was to create jobs non of us fit in thus clearly making us mostly all redundant and in turn bringing in almost as many more highly paid people thus increasing the salary budget :scratch:

[Str8 Jacket]

Yep, we have halved in staff and doubled in work load. Im seriously thinking about working at BK or New world....

[Number One]

Fuckit lets have babies and go on the dpb instead eh? :lol: :scratch: awww nah bugger that they are cutting that too :laugh:

[Str8 Jacket]

Fuckit lets have babies and go on the dpb instead eh? :lol: :scratch: awww nah bugger that they are cutting that too :laugh:

It would be a fucken punishment on myself if I had babies..... :laugh:

[Number One]

It would be a fucken punishment on myself if I had babies..... :laugh:

You are so right and pregnancy ain't pretty and fun for all of us either. NEXT PLAN.....

[Str8 Jacket]

You are so right and pregnancy ain't pretty and fun for all of us either. NEXT PLAN.....

Become pimps for our men....

[Number One]

Become pimps for our men....

We will need more men in order to keep me in the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed :blip: :blip:

[Str8 Jacket]

We will need more men in order to keep me in the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed :blip: :blip:

Giggidy giggidy!!! :yeah:

[oldrider]

Not a good time if you are involved, I feel for you all and the younger ones coming along behind too!

My wife and I can't believe what a charmed life and existence we have had over our lifetime.

We must be the luckiest bastards on earth, we reckon!

We worry about the future for our children and grandchildren though.

Best of luck to all of you out there, times are looking tough ahead, for a while anyway. :shifty:

[Number One]

Well they might be cutting workers but it seems there is still budget to bring in the young and green....Grad programmes continue on and on and I see some of these as exhorbitant nonsense...some of them could do with a little less smoke blown up their arses. So they went to school forever? Big fucking deal they aren't particularly reliable in the workplace some of them....oh but we need to be in a position to attract them back to us after they all fuck off on their OE. Sorry I don't feel too sorry for many of the privelaged silver spoon in mouth ones I come across....though I concede they aren't all like this!

[SPman]

We worry about the future for our children and grandchildren though.
We used to do that, but you end up on a hiding to nothing - so, we imbued them with a questioning mind, a healthy disrespect of authority, and the values they had to work out for themselves (they did pretty well) and turned them loose on the world. For the grand kids, the same. Guess that's all you can really do - except make as much noise as possible about things that don't seem right......

[Mom]

Fuckit lets have babies and go on the dpb instead eh? :lol: :scratch: awww nah bugger that they are cutting that too :laugh:

I am in an interesting employment place right now. I have lost the last 2 positions I have had due to either business sale and or business restructuring. It sucks!

The arrogance of employers astounds me, the ignorance of them probably astounds me more.

Do what you need to to survive, save your energy to fight the battles you actually have to. Concentrate on what you need to for you and bypass all the emotional BS that passes for good consultation. Document everything, and keep looking forward. Look for the opportunities that others may miss in the fall out. Chin up sweets. It is a horrible place to be.

Hug them boys for me. HUGE HUG for you.

EDIT: PS: Bugger off with the having extra babies, I am well past it thank goodness :D

[Number One]

Saving energy is the issue for me. Where can I spare it and store it away to use later?!

I am in a position where I am not only going through it personally but I'm am expected to 'rolemodel' professionalism :puke: across the organisation...I am often called upon to coach and support people around the place.

I feel like a smiling assasin sometimes and I can't very well tell people that are coming to me for some comfort exactly what I am thinking about OUR employers.

It's hard not to get tired out by not only your own efforts to cope but also watching and suppporting others and hearing about the fall outs that they are all going through in their real lives - I find it hard to distance, disconnect, compartmentalise (whatever you wanna call it) from it all - I just need to give much less of a shit about it all....but then that's who I am...I DO give a shit about stuff going on around me.

[MIXONE]

I know where you are coming from having gone through 6 months ago.It's a shitty stressfull time for sure.
Enjoy your time at home with the family because they are the ones you love.
My wife gave me a Tshirt which says "I don't need sex.My management fucks me every day".

[Number One]

:lol: Where can I get me a shirt like that - there is a dress up themed work do coming up :shifty:

[Hitcher]

Public sector restructuring is about formulaic academic process. On rare occasions, it demonstrates a modicum of engagement with staff and unions. While any restructuring exercise is full of bitter pills, "winners" and "losers", some are better managed than others. These rare events are usually characterised by a climate of openness and honesty and even the "losers" feel like they have been treated with dignity and respect.

Public servants rarely get the acknowledgment they deserve, particularly those on the front line, unfortunately even from public sector bosses. This is probably because their expensive taxpayer-funded grooming at Waltzing Matilda College doesn't deal with things like empathy. Heaven forbid that the development of public policy should be tainted by concern for one's fellow beings.

[Number One]

I am raising the wine glass I am sitting here crying into to you Mr Hitcher well said as usual and hits the nail on the head

Actually I am beyond crying now - that only sneaks up on me at quiet alone times of exhaustion now :lol:

[Ocean1]

Rumage.

muttermutter...

AH!!, heretis:

[Number One]

Gold! I am resisting the urge to say thank you trash heap! OOOps resistance was futile after all ;)

I shall be sharing that with my colleagues if you don't mind

[rainman]

You have my sympathy, having been through a few restructuring exercises myself. Not fun.

[=cJ=]

Nar, we're going pretty well to be honest. Keeping a watching eye on the rest of the country though. Our management seems pretty on to it with crisis situations and restructuring and stuff :-)

[Berries]

Been there, done that, in what sounds like similar circumstances what with having to ensure other staff are 'managed' through the same changes that effect you. When it was all over I quit anyway after feeling shafted. Best career move I ever made. The next couple of years had a fair bit of uncertainty granted but honestly, the stress is not worth it. There is no point taking it all home with you, you are just on a downward spiral if you do. If the "Norf Welly Massif" is Wellington then there must be lots of opportunities out there. I'd get job hunting.

[Str8 Jacket]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3505723/Government-announces-state-sector-mergers
I am keeping my fingers crossed. It's not easy finding work these day's.......

[Number One]

Been there, done that, in what sounds like similar circumstances what with having to ensure other staff are 'managed' through the same changes that effect you. When it was all over I quit anyway after feeling shafted. Best career move I ever made. The next couple of years had a fair bit of uncertainty granted but honestly, the stress is not worth it. There is no point taking it all home with you, you are just on a downward spiral if you do. If the "Norf Welly Massif" is Wellington then there must be lots of opportunities out there. I'd get job hunting.

That's the thing - I feel quite done wasting my energy there and I don't really care about the place and quite a few of the people there and really I just am looking forward to being done with the place!

But where to next?! Geepers (http://psa.org.nz/newsroom/mediareleases/10-03-17/PSA_concerned_about_impact_of_govt_cutting_not_cap ping_job.aspx)

[Number One]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3505723/Government-announces-state-sector-mergers
I am keeping my fingers crossed. It's not easy finding work these day's.......

Mate I wouldn't be surprised if big chunks of us are gone too.....

I bring the hot chocolate to the dole queue eh? ;)

[Subike]

are these jobs being axed
the same jobs a previous gubbermint created to lower the unemployment level
in an election year some time ago,
and thus secure some votes, maybee??
this seams to ring a bell in behind the cobwebs of my memory.
so will in the next election year will the gubbermint of scoundrels again create
'new' jobs to lower the unemployment lines to secure votes from those thankfully re employed.
that never ending circle of lies and sculduggery from the behive?

[Str8 Jacket]

Mate I wouldn't be surprised if big chunks of us are gone too.....

I bring the hot chocolate to the dole queue eh? ;)

I would prefer pies and coke.....

But i guess 'beggars' cant be choosers eh! :)

[Number One]

Indeed...how about you bring the pies and or coke then? ;)