Bottom Liners by Eric and Bill Teitelbaum for January 07, 2023

I know many government employees, federal, state and local, and most of them are hard working people who want to make a positive impact on the world. Yes I do know of several who are just in it for the paycheck and try to do a little as they can to keep their job, but I have seen that in the private sector as well.

Applying for the job Applicants put their best foot forward, buttoned-up resume, they’re on-time and ready for work

Once they get the gig they settle in for marginal output and hum-drum performance- just doing average work and not going above and beyond the call of duty

Sad

Treated “fairly”? If they’re overpaid, that isn’t fair to everyone else.

Hey, he got that right!

Just like every CEO out there?

Oh were it to be all that simple. The net affect of the shift in attitude in corporate, post Regan America is to look at employees as liabilities. In the mix of activity that produces a profit for owners and shareholders, they are tolerated to the extent that they are needed. This yields an attitude that is quite different in a world where they are actually considered valuable assets. The only safe haven from this seems to be the public sector, where union benefits still afford a level of security. As for the characterization of government workers being less productive? I might suggest their attitude about work shows nothing more than a cross section of the society we live in today. Not perfect, but understandable. And something we should understand and constructively work on. Might have something to do with leadership in today’s world.

If you want to be an overpaid federal employee you have to run for office.

I worked for the feds for about 5 years, and never saw anyone who didn’t give 100%. Eventually I quit and got a job in the private sector making 50% more than I had in government, and by the end of 2 years I made double what I had in govt. So, no, I was not overpaid.

Prior to the internet, most employees in corporate America were expected to perform, act and dress professionally—then in the lates 90’s there was a Shift—- corporate America needed to attract and fill IT departments with young, skilled and talented “techies”- Gone were the Brooks brothers suits and ties replaced by “Uber” casual cargo shorts and flip-flops… companies work ethics, attitudes, and styles became laxed—- this quickly spread to other departments and companies — talent and professionalism wasn’t as important and comfort and apathy.

Serve your country, work like a soldier defending his country, for nothing, then we can thank you for your service…

It’s not just the federal ones. The mentality seeps down to most of the municipal level. Too much experience seeing it over the decades.

i don’t care how you treat me so long’s you overpay me… ☺

Lest we forget, the military are federal employees. In my 24yrs in I was rarely ‘treated fairly’ nor overpaid (of course the Brits thought we were ‘over paid, and over here’).