One of the first things to erode when I joined the civil service was my sense of duty not to 'push' my expense claims... there are plenty of ways even a mid-level civil servant can get a bit of extra flex-time here, a bit of extra dosh back there.... its cultural and pervasive, and to be honest, almost encouraged in certain circles.
The problem is that 'everyone does it'... and it starts with the minister and the obvious near-corruption at the top, then filters down to the senior civil servants claiming expensive meals, 1st class tickets, and fact-finding junkets, then down the levels as each person sees their superiors work the system and realizes that they too can get a little bit extra. Of course, what you can get away with diminishes as you work your way down the ladder... the poor buggers at the bottom who do the real work are scrutinized for every pen they take from the stores cabinet and lord forbid half-an-hour isn't accounted for on the time sheet.
Ultimately, I attribute it to a sense of envy from ministers and senior civil servants towards their equivalents in the corporate world - people they interact with (at least in London) frequently who they see in luxury cars and with huge salaries. They want the perks they feel they deserve, and with the ability to write their own accounting rules, there is little the rest of us can do to stop them.
It makes you want to go up there like a schoolmistress and slap them before going through all the records and calling them to account for their skiving.
Anyone seen Brown on U Tube , if you want to know if a person with a serious mental health problem can work, take a look at him. he is either taking serious drugs or his coaching directors a comedian.
Faceless: How are you? I've been wondering how you're doing as you've not been around for a bit. Have you left the civil service yet? You should write the ultimate insider guide, actually we should write it together, the ultimate guide to the system seen by those who use it and those who work within it! I'm sure you're right about the envy thing. When I was at uni it was just like that with all the staff after whatever they could get (students included!) because they saw their professional counterparts doing it and wanted it for themselves. Sigh, humans hey!
Robert: I am at a loss as to who to vote for in the next election, we have a reasonable Labour MP (who I've met a few times and does get very involved in trying to help his constituents) or the Conservative PPC who is frankly a bitch troll from hell, and I doubt she can spell any of those words either. The Lib dems don't stand a chance in this area so like alot of people I guess it'll be a frying pan/fire situation. I did see the youtube video, well what of it I could stomach. The nice part of me says that if you're visually impaired it is very difficult to get certain social cues like facial expressions spot on, but the nasty part of me just wants to see him hoisted by his own petard.
FB: Clairwill is always excellent on welfare rights issues and well worth a read
HMC: Doesn't it just! Did you ever see the BBC drama about the housewife who ended up PM? Can't remember what it was called but it was very funny
6 comments:
One of the first things to erode when I joined the civil service was my sense of duty not to 'push' my expense claims... there are plenty of ways even a mid-level civil servant can get a bit of extra flex-time here, a bit of extra dosh back there.... its cultural and pervasive, and to be honest, almost encouraged in certain circles.
The problem is that 'everyone does it'... and it starts with the minister and the obvious near-corruption at the top, then filters down to the senior civil servants claiming expensive meals, 1st class tickets, and fact-finding junkets, then down the levels as each person sees their superiors work the system and realizes that they too can get a little bit extra. Of course, what you can get away with diminishes as you work your way down the ladder... the poor buggers at the bottom who do the real work are scrutinized for every pen they take from the stores cabinet and lord forbid half-an-hour isn't accounted for on the time sheet.
Ultimately, I attribute it to a sense of envy from ministers and senior civil servants towards their equivalents in the corporate world - people they interact with (at least in London) frequently who they see in luxury cars and with huge salaries. They want the perks they feel they deserve, and with the ability to write their own accounting rules, there is little the rest of us can do to stop them.
-Faceless
Well I think a few MP's can count on my vote at the next election, but none of them will be Labour.
Thanks for the link... good post worth reading and commenting on.
xx
It makes you want to go up there like a schoolmistress and slap them before going through all the records and calling them to account for their skiving.
Anyone seen Brown on U Tube , if you want to know if a person with a serious mental health problem can work, take a look at him. he is either taking serious drugs or his coaching directors a comedian.
Faceless: How are you? I've been wondering how you're doing as you've not been around for a bit. Have you left the civil service yet?
You should write the ultimate insider guide, actually we should write it together, the ultimate guide to the system seen by those who use it and those who work within it!
I'm sure you're right about the envy thing. When I was at uni it was just like that with all the staff after whatever they could get (students included!) because they saw their professional counterparts doing it and wanted it for themselves. Sigh, humans hey!
Robert: I am at a loss as to who to vote for in the next election, we have a reasonable Labour MP (who I've met a few times and does get very involved in trying to help his constituents) or the Conservative PPC who is frankly a bitch troll from hell, and I doubt she can spell any of those words either. The Lib dems don't stand a chance in this area so like alot of people I guess it'll be a frying pan/fire situation. I did see the youtube video, well what of it I could stomach. The nice part of me says that if you're visually impaired it is very difficult to get certain social cues like facial expressions spot on, but the nasty part of me just wants to see him hoisted by his own petard.
FB: Clairwill is always excellent on welfare rights issues and well worth a read
HMC: Doesn't it just! Did you ever see the BBC drama about the housewife who ended up PM? Can't remember what it was called but it was very funny
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