There’s an interesting paradox about Kevin Rudd’s personality which has come to light in recent days, in the wake of the furore over a series of leaks early last week. It’s this - that like a number of other PMs in the past, Kevin Rudd has a temper and can be a bastard to work for. What’s surprising about that? It certainly would be no surprise to a lot of people who worked in the Queensland public sector in the Goss era. Is it surprising more generally? Perhaps not - political leadership attracts certain personality types. But, writing in the Fin yesterday, Laura Tingle made the excellent point that with Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, that aspect of their personality was on show. Hawke in particular wasn’t shy of revealing his emotions in public, but although Paul Keating certainly wanted to keep his private self private, anger, joy, frustration and withering contempt were on display for all to see from both men. It was part of the package, and people made judgements knowing that.
There might be an element of truth to the criticisms made during last year’s never ending election campaign - Kevin Rudd wasn’t “well known” to the Australian public. That doesn’t just go to how long he’d been in Parliament - something John Howard apparently believed would work against him - but the way in which he’d created a (winning) public persona for himself - through light and breezy appearances on breakfast tv. There’s no doubt Rudd works hard to project a sometimes self-deprecating and generally likeable persona, but to some degree that is a persona that is an artefact of the theatre of political communication. As I noted when reviewing Nicholas Stuart’s biography of the then opposition leader last year, Rudd is someone who will move heaven and earth to do anything it takes to get him where he wants to go - and that includes adopting a more jovial persona with more of a common touch - he’d never make the mistake he made in 1996 of doorknocking ALP branch members on State of Origin night twice.
Now, in terms of the criticism of the pace he imposes on those who work for him, I think there’s a lot of validity in them. It may well be that senior public servants shouldn’t shy away from 7am meetings, but it’s not just senior public servants we’re talking about here - it’s those way down the ranks who are in effect being asked to act as departmental desk officers and be at work at 6am to answer inquiries from Rudd’s office - where the first stirrings of activity begin at 4am. Nobody functions optimally under constant stress, and the health implications of overwork are real.
Writing about reports that staff turnover in Rudd’s office has been enormous, Trevor Cook rightly says:
Those sort of turnover rates are considered evidence of a a seriously dysfunctional organisation and management in the private sector.
There’s a fair bit of literature around suggesting techniques that can be used to good effect in managing highly driven and creative staff - and the key message is that intense periods of activity need to be followed by down time - often for a period of weeks or even months. That sort of style of working lends itself to project based work, or consultancy, but it’s not as if it’s impossible to manage it with permanent employees - with an eye both to productivity and employee well-being. But in government you can’t quite do this. Nevertheless it would still be beneficial to recognise that the pace that can be sustained during a campaign or during budget preparation cannot be sustained forever, without doing damage not just to those running the race, but the effectiveness of the government’s performance as a whole.
In this context, deflecting legitimate concerns with soundbites such as “the government is working hard for the nation” is just silly, because it’s also the effectiveness of the activity that has been called into question. Here, too, there is a legitimate point of criticism in the charge that the government lacks an overall narrative. If a lot of this activity is designed to facilitate micro-management of the media cycle, it’s when things go off script that scrappiness starts to show. I think - with controversies such as the Brian Burke affair and the Scores strip club thing last year - that Rudd’s lessened effectiveness when tired really started to show when someone else was setting the news agenda and he couldn’t stay “on message” by rote. The government actually does have a story to tell - about making long term change in the national interest - but it undermines that story telling when it becomes reactive and driven by day to day politics, as we’ve seen in the last fortnight.
I think Keating’s former chief of staff, Don Russell, made a number of excellent points in an op/ed last Friday in The Australian, including this one:
For Paul Keating, driving the agenda for change was an all-consuming passion that was never far from the front of his mind. He felt the burden of national responsibility deeply. But he could find time to pad around the Lodge in the morning knowing that the Keating agenda was being hammered into place nonetheless. He knew that he had trusted people around him, as well as energetic ministers who understood and supported his agenda, who were also working hard to put it into effect.
Keating, like Bob Hawke, is a great believer in leveraging up his influence. It was part of the reason the Hawke-Keating government spent so long in office during what were turbulent and difficult times.
The effectiveness of both Keating and Hawke in large part derived from an acceptance that they couldn’t control everything, a preparedness to delegate, and an understanding of the Prime Ministerial role as strategic rather than day to day.
There’s also a legitimate point to be made about the way in which the government has chosen to manage expectations, and back-loaded, if you like, a lot of key decisions which have been delegated to inquiries - such as the Ken Henry review. This has the potential to open up an enormous number of issues close to the end of the government’s term, and to broaden the field of political conflict possibly beyond anyone’s control. We can already see this with the Garnaut Report - not only is there a perception of inaction on climate change issues, but all the lobbies and interest groups both within and without the government (and I’m thinking here of Martin Ferguson) have the opportunity to light some fires along the way, which in putting out - because they’re treated as problems of day to day news management - actually constrain the government from getting the most appropriate policy settings in place. There’s no doubt in my mind that people are starting to learn how to play this administration to advance not just political interests but narrow and self-serving interests.
It’s all a bit of a worry, I reckon.
Elsewhere: Another post from Trevor Cook.
“Kevin Rudd has a temper and can be a bastard to work for.”
Very true. His interpersonals were (are) terrible.
“reports that staff turnover in Rudd’s office has been enormous”
Predictable and predicted. I would expect some Ministers will drop by the wayside as well.
No person works harder than Rudd so forget those stories that he is getting briefings for the sake of it. But it could be the case that his staff are guilty of same in attempts to anticipate his considerable demands.
You don’t like Rudd but you do respect him.
As for media management, they have some way to go.
Good post.
Oooh it ain’t no fun no more
I don’t know what to say
The honeymoon is over
It’s never gonna be that way again
I never expected a great deal from Rudd, I voted Labor mainly for the reason that Rudd wasn’t John Howard. It’s clear Rudd likes to imbed himself in the miniscule which I think isn’t good and at the same time is way too populist. If you’re reacting like this after just six months in the job and with astronomical poll numbers then I fear for the future governance of the country under Rudd (see his reponse to the Bill Henson rubbish). There is no way this Liberal Party with it’s useless leader should be not only scoring points off of Labor but working Rudd into a lather. Serious failings are being exposed.
Will Labor be better for it? Rudd is a creature of habit and he’s not going to change but I still do hope at some point Julia Gillard gets the job (unlikely I know).
Slogging away for long hours is not an indicator of useful, necessary work.
“Hard work” - or long hours - and valuable work aren’t synonymous.
Perpetual round-the-clock briefings might fill Rudd’s void of insecurity, but there’s no result, which suggests the efforts of many sleepless people - including Rudd - are all for naught.
Scopes = Monkey Trial
Scores = Strip Club
Thanks Amanda!
In fact some people are constitutionally strong enough to work long hours. Rudd’s work ethic would be a lifelong habit and it has not affected him too much so far. It may do so as he gets older. The measure of Private Enterprise against his own staff is not valid. To work for the PM would be high paying and require dedication. They would be sought after jobs with many applicants. In time the people with the talents and dedication to stay with his work ethics will stay with him.
After watching QT a couple of times during the week I have to disagree with commentators. Rudd and his ministers were cool, calm and collected in the main and did not descend into the area of personal attacks on the Opposition members. They replied with facts and figures and kept their respect for Parliament. The Opposition was a rabble and lacked any discipline. The only agitation I saw was in the Opposition and the Media. I am not the only one with this impression.
Rudd and his ministers seemed to finish the week on an optimistic note.
This meme about the government working public servants (which I assume means the SES) ‘too hard’ is just absolute nonsense. If you’re a senior executive who gets paid the big bucks you’re expected to be on call 24/7. Good grief.
But as Mark said this concern extends down to public service positions where people are not paid to put their whole life on hold for the good of the nation.
This is a serious flaw in Rudd’s makeup. I wouldn’t work for him. Not that he’d want me of course - but there will be people who could add value in the years to come who will just not apply. He really needs to listen and reflect on this. It is a bit unhealthy.
I’m his biggest fan but I don’t like this stuff. Worst case is he’ll end up with automatons and his regime will end far sooner than it otherwise should. It’s about diversity.
CK, I don’t know why we bother writing posts at all.
You say:
I wrote:
In addition, whether or not there’s some culture of being on constant call at the top end of the public service, that doesn’t mean that it’s ideal or that being compensated for by being paid “big bucks” is sensible.
I might pull out an example for a subsequent thread, but some of the stuff posted on various departmental websites at the moment seeking public comment is of just awful quality - and it’s obvious that the reason why it’s of awful quality is that it’s been produced to an unrealistic deadline. I’ve worked on public sector projects myself, and you can work hard on them while still maintaining both timelines and work practices that allow you to do good work, not meet someone’s silly idea of having done everything yesterday. That sort of attitude is often ego-driven, and almost always results in mistakes and sloppiness over time, even if not immediately.
As Fairy said, “hard” work and doing good work are not synonymous.
Thanks, wbb, for actually reading!
Well, there already are, I think - or so I believe from talking to a number of people just after the election.
And contra CK, I think we need to question whether being “constantly on call” is desirable for anyone - including senior public servants. Whatever the distortions and the politics involved in the discussion of these issues (and I’ve tried to move beyond them in the post), it’s just stupidity for anyone to centre their entire lives on work - and there’s a real point in the mixed messages about work/life balance.
I dunno that I entirely buy this ‘control freak’ story.
You folk may be better informed than me but I have seen a couple of body language indications that suggest differently.
For example at the welcome ceremony I saw him stoop down to child level, very naturally, accept being motioned forward, from behind, by an indigenous fella, and allow a fair chunk of the limelight to be taken by indigenous women.
Plus the sitting on the floor episode.
All of these actions are normally anathema to alpha males in our society, little Johnny may have been able to fake them to some extent but never with the naturalness that I observed.
OK its a pretty subjective observation of mine and I’m not going to dispute the greater knowledge here [well I s’pose I am to some extent].
And lets not confuse workaholic with control freak. Related, sure, but not identical.
And I’ll endorse Jacques de Molay’s comments also, particularly with respect to Julia.
Hey wouldn’t it be great to have her as PM down the track and have Penny as the deputy?
Just a note- “those further down the ranks” probably is not the same person all the time and I would expect people to rotate. If this is the case some people would welcome the O/T and the work/life balance not be affected.
A senior Public Servant knows the deal when they apply for such jobs and are expected to be available, To many it is a way of life and not just a job. They are paid well for a number of reasons, including being available. What can be fairer than that?
I have worked with many people who are 24/7 (not senior public servants) and I have not heard too many complaints. If you do not want such a job you do not apply.
While there is still a vast reservoir of good will toward Kevin the Howard-slayer as true-blue democratic and libertarian socialists it is surely up to us to set up a loud hue-and-cry whenever Saint Kevin wanders off the reservation. Cue the arrogant AFP, The Henson ‘disgusting’ bizo, Solar panels, petrol watch, etc, etc …if not us then who?
And if not now, then when?
I believe its called keeping the Saints on track to win the Grand Final. The final end of low Aussie Toryism.
Can I suggest that Kev google “workaholics” and “twelve step programs”? One good general overview is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workaholics_Anonymous
Help is at hand.
Perhaps when Tanner and co can get government document metadata sorted, and a whole-of-government “google” service, then not so many folk will need to get 6am calls.
The answers to many non-real-time fact-seeking questions (as opposed to political strategizing - but that’s staffers, not the APS) should be available without the need for human intermediaries.
Unfortunately, such efficiencies are as yet unavailable - the Howard government seemed to rely on credible deniability that they knew anything - so the infrastructure to prevent ignorance was never put in place.
Excellent post, Mark.
I understand Rudd is one of those people who genuinely needs little sleep. If only similar people need apply you won’t come anywhere near staffing the public service.
CK, try it some time. In my early years in the public service we did a survey of the professional staff over 6 months. I was doing 82 hours a week and setting a bad example. I wasn’t driving the staff as such, but we were highly idealistic and there was much to be done. The average was near 60 hpw, and I remember the lowest was 45, a man who had a family and was very deliberate about how he balanced work/home. The requirement from memory was 36.25.
I slowed down to about 60 hpw for the long haul, but if I hadn’t got out at age 51 I’d be dead for sure.
I still feel regret, indeed something like shame about the effect our failure to solve the problem had on people’s lives. There are things you can’t change, can’t make restitution and can’t expect to be forgiven for. Rudd should think about that.
BTW, in the Whitlam era when Ken McKinnon was head of the Schools Commission at times he used to, so I was told, call a halt at 2am with the instruction to re-assemble at 6am.
Thanks, Brian.
Trevor Cook has more:
http://trevorcook.typepad.com/weblog/2008/06/rudds-punishing.html
The cemetery is full of irreplacable people. (Old management saying.)
Lolz. I’m sure the Ruddy is thrilled that him being a hard worker (which is the only message people will take away) is on the front page of the papers and leading the news rather than fuel or groceries or alcopops. Newspoll/Galaxy will go through the fracking roof.
Good post Mark, but I can’t agree with any of the commentators on the importance of this.
Talking to one of the boys the other day and he tells me that he and his wife were up at 3am earlier this week talking about their business.
I’d suggest this won’t have much currency out there in the small business owning street, and like Rudds comments about the Henson issue, the street is all that matters vote wise.
I’m sure people are right about how this will play as an issue, and I’m sure Dolly coming out saying the gov’t shouldn’t push things too hard exemplifies that. But that aspect of it isn’t really my point - it’s that as a management style, this sort of thing leads to all sorts of fuckups down the line. Then you’ve got unforced political problems. And I also think - as I said - there’s a lot of validity in the argument that PMs do better when they set broad strategic directions rather than try to micro-manage everything.
Don Russell’s article - which I linked to in the post - really is a good read.
That’s the political take. I also really do think pushing people to work 24/7 is really short-sighted. It just isn’t good for anyone.
Amanda @20 ” Ruddy is thrilled that him being a hard worker … is on the front page of the papers and leading the news”
Spot on. It will be the Rudd ‘Brand’ for ever and a day.
Free association: Rudd = Work. An association you can’t buy. The MSM saves the Rudd Government millions and the irony is they don’t realise what they do.
And because it happens to be grounded in reality, the image will persist.
BTW, the notion that SES Officers work nine-to-five is risible.
mark says:
Mark’s appreciation of Rudd is a bit off-mark. Rudd has always projected an eager beaver image of the kind that every school boy knows, busily swotting for the next test when not lobbying intensively to be school prefect.
His public persona is pretty much what-you-see-is-what-you-get. The managerial control-freakery and wonkish policy obsessions are a vote-winner for him, for no other reason than they are obviously no act.
I doubt many voters were fooled by the tight-lipped smile and low-key tone he put on in the lead up to the election. VOters are quite happy to have a bastard as a leader, so long as he is a bastard to those deserving bastardry.
Also a bit of fat-cat hounding will always go down well with the general public. Most people suspect that managers above mid-level rank are over-paid and under-worked for the job they do.
Last year I pointed out that Rudd’s nerdy professionality was a factor in his popularity. Howard also did well when he projected the up-at-dawn, on-the-ball manager image. (That was when he was not pursuing his nasty political vendetta with unions.)
The general public wants political leaders of all stripes to be on the ball all day long, since everyone else is busting their guts to get ahead. This fits with my Great Convergence thesis, which predicts a managerial, rather than ideological, style of politics is prevalent, now that Class, Climate and Culture Wars are approaching some sort of political settlement.
THe managerial style contrasts with past leadership where ideological values were considered more important. Reagan proved that you dont have to be a workaholic to get a good job done. He was not a master of policy detail, preferring to delegate that stuff to underlings or just let the private sector get on with the job.
His political skill was in generating public affection for a major change in strategic direction. Reducing big govt at home and enlarging it abroad. Mission accomplished with a minimum of fuss.
The ideal combination of policy mastery and political amiability was Ike who projected an image of benign disengagement, a “kindly old duffer”. This concealed a man that Richard Nixon described as “the most devious that I ever came accross in politics”. He would know.
Yes good post Mark, I was alarmed when I heard this on the news. FWIW, I think Rudd’s a control freak, and for a PM that’s a fairly onerous and even impossible fault to have. I think this sends out a bad message. Regardless of any Ruddy the hardworker headlines, the fact remains that nobody likes a slave driver.
All worthwhile things take time, silence and space are important, wise people understand this. That Rudd demands non-stop action from his underlings suggests a lack of wisdom and maturity. I think, indeed hope, it comes back to bite him on the bum, both hard and soon, and that he learns a timely lesson when the PS goes on strike. I heard someone saying on the radio quoting some public servants as working 18 hour days. That is patently insane for the long haul. Rudd will end up being stabbed in the back, thwarted at every turn and his office will leak like a sieve if he puts his underlings offside by being an insensitive prick. He is an unusual man, with unusual stamina and determination and clearly very smart, he just needs to get a bit wise.
Whatever anyone may think of senior public servants and their work ethic, the ones I know work hard and often long hours. Not always strategically, but that’s probably true of a lot of us.
But what Rudd is doing that is particularly worrisome is what Mark said, they are rushing things. Yesterday (Saturday) was the closing day for submissions on a discussion paper about a large spending program that Rudd announced during the election. It is to start on July 1 this year. The submission was on the technical aspects of the program.
That’s right, they are consulting on the technicals with just one month to go before they have to start handing out the money. And this is a complex beastie with State, Commonwealth, private sector and non-profits all in the mix.
There is simply not enough time to do this properly.
But on the other hand, if Rudd doesn’t push these things along, it will be the next election and he will have hardly anything to show. The public sector is notoriously slow to develop and change things and he knows that. Plus he has inherited a public sector that has no expertise or has been de-skilled in some key areas he is interested in. No wonder he is pushing them and no wonder they are pushing back.
Disclaimer: I’m not particularly good at the 9-5 thing myself but get the point, at an academic level, of work life balance.
Not to mention the ‘family’ part of ‘working families’ doesn’t get much of a look-in when the parents are at work 12+ hours a day. I wonder how many women with children are prepared to put in those hours on Rudd’s inner circle staff.
“Not to mention the ‘family’ part of ‘working families’ doesn’t get much of a look-in when the parents are at work 12+ hours a day. I wonder how many women with children are prepared to put in those hours on Rudd’s inner circle staff.”
Men as well Suz.
The thing is, pre-the election we had numerous ads about horrible bosses who didn’t get the reasonable hours and conditions were what was going to drive people to vote Labor. Yet now the Labor party machine itself is expecting near in-human hours of its own. And these things flow downwards, let me tell you. Despite razor gangs and the like, there is a real fight for people with skills in Canberra. If the public service and the Parliamentary triangle is unable to give them the work-life balance they think they need, the private sector will, I can ssure you.
If Rudd doesn’t need much sleep, that’s his business. He could use a couple of his waking hours to read a soul-nourishing book or two, instead of destroying the moral and lives of “his” troops.
He does appear to have forgotten that public servants work for the people, hence their impartiality, they are not his private slaves.
The public service pays jack-shite compared to private sector. That’s a fact. The salaries are woeful, although the SES now have a much better deal than they did in the distant past.
Angharad - Rudd is a bureaucrat, don’t make the mistake of confusing long hours with action, outputs and outcomes. Watch Rudd in question time endlessly rearranging his papers. He has also initiated inquiries and committees to look into everything under the sun, which is hardly conducive to speedy policy decisions or implementations. Suggesting that Rudd is bullish ignores all facts to the contrary.
Rudd’s reputation was well know from his time in the Queensland public service, nothing new about what he is doing now.
Funny how so many on blogs are defending Rudd as being so hard working, and slagging off lazy overpaid public servants - everyone is forgetting that Rudd is a career public servant. No small irony.
BTW - only the ignorant or stupid make sweeping statements about the private and public sectors. I’ve worked for many years in both. There are more incompetent, lazy and grossly overpaid tools in the private sector than there are in the public sector. That’s based on a couple of decades of first hand experience. The major difference between the two is the amount of corrupt, unethical and shocking behavior in the private sector, for which people are, strangely, very often rewarded, rather than thrown onto the streets. The public sector, by contrast, is so ludicrously “correct” that blinking the wrong way can have people thrown into mandatory counseling and their name besmirched.
“those further down the ranks” probably is not the same person all the time and I would expect people to rotate. If this is the case some people would welcome the O/T and the work/life balance not be affected. - Doug
Uhh, no. Clearly Doug has no idea what Canberra public servants do. For a start it is many, many years since anyone I know got paid for overtime.
A better way of managing a heavy workload at an organisation level is to periodically call on people for intense effort then give them downtime or rotation afterwards, which is pretty much how most policy areas have run. As the post notes, that happens to be what the research finds is optimally productive for most people. The problem is that in many vital areas the downtime is not happening - only true workaholics (like Rudd) can carry that indefinitely. But true workaholics, apart from not being very attractive personalities, are rare.
And as someone with a long career in policy work I can assure you that every really dumb decision I’ve seen was made by tired people in the wee hours of the morning.
The way i see it the public service is not elected, they are not politiciasns, they are there to do a job but not to show an image of “working hard”……if rudd wnats to show he is 24/7 he can but leave others for whom it is a just a job besides their hudsband, kids, elederly parents, pets, friend etcs to live a life of some quality….otehrwsie they will leave
“I wonder how many women with children are prepared to put in those hours on Rudd’s inner circle staff.”
Well in my experience of working as a political staffer, we had no people with children on staff unless they were actually living in Canberra and then usually in admin roles rather than policy roles. People with kids (or with a life external to work) don’t apply for those jobs becuase it is unsustainable.
I meant to say, that’s not peculiar to Rudd. It’s true of most parliamentarians. It’s a very family unfriendly job whoever you work for.
Here are a couple of clips from the Canberra Times editorial on Saturday 31 May:
Long hours spent behind a desk might be a sign of an employee’s loyalty and eagerness to please, but it is unlikely to result in above-average work. Nor is a boss or chief executive who appears to need little sleep or show any desire to have an occasional weekend off necessarily a better, wiser leader. …
And perhaps Rudd needs to be reminded that sleep deprivation is a form of torture, and he risks alienating the public service and eroding his own credibility, with insistence on keeping to a punishing schedule. He might, for a change, sleep in on Sunday, take a leisurely brunch in the grounds of the Lodge, followed by a stroll around the Yarralumla foreshore with his wife or dog. Even plan a holiday. In short, he might take a deep breath, step back and stop trying to impress everybody with his earnestness.
“People with kids (or with a life external to work) don’t apply for those jobs because it is unsustainable.”
Clearly, you have been there, done that.
It’s only possible if you are relatively young and have no children or old enough for the kids to have left home and still retain some ideals even after 32 years of non-Labor governments.
Very, very stressful. But a unique experience.
Highly recommended. But only Once!
How’s this for a different spin, based on nothing more than gossip and speculation: Rudd’s heart condition is actually much more serious than we’ve been led to believe, he actually knows that he has a very limited time left to him and is living with the secret knowledge that he will have to step down from the job in a year or so, and is throwing everything he has at the job now in order to make life tolerable for the person who picks up when he resigns for health reasons.
I watched INSIDERS today…a recording…it came across like much of the rest of the insincere garbage makers & spin-meisters out there…blaaah, blaaah, Rudd on the ropes…blaaah, blaaah honeymoon is over…blaaah blaaah this will be a real problem in the future for Rudd….blaaah, blaaah Nelson like a weeping Rocky…blaaah, blaaah our poor Right-wing mates in the public service who like to dob, leak & undermine…blaaah, blaaah Rudd such a meany, Grinch, Scrooge not like King John & his magna workchoices…blaaah blaah we’ve turned the world on its head & now corporate lackeys & hard as nails types look compassionate whilst Rudd & co. are all nasty and slave drivers…blaaah blaaah petrol discussion by Rudd such a waste of time when people need help from the fallout of of the policies promoted so arrogantly by our King John, jester Costello & war knob Bush, hope the dumbies out there don’t realise we started the petrol debate by shadow boxing & constructing strawmen to distract & entertian…blaaah blaaah look at these nice little hit jobs on Rudd in The Australian & sister papers…blaaah blaaah…we so care for the people as reporters, that’s why we failed to scrutinise the Howard government & its policies and rode the wave to war & let Downer et al put their feet up and dwink winey poo w/ the influential Neo-Con artists…blaah, blaah we’ll get that nasty Rudd yet…now that we are WORKING OVERTIME like huskies in the COLD region for our beloved & unbiased media moguls…blaaah, blaaah.
Got a problem w/ Rudd…vote GREEN 1 in the senate next time…or somethin’ like that. Certainly he needs to RESPECT worker’s rights (I agree w/ some points Mark)…but let the TRUE BELIEVERS do their work into the night…& be wary of public servants who act like BANSHEES when they’ve only been working hard for a few months. I don’t recall being paid bugger-all for my contributions to the public discussion over the years…i’m cool with that, as are many others…I wanna see CHANGE. And SANITY. Those who’ve got a job need to get on with the job…enjoy their pay & conditions (think China & Bangladesh) and worry about whinging after Obama or Hillary wins the next election & gets a few mths. down the policy road.
Maybe we need more public servants if those who have not been slain in a night of the long knives moment (good for Rudd for not going down that road luved by Righties & totalitarian loonies) can’t hold up their side of the bargain. Maybe, if they can’t work hard for the good of the Nation & its struggling taxpayers (apart from the priviliged…I bet they have harder working Jeeves) they should consider going into the private sector they so adored promoting under their King & mentor John Howard…plenty of businesses setup by Liberals & Nats under his rule. Surely they’d be willing to take in a loyal public servant mate…& dobbers are always fostered by Righties & totalitarian tools…:)
Lindsay Tanner kicks arse. Those gymnasts/performers whatever seemed sane enuff too.
There needs to be a distinction made between your average public servant and Rudd’s parliamentary staff. Parliamentary staff are on indivdual contracts and are often expected to work long hours. This is seen as a fast way up the slippery pole.
SES in the public service are generally expected to be on call 24/7. This does not mean that they are constantly called. It was the same under the Howard govt.
If ordinary line public servants are being called by Rudd’s office early in the morning a manager somewhere is not doing their job. Public Servants get flex time. If they are working long hours they can usually have their flex paid out.
In theory. But in practice there’s a standard practice of unpaid overtime, because overtime ‘isn’t budgeted for’, etc.
No-one is arguing that SES staff aren’t well remunerated (even so, there’s no point in overworking people to the extent that both their work and family life suffers). ASO staff, on the other hand, are expected to work as long as directed, don’t get the benefits of flextime (which has pretty much become an excuse not to pay anyone overtime), and suffer from career suicide if they insist on having an incovenient life outside of the office. Even the bottom rungs of the ladder have begun to suffer from this.
My partner is leaving the public service because of this very issue, with my full support (and not a small amount of begging). There’s a massive hypocrisy in banging on about ‘work/life balance’ (and, indeed, ‘working families’) when the public service culture has been one in which insisting upon work/life balance guarantees that you are seen as a ‘bludger’.
Mindy, parliamentary and ministerial staffers on the Labor side generally opt for the relevant EBA rather than individual contracts/AWAs. That doesn’t affect the correctness of your point.
I think I mentioned this on another post. I have a good friend who was formerly working in the state public sector on “coordinating the whole of government work/family balance strategy”. This didn’t extend to being able to pop out of work at 3pm to drive her kids to childcare way across town, or to getting home in time to prepare dinner, let alone pick them up. Even though she could have done a fair bit of her work from home - probably more productively.
Her boss - who prided himself on always being in the office until 8pm - couldn’t see what the problem was, or why she’d turn down trips interstate for “vital” meetings. Of course his partner was at home looking after his kids.
The irony about “balance” was completely lost on him. “The Minister needs this paper on facilitating work/life balance on his desk by 8am”, etc.
She was a mid-ranking policy person. She quit, and got hired back as a consultant to do work they suddenly discovered couldn’t be done effectively by anyone else, for a lot more money and with the working conditions she wanted.
In this particular department, they kept losing very talented female staff on middling incomes who were actually carrying a lot of the policy load for the senior managers, who spent most of their time meeting with each other, and “managing upwards” to keep the D-G and the Minister sweet.
The ones I know are now in the private sector or working for themselves - and making a ton more cash - but being people who went into the public sector in the first place because they wanted to contribute something more than just making money, it’s not ideal from their point of view, let alone from the perspective of the public sector burning a lot of its good policy people.
It’s been a while since I worked for the Commonwealth PS so obviously things have changed for many since I was there. I do agree that working the ‘worker bees (male and female) of the public service for long hours with no respite is unsustainable in the long term. Unsustainable in the short term really. I had thought that it was only Managers and parliamentary staff expected to do stupid hours, I see now that I was wrong.
With a lot of the white-collar work there is no reason that much of it couldn’t be done at home with meetings and discussions over phone/instant messaging etc. I’ve worked with quite a few people overseas who will happily schedule meetings for 9pm, after the kids have gone to bed, as it leaves them time free in the afternoon and early evening for their kids.
I think it would be helpful to move away from the concept that work is only done as one continuous block during the day, at the office.
Indeed it would. There’s a fair bit of “presentee-ism” around the place, and a fair few managers who really don’t contribute all that much other than endless meetings.
I should add that there was a distinct culture shift in the Queensland public service during and post the Wayne Goss era, which has its upside but also a big downside in terms of fetishistic micro-surveillance of where and when work takes place. As well as an obsession with micro-management and performance measurement administrivia.
The comments below are lifted from Crikey (usually only men seem to use the term “ranks”, but I don’t rule out a masculine type of woman). I include to show the sort of conservative thinking that still exists in parts of the SES. Much more sensible comment has been made recently by Professors Ian Hickie and Gordon Parker on sensible working practices from a health point of view. I reckon the person below should be offered a package in the next round. Here is the comment from the senior public servant concerned:
A senior public servant writes: Re. “Petrol, leaks and p-ssing
contests: the week in Canberra” (Friday, item 2). I say “hooray” for
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. I am tired of hearing about “poor old
public servants” having a hard time adapting to life under the new
government. No-one has any right to be upset for having to work hard
for a change. For years I have witnessed public servants promoted well
beyond any level of competence, rapid promotion from within and
appointments not based on merit. As a direct result this has caused a
lack of depth and breadth in the ranks. Now they can no longer hide
behind the bureaucratic machine they want to have a bleat how hard
they have to work. Well I say “boo hoo” to them quite frankly. For too
long inefficiency and ineffectiveness has been the order of the day. I
have managed through Labor and Liberal Governments alike in an
apolitical manner and will continue to do so. There is nothing wrong
in the demands and expectation of the current government, only the
inability of the current rank and file to deliver results. If my
colleagues cannot handle the pace then they should give up their
salaries, superannuation, perks, vehicles and conditions that they
have taken for years and get into another line of work. It is an
honour and a privilege to work as a public official. A bit of hard
work and long hours is par for the course. It is about time senior
public officials had to “again” earn their pay packets. I certainly
will not pay any lip service to this rubbish about being overworked.
If leaders in the Commonwealth public sector made decisions, delegated
appropriately and managed the performance of all staff there would be
no issues and there would be plenty of time to deliver government
policy and provide advice. I am more than comfortable with the demands
being placed on my department. Like my counterparts I have also been
hit by staff cuts, efficiency dividends and higher demands. Surround
yourself with the best minds, recruit effectively, lead by example and
remain true to core business. Keep the pressure on Prime Minister Rudd.
Kevin said there would be “no night of the the long knives” ,as a promise ,to the Public Service. He never said there would not be, ‘a lot of long nights’. It will take lots of effort, by dedicated individuals, to repair the damage done.
If it is a war of attrition, so be it.
Peter Costello always looked after their best interests, over everybody else, anyway.
http://www.futurefund.gov.au/
But Joe, what about the damage still being done, with so much busy busy work into the night hours? Take renewable energy for example. There was the master stroke of making it that much harder for people to install solar panels, and the rest is still heavily geared to coal. More on this from Dr Mark Diesendorf in the SMH at http://news.smh.com.au:80/national/govt-backing-down-on-renewable-energy-20080601-2kf5.html It underlines the issue of wise policy over busy busy going in the wrong direction.
“There was the master stroke of making it that much harder for people to install solar panels,..”
Muzza, surely you know that the Howards’, pre-election bribe was oversubscribed by the already rich. Low interest loans will be available next year for lower income earners to pick up what is still left of a pretty generous scheme.
Joe, These days a couple living in a city can easily earn over $50K each with just basic jobs. That takes them over the means test limit. They are usually mortgaged to the hilt and so solar panels don’t make it without some extra incentive. I’ve heard it’s done wonders for the solar industry, and symbolically for Peter Garrett it is just about as good as plastic bags. He is hardly looking like a Graeme Richardson, and needs a few runs on the board.
“Kevin said there would be “no night of the the long knives”…”
Joe2…methinks The Night of the Long Knives is happening this very week in America. I wonder who will play Leni Riefenstahl? I guess the very media who made the case for war & the greatness of Bush just like a Der Sieg des Glaubens/Victory of Faith…but now MUST knife the Sturmabteilung
& their less than straight leaders in order to take MORE control & distract…& further their ugly goals.
But then we wonder “who is the REAL Führer?”…is there more than one?…& who has sent this errand boy & witness to spill his guts?…& what comes next? Someone going all Luther-headed on the innocent for control & cathartic reasons?
Hope not…hope the authorities in America are wide-thinking and can discern the innocent & brainwashed from the manipulators (the death bringers for profit & power &/or faith) & I hope they remember that in the long run it comes down to individuals. Provided there are any good justice seekers left. Hope they catch the real PUPPET MASTERS pulling the strings. If that’s possible.
Just a theory. Speculation. Thoughts.
I don’t think Kevin has demonstrated behavioural patterns to do the “long knives” bit…as you well realise Joe2, i’m sure.
For one Rudd ain’t the Führer, regardless of what some tired public servants might think & sneaky media might tell us…& who would be the Stormtroopers? (Howard’s old bunch?)…Rudd seems to prefer Lutherans who reject Luther’s crazy views of the Jews…like Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Is that not true?
I hope Gillard et al can help mend the bridges between Rudd & the public service…and keep a lookout for the weakening of said structure by sabotage. I’m sure she is. Poor, sweet, brainy Julia looks like she needs a sleep. Mebbe Rudd can give everybody a public holiday. And then rev up the engines again. And heed the wise words of those who grease the cogs & turn the wheels.
Laborites knew it would be a tough, tough year or so. But I think Mark is right about losing good people by ignoring their circumstances. I guess undermining your own expressed values can lose the trust of those who work with you. But then, can you trust all those who work w/ you? Certainly NOT those they dob too.
It’s a fine line between short-term gripes & collapsing into a heap. How many would luv to see that?
I reckon the truth, if we can call it that, exists somewhere in-between. But it seems very early days for so much griping. I mean, didn’t Howard work his public servants?
Advice is fine…but let’s not feed THE BEAST. Lest it eats our allies & comes to feed upon us…again.
Oh yea…will a Triumph of the Will be promoted & manufactured as McCain makes his way up the steps…or is it another candidate? No wonder Americans are so nervous these days.
Just a thought.
Arbeit doth not make frei…more like using your imagination & effective planning & appropriate utilisation of time & skills…& room for education…& imparting knowledge…& trusting others to do their job…& learning to delegate…& empathising w/ the needs of co-workers…& setting by example…& knowing when to say NO or ENUFF…& finding a smile…& compromising…& actually listening & responding…& sharing of info/resources…& creating good spirit/morale made w/ mini-meals that cater for ALL (so many workplaces could practise that little bit of common-sense courtesy…good on Labor for remembering that at the Ideas Forum)…& plenty of other things Mark & others mention. I’m sure Rudd knows that. The “Sorry” speech etc. seemed to demonstrate that. We’re all learning from past experiences.
I wonder if the media bosses are? They seem to have the whips out & lashing staff full-bore.
It’s just so bloody hard to do the appropriate thing consistently & construct a good working atmosphere whilst saboteurs & haters roam the halls & keep spinning & dobbing. We all know that.