Civil Servicitis: He not in

I first heard the term civil servicitis at a regional conference. The common symptoms: a government position that guarantees a job, but not a service. That’s not entirely true, but one has to first recognize the condition before finding a solution.

There a person for each function, and a function for each person. Sharing functions is hazardous to job security, or so the thinking goes. This often leads to stalemates, especially if one wishes to expedite a process. I got a first-hand experience of civil servicitis shortly after leaving for Paradise.

After walking a set of papers several blocks between the personnel office and the police department, I arrived near lunch time. The security officer (there’s one at every building entrance) was only letting a few people sign in before closing for the day-at noon!! I made the initial cut. A security clearance and a walk through metal detectors brought me to the documents window. I paid the cashier for the required services, and went to the next window for fingerprinting. It was still ten minutes before noon, there was no one waiting, but this was the civil service. We close at noon. I’m leaving for lunch, come back tomorrow. There was little civility or service, so I had to back-track and make a fresh start. I chatted up another worker who knew someone in the department where I was to work, and things fell in place. I walked out with a set of fingerprints, only to find the personnel office had closed for the day. As I left the premises, I noticed the two crossing guards-one at each side of the two-lane road. Just another day in Paradise.

The government is the largest employer in Paradise, with a third of the workforce in civil service. There are 19 paid holidays, along with impromptu days-off for carnivals, election days and other civic events. As the number of retirees rises steadily, the pension plan is straining to meet the defined-benefit pension obligations. How about the employees? If you ask for service: he not in!! A private-sector worker informed me that the government’s function was to provide jobs, not services. As far as the he-not-in dilemma, his antidote: call in and ask to leave a long message. The person usually shows up at the other end or you get a contact number.

My suggestion: Show how to make things easier. I came up with a formula that works (sometimes) as a remedy for civil servicitis:

Lot of work in a lot of time: Hard Work
Lot of work in a little time: Smart Work
Little work in a lot of time: Hard Time