I Remember During Thatcher's Time In Office An Executive From Sainsbury's, I Think, Was Brought In To Try And...

[sandyRoe]

...try and find economies in the civil service. It seems this government is making plans for massive cuts. Reports say more than 91,000 may go.
Why is the civil service always the whipping boy?
An example, the passport office is under heavy pressure. It seems they could do with more staff rather than less.

[Redhelen72]

The passport office is always under pressure - these types of delays happen every year.
Pretty much like the NHS there are too many management tiers, although I do object to the comment on one paper where it states that the civil service does not put anything into the economy!
Blatantly untrue but there we go - everyone likes to think the civil service is bone idle.

[davebro]

It won't happen - there's work needs doing & that requires staff. Having been in the civil service I can say that myself & my colleagues worked very hard, there was no dead wood!

Ask Sir Humphrey.

[aelmpvw]

they'd probably have to take on extra staff to deal with the redundancy forms . . .

[naomi24]

Much of the Civil Service is still 'working' - or not - from home. They need to get back to work - pronto.

[Redhelen72]

//Much of the Civil Service is still 'working' - or not - from home. They need to get back to work - pronto.//

Why?
and why are you insinuating that the civil service are not working from home - oh let me guess you have a very good friend who tells you that she sits drinking G&T all day!

[ichkeria]

Sorry to rub it in Helen after the problems I know you're having, but I sent my passport off for renewal last week and the new one has already been printed and is awaiting dispatch.
So no complaints from me there.

[Redhelen72]

Lol that's ok ick - it only took 5 days for us to get our driving licences back - still waiting for a response from passport office.
But this type of backlog happens every year.

[naomi24]

Red Helen. //Why? //

Because they're being paid to do a job - and working from home was only a temporary measure - that's why.

Not sure what the rest of your bizarre ramble is about... but don't bother to tell me.

[Redhelen72]

They are still doing their job!
I am currently on the sick but I can assure you that myself and my colleagues worked really hard and continue to work hard.
Also, the pay agreement was to allow civil servants to work from home 2-3 days a week which they are doing in England, in Wales the government have only just started going back into offices and in NI the advice is still to work from home.
All the work we do is still monitored as it was when we worked from the office.

[Redhelen72]

Why do you seem to think that the civil service is not working?

[naomi24]

//They are still doing their job! //

Are they? How do you know?

[Mozz71]

Oh come on Naomi, the fact you put the word working in inverted commas insinuates that you believe working from home is an excuse for a skive.

And you're probably right.

[Redhelen72]

Because I work for one of the biggest departments and my job involves working with other departments.

Where is your knowledge from?

[naomi24]

The last time you insisted that you knew all about it, redhelen, someone else who works in the Civil Service disagreed with you.

Mozz, Some people working from home are prone to skive. That I know for sure.

[Redhelen72]

So you have no knowledge on the subject then?
I gave you the department that I work at - their rules so how was I wrong?

[Redhelen72]

Ahh to know much - I am envious!

[Ellipsis]

Some confuse being present with being productive. Wherever a civil servant is working, it should be relatively easy to look at their output rather than simply make sure they are sat at a desk.

[ToraToraTora]

they took on loads of staff for the various crises now they are laying them off. Ain't rocket is it?

[naomi24]

//I gave you the department that I work at - their rules so how was I wrong? //

You claimed those rules were applied throughout the Civil Service. They didn't.

[Redhelen72]

They are given to us as the departments rules we get our rules from the Government therefore it stands to reason that those rules apply to all government departments.
But it appears I was wrong - at least I can admit it.