what comes to mind when thinking about the word bureaucracy?

[Anonymous]

It's such a funny word isn't it? Does it make you feel less trusting of government?

[Anonymous]

Filling out 3 forms to order pencils then being denied because you chose the wrong spend plan number because they changed it from the last time and never told us.

Having to fill out 4 forms to hire 1 person, need 5 approvals, it takes 3 months to post the position , 3 months to review resumes, 1 week to interview and select and 3 months for HR to finalize the hire and 2 months to onboard.

[Anonymous]

It makes me think layer upon layer upon layer of unnecessary checks and balances that prevent anything from getting done. I work in a company with a lot of bureaucracy. The government too has a lot of bureaucracy. Sometimes it's good, most of the time it's just unnecessarily slow.

[Anonymous]

Incompetent, slow, inefficient, gets in the way of good things. Former government employee.

There are good individuals but as a system it is a mess and serves more to refuel and promote its own biases than serve the public good. Most bureaucrats I encountered both praised the concept of serving the public while being openly dismissive of the same public. Could never quite figure that out.

[Anonymous]

Efficiency.

[Anonymous]

Democrats.

[Anonymous]

The federal agency where I work.

[Anonymous]

My employer, Baltimore City Public Schools

[Anonymous]

Papers, and other forms of administrivia getting sent around to the next do-nothing stopover until it just gets lost, or maybe, gets noticed by someone who gives a crap.

[Anonymous]

nonsensical

[Anonymous]

Red tape
Annoying steps
Dotted i's and crossed t's
Tedious

[Anonymous]

DC OTR

[Anonymous]

Ugly Soviet housing apartments

Overworked child abuse social case workers

Parking enforcement revenue collectors

Nurses and medical staff having to spend more time on paperwork than with patients

Teachers being required to complete 16 pages of IEP related forms for each student rather than simply use straightforward interactive lessons plans

Librarians being required to take classics off book shelves due to culture wars related legislation

Home renovations being stalled for months because the contractors used round rather than square shaped bolts.

….
Lots more examples and yet it’s the price we pay for living in civilized societies ..,

[Anonymous]

I work for one. It makes me think about how if I go above someone's head with a suggestion, they respond by telling me to contact my supervisor so ideas can go up through the proper channels. So I contact my supervisor who sends it up, but never gets a response. So I contact the "higher up" directly who tells me I need to go to the supervisor.