Tell me what I need to know about working in the Federal Government

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the "list" poster. Basically, the G fund makes very little interest, so put your money in G or F if you are retiring soon, but otherwise go with S or I or C. I have 45% in C 45% in S and 10% in I. L has a similar breakdown, but it's also got a little in G and a little in F.

thanks for the SD and LD information!

also, I looked up life insurance and didn't find better deals. I'm 34, BTW and was looking a few years ago.

however, my husband has a cardiac thing that's pretty minimal, but would affect our rate. Since you can't get the life insurance whenever you want and you don't know what life will bring, I think it's better to just get the Federal insurance because you know they won't kick you off or raise your rates suddenly based on a health condition that may occur later.

Did you look at WAEPA? Way lower rates and higher coverage for feds. FEGLI is very expensive, I agree that it is good for folks with no other options.

[Anonymous]

Consider personal liability insurance (I forget exactly what it's called), Especially if a supervisor or in a regulatory agency. I didn't have it when I was a fed (just a 12) and was in a couple of situations where I may have been sued. The government will not represent you if you personally are sued.

[Anonymous]

Longtime Fed here -- about 20 years in (I started right out of college). The advice others have given you is good.

Culture can vary widely from agency to department, from division to branch, from location to location, so it's very hard to generalize about that. I've worked for 3 different agencies and they were all very different. The prior poster's advice about feeling disconnected at first is accurate as well. It may take some time to get a feeling for the culture of your new office.

One thing that's been similar in the agencies I've worked is that there's been a bit of a disconnect between the staff that directly support the mission (think scientists, lawyers) and those on the administrative side (human resources, finance, technology). It's something that can be frustrating but it helps to be aware of it.

You will hear Joe Q Public rant and rage about how Federal workers sit in their offices all day and read the newspaper. It's demoralizing to hear this again and again. But try not to let it get to you. I have definitely seen it all during my time as a Fed -- yes, there are people who abuse their positions and slack off -- but I will say that the vast majority of the Feds I've worked with are motivated, highly competent, hardworking people. If you find a group like that to work with, you'll never want to leave.

Some other thoughts:

If you're ever in a position where you are switching jobs, take a look at the results of the Partnership for Public Service Best Places to Work in the Federal Government survey. It's not a perfect indicator of what you might see in a particular agency (because your direct supervisor and coworkers will impact your day-to-day happiness most), but it does provide a good idea of what the overall morale and issues in a particular agency/department will be.

Find out what kinds of flexibilities your agency's workgroup offers. Some offer core or situational telework, alternate work schedules (e.g., working 8 9-hour days and having one day off every other week), etc.

I'm not sure if all agencies offer transportation subsidies, but mine offers both a public transportation subsidy and a pre-tax parking subsidy.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Did you look at WAEPA? Way lower rates and higher coverage for feds. FEGLI is very expensive, I agree that it is good for folks with no other options.

honestly, my biggest concern is the open season issue. It's hard to get on the FEGLI plans and I don't plan to leave the Government. So, I would rather just pay what I pay out without noticing it every 2 weeks than have another thing to worry about.

but I will look up WAEPA. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I've worked in both private and government.
Differences:
-There aren't any secretaries in the federal government (and if there is one it's the Director's, not yours), so you have to learn to do everything yourself. Like filing, arranging travel, calling maintenance people, mailing, making copies, etc. It's not a big deal for me, but for many GS 14/15s they complain nonstop about the lack of secretaries and will try to make anyone do their filing.

-I agree with pps, the life insurance sucks. You may think "it's only $350 a year," but if you shop around, it's around $110 elsewhere and you get better insurance.

-Hoard your sick leave. You won't get any short term disability or maternity leave, so you'll need this if something happens to you or your family. It's taken me 6 years to save up for a semi paid maternity leave.

-Office supplies are at a minimum. I like the jokes that PPs made about hoarding pens. It's very true. We also haggled over reams of paper last fall when funding got tight. My back hurts every day because they buy us $50 office chairs that suck. My printer is also crappy. Oh and our Dell computers that freeze up and break about every 2 years.

-Just like any workplace, learn who's the office gossip and who is the person that gets stuff done/knows the most. Make sure you aren't on either's bad side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Consider personal liability insurance (I forget exactly what it's called), Especially if a supervisor or in a regulatory agency. I didn't have it when I was a fed (just a 12) and was in a couple of situations where I may have been sued. The government will not represent you if you personally are sued.

I work on litigation and it's very pricey to get liability insurance. Last I looked it was $900 a year. DH also works for the feds and his agency pays for liability insurance for him. I'm just hoping I never get sued. I agree that the government won't represent you if you're sued. If anything, they'll push you under the bus so fast you'll have tread marks on your ass.

[Anonymous]

I just started at a new agency that ranks highly on "best places to work". There is a room in the basement STOCKED with supplies. The idea that I can get new pens whenever I want is amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Consider personal liability insurance (I forget exactly what it's called), Especially if a supervisor or in a regulatory agency. I didn't have it when I was a fed (just a 12) and was in a couple of situations where I may have been sued. The government will not represent you if you personally are sued.

I work on litigation and it's very pricey to get liability insurance. Last I looked it was $900 a year. DH also works for the feds and his agency pays for liability insurance for him. I'm just hoping I never get sued. I agree that the government won't represent you if you're sued. If anything, they'll push you under the bus so fast you'll have tread marks on your ass.

It is not that pricey. It costs about a third of that, and many places reimburse LEOs and managers for half. I used to represent federal employees in IG investigations, disicplinary actions and personal liabiltiy suits. Fees for even a simple matter can easily reach over 80K. If you are an LEO or manager, it is a wise investment. Not so much for regular line workers unlikely to get into trouble.

http://www.fedsprotection.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was surprised by the absolute deference to the most senior person in the room. In meetings only they would talk unless they said something incorrectly and then you could carefully say something.

There are people who do very little.

I was also surprised by this. Especially how people will fawn over someone in the SES. What is worst is when the SES person thinks they deserve to be treated like an extra special person.

Until you have established a successful track record, play the deference game.

When people don't make a lot of money, the little things like titles, office space, who arrives first at a meeting, can become very important to them.

It doesn't matter what your track record is, you still have to play the deference game. Some of the egos at the top are huge, and if you are anything less than obsequious, you'll fall out of favor quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've worked in both private and government.
Differences:
-There aren't any secretaries in the federal government (and if there is one it's the Director's, not yours), so you have to learn to do everything yourself. Like filing, arranging travel, calling maintenance people, mailing, making copies, etc. It's not a big deal for me, but for many GS 14/15s they complain nonstop about the lack of secretaries and will try to make anyone do their filing.

-I agree with pps, the life insurance sucks. You may think "it's only $350 a year," but if you shop around, it's around $110 elsewhere and you get better insurance.

-Hoard your sick leave. You won't get any short term disability or maternity leave, so you'll need this if something happens to you or your family. It's taken me 6 years to save up for a semi paid maternity leave.

-Office supplies are at a minimum. I like the jokes that PPs made about hoarding pens. It's very true. We also haggled over reams of paper last fall when funding got tight. My back hurts every day because they buy us $50 office chairs that suck. My printer is also crappy. Oh and our Dell computers that freeze up and break about every 2 years.

-Just like any workplace, learn who's the office gossip and who is the person that gets stuff done/knows the most. Make sure you aren't on either's bad side.

The admin thing is ridiculous. At our agency, all the bosses are still old boomers and they love a billion hard copies of everything. They won't offer up their admin to help you make those copies because those admins can only copy output that came directly from the big cheese. So you will stand in front of the xerox all day while the admin spends the whole day on facebook in plain view. Get used to this abuse of taxpayer dollars and learn to like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People in private industry don't get antsy around high level people? Like partners at a big law firm or something?

Not in the same way. I'm private sector who works with federal agencies routinely and this always amazes me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The admin thing is ridiculous. At our agency, all the bosses are still old boomers and they love a billion hard copies of everything. They won't offer up their admin to help you make those copies because those admins can only copy output that came directly from the big cheese. So you will stand in front of the xerox all day while the admin spends the whole day on facebook in plain view. Get used to this abuse of taxpayer dollars and learn to like it.

this hasn't happened anywhere I've worked. We don't have a secretary. There's one for the Division or so, but the bosses make their own copies. Secretaries where I've been just don't do that sort of thing, but they're not lazy. They just do other tasks.

here's a tip "don't be a princess". Work in your team and make your own copies.

also, don't all large workplaces have upper management people tip toe around? That's really dependent on the attitude of the higher level person. Some like the feeling that they're high level and some are just doing the work and are totally in it with the team. That's just luck of the draw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The admin thing is ridiculous. At our agency, all the bosses are still old boomers and they love a billion hard copies of everything. They won't offer up their admin to help you make those copies because those admins can only copy output that came directly from the big cheese. So you will stand in front of the xerox all day while the admin spends the whole day on facebook in plain view. Get used to this abuse of taxpayer dollars and learn to like it.

this hasn't happened anywhere I've worked. We don't have a secretary. There's one for the Division or so, but the bosses make their own copies. Secretaries where I've been just don't do that sort of thing, but they're not lazy. They just do other tasks.

here's a tip "don't be a princess". Work in your team and make your own copies.

also, don't all large workplaces have upper management people tip toe around? That's really dependent on the attitude of the higher level person. Some like the feeling that they're high level and some are just doing the work and are totally in it with the team. That's just luck of the draw.

Here's a tip for you: stop excusing fraud. Nobody is hired to play Solitaire. Our admin does no work all day, but it's prestigious to have an admin, so the office director keeps her. This is not an unusual scenario at our agency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The admin thing is ridiculous. At our agency, all the bosses are still old boomers and they love a billion hard copies of everything. They won't offer up their admin to help you make those copies because those admins can only copy output that came directly from the big cheese. So you will stand in front of the xerox all day while the admin spends the whole day on facebook in plain view. Get used to this abuse of taxpayer dollars and learn to like it.

this hasn't happened anywhere I've worked. We don't have a secretary. There's one for the Division or so, but the bosses make their own copies. Secretaries where I've been just don't do that sort of thing, but they're not lazy. They just do other tasks.

here's a tip "don't be a princess". Work in your team and make your own copies.

also, don't all large workplaces have upper management people tip toe around? That's really dependent on the attitude of the higher level person. Some like the feeling that they're high level and some are just doing the work and are totally in it with the team. That's just luck of the draw.

Can we have a moratorium on use of quotation marks for emphasis? It's not proper English and makes you look poorly educated. (What GS level did you say you were?) Use bold for emphasis.

[Anonymous]

GS levels don't depend on education. You can have a GS-11 attorney with 2-3 years of experience and someone with only a bachelor's degree also a GS-11. The same for office space.