Official Government Shutdown 2023 Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATE government employees. There are a LOT of people that contract for the government that won't get paid. You are so selfish wishing for a shutdown when the people who actually DO YOUR JOB for you won't get paid.

Very few Feds want a shutdown, and OP is a pretty obvious troll. You hear people "wishing" for a shutdown because talking about the solver lining is more fun than worrying about the hit to the mission, the mess to dig out when we return, or the income of our contractor spouses.

I don't hate contractors as people but I do hate that so much has been outsourced. I'd much rather your job was Federal. The whole concept of using contractors (and then having Feds monitor them) is a mess. Don't be mad at Feds for a system we don't like and didn't create.

When the government makes it easier for someone who is not disabled, not an underserved minority, and not a veteran to get a Federal job, then perhaps my job will be federal. But until then, I'll keep applying and getting rejected for jobs like yours. I refuse to lie about being disabled, I won't do it. So I'll stay a contractor.

This is now transitioning to you just having a chip on your shoulder. Our last 4 of 4 hires met none of your criteria above (which is too bad ... we could use some diversity).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATE government employees. There are a LOT of people that contract for the government that won't get paid. You are so selfish wishing for a shutdown when the people who actually DO YOUR JOB for you won't get paid.

Very few Feds want a shutdown, and OP is a pretty obvious troll. You hear people "wishing" for a shutdown because talking about the solver lining is more fun than worrying about the hit to the mission, the mess to dig out when we return, or the income of our contractor spouses.

I don't hate contractors as people but I do hate that so much has been outsourced. I'd much rather your job was Federal. The whole concept of using contractors (and then having Feds monitor them) is a mess. Don't be mad at Feds for a system we don't like and didn't create.

When the government makes it easier for someone who is not disabled, not an underserved minority, and not a veteran to get a Federal job, then perhaps my job will be federal. But until then, I'll keep applying and getting rejected for jobs like yours. I refuse to lie about being disabled, I won't do it. So I'll stay a contractor.

It’s really offensive to add racial minorities to your list— the federal government hasn’t been allowed to discriminate based on race for a really long time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do we think the odds are of a shutdown?

My goal would be to have a staycation - gym, relax, TV, and unwind. What about you?

How nice for you. You realize that the federal workforce is only about 25-35% civil service. There are about 65-75% of the federal workforce that are contractors. While the civil service gets backpay virtually always, the federal contract workforce only gets paid when they work. In many cases, work stops at the shutdown and they are officially furloughed until work resumes. And they don't get back pay.

We are lucky in my household that we have one civil servant and one contractor. So even though I make more income as the contractor, my spouse is guaranteed back pay. But I know plenty of dual federal contractor families who lose all household income during a shutdown.

F the conservative wing who don't care about the federal workforce.

I agree with the last line of your rant. But—contractors are paid more than most civil servants for the same work, and have more career flexibility. I hate shutdowns, I think they are absurd, but taking your ire out on civil servants just because they get paid and you don’t, is stupid. You’re welcome to find a federal job, if you want one. Lots of positions opening up!

I'm not taking out my ire on civil servants in general. As I said, my spouse is a civil servant. What I object to is the civil servants who wish for shutdowns because they are guaranteed back pay. It's a very selfish attitude considering a furlough to be a paid staycation. The OP's attitude and language show just how self centered she is.

Well the OP could be a troll trying to whip things up. DH and I are both Feds at different agencies who end up working during shutdowns- I’d get paid most likely (did in 2018), he’d get the back pay later in. I was a contractor during the shutdown 10ish years ago and yeah it sucks, although in my case we were still allowed to work and got paid so that was good.

Shutdowns are a joke and a waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATE government employees. There are a LOT of people that contract for the government that won't get paid. You are so selfish wishing for a shutdown when the people who actually DO YOUR JOB for you won't get paid.

Very few Feds want a shutdown, and OP is a pretty obvious troll. You hear people "wishing" for a shutdown because talking about the solver lining is more fun than worrying about the hit to the mission, the mess to dig out when we return, or the income of our contractor spouses.

I don't hate contractors as people but I do hate that so much has been outsourced. I'd much rather your job was Federal. The whole concept of using contractors (and then having Feds monitor them) is a mess. Don't be mad at Feds for a system we don't like and didn't create.

When the government makes it easier for someone who is not disabled, not an underserved minority, and not a veteran to get a Federal job, then perhaps my job will be federal. But until then, I'll keep applying and getting rejected for jobs like yours. I refuse to lie about being disabled, I won't do it. So I'll stay a contractor.

Have you tried applying for direct hire positions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATE government employees. There are a LOT of people that contract for the government that won't get paid. You are so selfish wishing for a shutdown when the people who actually DO YOUR JOB for you won't get paid.

Very few Feds want a shutdown, and OP is a pretty obvious troll. You hear people "wishing" for a shutdown because talking about the solver lining is more fun than worrying about the hit to the mission, the mess to dig out when we return, or the income of our contractor spouses.

I don't hate contractors as people but I do hate that so much has been outsourced. I'd much rather your job was Federal. The whole concept of using contractors (and then having Feds monitor them) is a mess. Don't be mad at Feds for a system we don't like and didn't create.

When the government makes it easier for someone who is not disabled, not an underserved minority, and not a veteran to get a Federal job, then perhaps my job will be federal. But until then, I'll keep applying and getting rejected for jobs like yours. I refuse to lie about being disabled, I won't do it. So I'll stay a contractor.

Where I am we’ve gone 100% to direct hires. I’ve been on a number of hiring committees and seen very few disabled/veteran candidates, and we’ve not yet hired any of them. So try applying to jobs like ours instead of jobs like yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question for those who have been there: if you are non-essential, do they take your laptop away? DH is a workaholic and if they don’t physically take his computer, he will be working anyway.

But he also has a to-do list (that he created) for if there is a shut down. I don’t want to be in a situation where he’s non-essential, works anyway during the day, and then our evenings are spent in chaos as he tries to tackle his to-do list.

What's your plan for the chaos if the government isn't shut down?

There won’t be chaos because he will be working in a normal capacity and thus won’t create extra projects for himself. This problem only arises when he’s not supposed to be working (vacations, holidays, shut downs, etc).

This is a Type A workaholic dh problem pp.

If there is a shutdown, and he is nonessential, you could hide his laptop after the first couple of days and tell him he will get it back when reopening is announced. Then he can commence to work on his at home to do list.

I know it’s a relationship problem. I just wanted to know if laptops get collected/left in-office.

No, probably for a host of reasons, but at my agency even if you are non-essential something might come up where you’d be temporarily called back and essential so you’d need access to your laptop. He should NOT work. It’s a big deal - they are quite serious about that prohibition and it is a felony.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my agency has always used carry over funds to continue working. even during shut-downs we always had to report. i suspect the same this time.

Same

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATE government employees. There are a LOT of people that contract for the government that won't get paid. You are so selfish wishing for a shutdown when the people who actually DO YOUR JOB for you won't get paid.

Very few Feds want a shutdown, and OP is a pretty obvious troll. You hear people "wishing" for a shutdown because talking about the solver lining is more fun than worrying about the hit to the mission, the mess to dig out when we return, or the income of our contractor spouses.

I don't hate contractors as people but I do hate that so much has been outsourced. I'd much rather your job was Federal. The whole concept of using contractors (and then having Feds monitor them) is a mess. Don't be mad at Feds for a system we don't like and didn't create.

When the government makes it easier for someone who is not disabled, not an underserved minority, and not a veteran to get a Federal job, then perhaps my job will be federal. But until then, I'll keep applying and getting rejected for jobs like yours. I refuse to lie about being disabled, I won't do it. So I'll stay a contractor.

Where I am we’ve gone 100% to direct hires. I’ve been on a number of hiring committees and seen very few disabled/veteran candidates, and we’ve not yet hired any of them. So try applying to jobs like ours instead of jobs like yours.

We do a lot of direct hires too and we often hire our contractors. I’ve had several contractors approach me or my team and ask how they can come on as feds, we post a direct hire and bring them on. None are disabled vets. I can’t remember the last time my office hired someone off a cert that no one in the office knew prior to the posting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATE government employees. There are a LOT of people that contract for the government that won't get paid. You are so selfish wishing for a shutdown when the people who actually DO YOUR JOB for you won't get paid.

Very few Feds want a shutdown, and OP is a pretty obvious troll. You hear people "wishing" for a shutdown because talking about the solver lining is more fun than worrying about the hit to the mission, the mess to dig out when we return, or the income of our contractor spouses.

I don't hate contractors as people but I do hate that so much has been outsourced. I'd much rather your job was Federal. The whole concept of using contractors (and then having Feds monitor them) is a mess. Don't be mad at Feds for a system we don't like and didn't create.

When the government makes it easier for someone who is not disabled, not an underserved minority, and not a veteran to get a Federal job, then perhaps my job will be federal. But until then, I'll keep applying and getting rejected for jobs like yours. I refuse to lie about being disabled, I won't do it. So I'll stay a contractor.

Where I am we’ve gone 100% to direct hires. I’ve been on a number of hiring committees and seen very few disabled/veteran candidates, and we’ve not yet hired any of them. So try applying to jobs like ours instead of jobs like yours.

We do a lot of direct hires too and we often hire our contractors. I’ve had several contractors approach me or my team and ask how they can come on as feds, we post a direct hire and bring them on. None are disabled vets. I can’t remember the last time my office hired someone off a cert that no one in the office knew prior to the posting.

Don’t you think this is also unfair?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATE government employees. There are a LOT of people that contract for the government that won't get paid. You are so selfish wishing for a shutdown when the people who actually DO YOUR JOB for you won't get paid.

Very few Feds want a shutdown, and OP is a pretty obvious troll. You hear people "wishing" for a shutdown because talking about the solver lining is more fun than worrying about the hit to the mission, the mess to dig out when we return, or the income of our contractor spouses.

I don't hate contractors as people but I do hate that so much has been outsourced. I'd much rather your job was Federal. The whole concept of using contractors (and then having Feds monitor them) is a mess. Don't be mad at Feds for a system we don't like and didn't create.

When the government makes it easier for someone who is not disabled, not an underserved minority, and not a veteran to get a Federal job, then perhaps my job will be federal. But until then, I'll keep applying and getting rejected for jobs like yours. I refuse to lie about being disabled, I won't do it. So I'll stay a contractor.

Where I am we’ve gone 100% to direct hires. I’ve been on a number of hiring committees and seen very few disabled/veteran candidates, and we’ve not yet hired any of them. So try applying to jobs like ours instead of jobs like yours.

We do a lot of direct hires too and we often hire our contractors. I’ve had several contractors approach me or my team and ask how they can come on as feds, we post a direct hire and bring them on. None are disabled vets. I can’t remember the last time my office hired someone off a cert that no one in the office knew prior to the posting.

Don’t you think this is also unfair?

DP, but the same experience. We’re in a specialized area. We get large numbers of applicants to job postings, but we’ve never had a qualified applicant apply that wasn’t prearranged.

Even if we weren’t so specialized, we’re very careful about who we hire because it’s so hard to get rid of people if they don’t work out. Sure, we can go through the process to fire the very poor performers. And the good performers that simply don’t work well with others generally leave on their own for more pay elsewhere. But it’s hard to get rid of people that aren’t at the extremes.

[Anonymous]

Let’s get back to the topic at hand.

Who is reading the tea leaves: will the government shut down, and if so, for how long?

[Anonymous]

No shutdown. Sorry, I kind of want one too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do we think the odds are of a shutdown?

My goal would be to have a staycation - gym, relax, TV, and unwind. What about you?

How nice for you. You realize that the federal workforce is only about 25-35% civil service. There are about 65-75% of the federal workforce that are contractors. While the civil service gets backpay virtually always, the federal contract workforce only gets paid when they work. In many cases, work stops at the shutdown and they are officially furloughed until work resumes. And they don't get back pay.

We are lucky in my household that we have one civil servant and one contractor. So even though I make more income as the contractor, my spouse is guaranteed back pay. But I know plenty of dual federal contractor families who lose all household income during a shutdown.

F the conservative wing who don't care about the federal workforce.

I agree with the last line of your rant. But—contractors are paid more than most civil servants for the same work, and have more career flexibility. I hate shutdowns, I think they are absurd, but taking your ire out on civil servants just because they get paid and you don’t, is stupid. You’re welcome to find a federal job, if you want one. Lots of positions opening up!

I'm not taking out my ire on civil servants in general. As I said, my spouse is a civil servant. What I object to is the civil servants who wish for shutdowns because they are guaranteed back pay. It's a very selfish attitude considering a furlough to be a paid staycation. The OP's attitude and language show just how self centered she is.

NP. I was a contractor and am now a Fed. In previous government shutdowns, I worked and was paid because as a contractor the money allotted for the contract was already awarded and “paid.” Also people claiming to be Feds and hoping for a shutdown might just be a troll. Everybody sh*ts on the government employees, even our elected officials!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATE government employees. There are a LOT of people that contract for the government that won't get paid. You are so selfish wishing for a shutdown when the people who actually DO YOUR JOB for you won't get paid.

Very few Feds want a shutdown, and OP is a pretty obvious troll. You hear people "wishing" for a shutdown because talking about the solver lining is more fun than worrying about the hit to the mission, the mess to dig out when we return, or the income of our contractor spouses.

I don't hate contractors as people but I do hate that so much has been outsourced. I'd much rather your job was Federal. The whole concept of using contractors (and then having Feds monitor them) is a mess. Don't be mad at Feds for a system we don't like and didn't create.

When the government makes it easier for someone who is not disabled, not an underserved minority, and not a veteran to get a Federal job, then perhaps my job will be federal. But until then, I'll keep applying and getting rejected for jobs like yours. I refuse to lie about being disabled, I won't do it. So I'll stay a contractor.

Where I am we’ve gone 100% to direct hires. I’ve been on a number of hiring committees and seen very few disabled/veteran candidates, and we’ve not yet hired any of them. So try applying to jobs like ours instead of jobs like yours.

We do a lot of direct hires too and we often hire our contractors. I’ve had several contractors approach me or my team and ask how they can come on as feds, we post a direct hire and bring them on. None are disabled vets. I can’t remember the last time my office hired someone off a cert that no one in the office knew prior to the posting.

Don’t you think this is also unfair?

NP - I understand "hired off a cert" to mean they advertised. So, no, not unfair: everybody had a chance. There is this myth that brilliant applicants are out there but getting overlooked for unfair reasons, as if the person already doing the job (whether as a detailee or contractor or person with the same job at another agency) isn't going to have a wealth of demonstrated qualifications and experience.

Every time I've been involved in hiring, there are like 2 really qualified applicants per hundred applications. And I've had people I know personally get overlooked because there were better applicants who were strangers (which is a fair outcome).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I HATE government employees. There are a LOT of people that contract for the government that won't get paid. You are so selfish wishing for a shutdown when the people who actually DO YOUR JOB for you won't get paid.

Very few Feds want a shutdown, and OP is a pretty obvious troll. You hear people "wishing" for a shutdown because talking about the solver lining is more fun than worrying about the hit to the mission, the mess to dig out when we return, or the income of our contractor spouses.

I don't hate contractors as people but I do hate that so much has been outsourced. I'd much rather your job was Federal. The whole concept of using contractors (and then having Feds monitor them) is a mess. Don't be mad at Feds for a system we don't like and didn't create.

When the government makes it easier for someone who is not disabled, not an underserved minority, and not a veteran to get a Federal job, then perhaps my job will be federal. But until then, I'll keep applying and getting rejected for jobs like yours. I refuse to lie about being disabled, I won't do it. So I'll stay a contractor.

NP and tangential comment. I’m not disabled or a vet and have no contacts whatsoever in the Fed jobs I was hired for. There is an art to submitting your resume for a federal job. You must tailor your resume to the announcement. In your write-up of job duties, use the keywords from the announcement as job duties. It’s time consuming but it works. They discuss this in Federal resume classes too (when Feds want to promote or change Agencies). Some agencies will let you attend Federal resume writing classes, look into it. This is how I did it.