What's worse...

[The Captain]

The devil you know, or the devil you don't know?

This latest round of government shutdowns had my sister REALLY pissed off.  The last two times she was exempted because she works in a critical function.  Her boss thought she was going to be exempt this time but she was sent home.

Apparently after three days they called her back - at a number 8+ years out of date (she made sure her contact information was updated in the HR system).  She went in yesterday to check her emails for 15 min only (all that she is allowed) and her boss was "You came in, thank GOD!".  She told him she had not been called back, he told her she was.  Her boss called regional HQ guy to confirm and regional guy started dressing down my sis for her out of date number.  He then tells her she has to work this whole week and cancel a vacation day she had scheduled two months ago.  (Re: vacation - use it or loose it, she's at the accrual limits). 

He then calls back 20 minutes later and admits the call back list apparently had not been updated since the Bush administration (not sure which one).  In the meantime sis has cleared two copy machines, both of which were jammed, filled a fax machine (toner and paper) and reset the voicemail system.  Her boss is totally helpless in these areas (but a crack prosecutor!).  She then starts on a stack of pleadings, supenoas (sp), and a bunch of other legal stuff which is necessary to be able to get search/arrest warrants, hold accused for a certain period of time, and officially press charges.  She's fuming because apparently all of her vacation time has been cancelled for the rest of the year according to the schedule and is ready to walk.  Her boss is begging her to stay and tells her to take this Friday as planned and HE will deal with the bullshit.

Her words - "I'm tired of dealing with the crap from congress who won't do their jobs, so I CAN'T do mine!"

She doesn't need this job and can very easily get another.  Hell, she doesn't even need to work.  She is very good at what she does and really likes her boss, but hates the government bullshit. 

I let her vent at me for about an hour last night, then asked the question - what's worse?  The devil you know or the devil you don't know (she has had some crappy bosses in the past).  It got her calmed down and at least now she's thinking it through.

What's your take?

[Deleted]

All jobs have bullshit.  But sometimes it is a nice change to deal with new, fresh bullshit.

[wvugurl26]

I don't know if it's that black and white in your sister's case. If she's under the new pension system that is a different story.

As far as all leave being cancelled that is a different story especially in a shutdown situation. I get being frustrated in this situation. On the other hand how much of her frustration is shutdown related? Does she generally operate under her direct supervisor or is the interference from above normal?

If she is tired of it then by all means she can look for a new job. I think every employer has their share of crap. I certainly have plenty in my role. On the other hand my work makes a difference and unlike my public counterparts doing the audit of our financials, I'm not working 70 hours a week.

[The Captain]

wvugurl26 - I'm not familiar enough with the benefits to know if she is under the new or old pension system.  I do know that even if she walks today, she will get a pension, it will just be a small one.  If she can stick it out for another 15 years she will have a very good pension.  

She is the only legal assistant in an office that is supposed to have two attorney's.  However since the last attorney transferred to CA they put a hiring freeze in place and her boss has basically been handling the work of two people.  He is frequently in on weekends (I've seen it when visiting sis) and often works late to avoid cases getting missed and/or people walking who should be in jail.  Sis has stepped up in responsibility and does a lot of paralegal work that the DA's used to do (office is not big enough to support a separate paralegal).  Sis has been asked to take paralegal training to cover this but since she's already doing the work doesn't think it's worth the change in paygrade.  She also works late and on weekends as requested (and can get fired for doing so as she is in violation of labor laws) as she knows the office cannot support another headcount. 

Her boss knows and appreciates this and keeps her out of most of the bullshit from the regional office.  She is part of a "labor pool" so technically has two direct bosses (her real boss, and the district boss 200 miles away).  Her real boss can apparently only screen out so much, so yes, there is normal intereference from above (who operate in a much bigger office and apparently don't understand the limitations of a smaller staffed office).  She also gets called to the main office about 2-3 times a year (they cover travel, hotel, meals and OT etc) to cover when their workload gets backed up or someone takes an unexpected sick leave.  Even when she was going through chemo she kept up with her work load and did not request backup.  She keeps their office running like a boot camp and that is why her boss likes her so much.

I hope she calms down because having a great boss and benefits are nothing to sneeze at.

[wvugurl26]

Perhaps things will settle down for her after this madness ends? I know it is frustrating. I've had days where I wonder why I bother?

The pension system changed in 1984.

Maybe venting helped her? The government can absolutely drive you nuts. On the good days I can remember that I do make a difference and I'm helping to protect the innocent.

Morale's in the tank for most government groups. We've been on a hiring freeze for years in my group. No one's been replaced and our workloads are out of control.

Maybe you could ask her what she used to like about her job and if there's anything she still likes?

[giramomma]

I struggle with this as a public sector employee. My fate is in the hands of public sentiment and lawmakers. My pay/benefits have absolutely nothing to do with output.

I prefer to deal with the devil I know.

[8 Bit WWBG]

...:::"She is the only legal assistant in an office that is supposed to have two attorney's. However since the last attorney transferred to CA they put a hiring freeze in place and her boss has basically been handling the work of two people. He is frequently in on weekends (I've seen it when visiting sis) and often works late to avoid cases getting missed and/or people walking who should be in jail.":::...

This is what people who jump on the "smaller government" bandwagon forget.  After a while, there are no more increases in efficiency to be found.  Eventually, people either have to do less with less, or reduce quality proportionally.  Yes, decreases in resources happen everywhere -- public and private.

I think in most cases, the devil I know is the better one.  One needs to research alternative devils before committing to a new one.

[The Captain]

The sad/funny thing is she took this job to get away from office politics, and to make a difference.

I've mentioned this before, but she prepares the exhibits for the trials.  She has to see the evidence, all of it, and work with her boss to decide what is going to best present their case.

She has never discussed any case in detail, not even after it was settled.  I only know generalities.  Imagine the worst humanity has to offer, then realize that unless you're involved in criminal work - you have not seen the worst.

She's burnt out on this aspect, to be honest, I don't know how her boss handles it either.  All this other stuff is not helping.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

If she is eligible for a small pension now, she probably should bite the bullet and take out her frustrations elsewhere until this mess dies down and stay with the devil she knows. The question is how long is that?

I know when I lost my pension, I had 14 years in the system. I was vested and would have received a small pension (about $400). But had I managed to hold out another 6 years, my pension would have been $2500/mo. A few years makes a huge difference.

[Nazgul Girl]

   Thecaptain, she has the ideal job in a situation that will give her a pension, with a boss that adores her and loves her work.   She is key to running the whole show which I'm sure gives her a lot of satisfaction.   If she quits now due to little time period of frustration and some asshole giving her the business, then she is cutting her nose off to spite her face.   Tell her to please, please, please settle down, ignore the static, and keep on pushing.   She'll be okay and doing herself a financial favor down the road ( magic pension ).