Why are State Workers so inept?

[Parche]

I just had to do something 3times, and a months time, when it should have taken me 1time in 1day
:grr: :grr: :hi:

[Deja Q]

1. Because they like to see their constituents?

:D

[bluedigger]

8. Apologies in advance to all others, but I have to ask.

Louisiana?

edited to explain obvious mispost.

[stray cat]

2. Alot of inept workers out there - not just state -

and we wonder why America is not keeping up internationally.

[madinmaryland]

3. This should be good.

:popcorn:

[triguy46]

6. Yes. I think I'll go first.

[triguy46]

4. So, I'm a state worker. I think you tossed some shit that hit my shoulder.

Any other broad brush insults pending? I'll hang up and listen for your apology on line.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. You just insulted a whole lot of good, hard-working people.

I used to work for a state government. I did a good job; I did not, and do not, consider myself to be inept; nor were my co-workers.

An apology to the thousands of very capable (and mostly union) state workers is in order. Thank you in advance.

[Parche]

10. well not in this office

all the front line ones are inept, and that is around 10
and they admitted they F'd up.....:grr: :grr: :grr: :hi:

[charlie and algernon]

7. i think you missed a "some" in there somewhere

gotta stick up for my co-workers and fellow state employees. Sure there are SOME inept ones, but plenty of good ones. As it is with ANY field and job.

[vixengrl]

9. A state worker's explanation--

Well, here's why your government-provided customer service might not have been super:

1) We are here to help you. But. You are not the only person they are dealing with. I know that's not an excuse. But a state worker processes tons of cases of whatever variety, whether they are DMV people or Revenue people or what have you, and they have heard a lot. But we can't always do exactly what you need us to do. Sometimes we don't have enough information. Sometimes we don't have the authority. We all get bitched at about "I waited (on the phone, in a line, 'x' weeks after sending in my correspondence) and I want something done, right now..."

except:

2) We don't have control over how many people are in our queue, or even what we can do for them. We have regulations and red tape we have to deal with. Things have to follow procedures and sometimes it's just out of our hands. We might need "x" form filled out perfectly, or "y" piece of documentation. And even after patiently explaining that things take time and we can't do anything instantly, we know we've disappointed the customer. Even if it's the dog's honest truth. And we'll head to a supervisor sometimes and try to go above and beyond--but deep down--

We sympathize, but sometimes you're just stuck.

3) Sometimes you really are dealing with someone who is: a) a temp, b) a trainee. Or c) totally burnt out. This is because, to save revenue, the state might have a) went for cheaper private contract labor, b) has some younger hires who are less experienced because they offered early retirement and got rid of all the competent old farts who knew what they were doing, or c) the person you are talking to probably knows what they are doing and cares, but you have to help them help you.

What does that mean? (And isn't it their job to help you, no matter what?)

I hate to be a gray-shirted cubicle Nazi, but sometimes one's "papers aren't in order". Dealing with the government means--"Be prepared". Forewarned is forearmed. Check out the state website first to see what services are available and what your options are. A lot of things you do with the government don't even require a squishy fallible human interface anymore, they can be quickly done online. But if you need to interface with a state worker--have some idea what answers you need. Ask questions--and if you don't think you are getting good answers from us--ask for a supervisor. We don't really mind questions, or even a call for a supervisor, as much as we hate trying to cover all the bases for someone who has no idea what they're talking about or, worst case scenario--guess what our customer is looking for.

We run into different version of this, from the information-resistant customer who just doesn't listen, to the information-retardant customers who can actually make any problem worse with a little stubborness and ingenuity. In other words, sometimes we wonder why our customers are.....inept? But not all of them. Most of them are a pleasure. The best customers read the notices we've sent them. They have a pretty good idea what they need to fill out, they just need some help with how. They ask good questions, and make it easy to help them.

Sometimes dealing with a state worker sucks. Sometimes it doesn't. I wish an experience like yours wasn't so common. But we are not all inept.

[UTUSN]

11. Ummm. I had enough LAST night. n/t

[rurallib]

12. My experience is that they are no worse than private sector employees

Sometimes I think they are better because they know they are under a microscope and any error will be magnified. Thanks to the rantings of Ronald Reagan and his ilk.

[DBoon]

16. the private sector can be more efficient at creating poor service

I'd rather deal with a well-meaning but badly managed government employee that a private sector employee that is effectively organized and managed to screw over their "customers" (insurance companies and banks, I MEAN YOU!)

[BarenakedLady]

13. I'll answer this honestly as a former State Worker.

There is no incentive to do a good job. You get paid the same amount as anyone else with your title whether you work your ass off or spend your days picking your nose and hiding in the bathroom. You'd have to royally fuck up to lose your job too.

Of course, I can only speak for my own experiences in the state that I worked for back in the day. That said, I'm trying like hell to get myself a County job in my new state of residence. I'm old enough to appreciate the job security now.

[mwooldri]

14. I'm not particularly fond of some certain state workers.

Those ones that work at E Capitol St NE & 1st St NE in Washington, DC for starters. They sure don't appear to work for me.

[Generic Brad]

15. Which state? The state of confusion?

[Skittles]

17. LOL - last one we hired (ex-state worker)

project time said 3.0 - he thought it meant three weeks - I said no darling, that's THREE HOURS :rofl:

[madinmaryland]

18. Alerting, since I cannot unrec.

[WillyT]

19. Um... As A State Worker, I Would Like To Invite You To Kiss My Rather Large Ass !!!

Me and my crew are a fairly small number of folks (less than 100 of us) that process unemployment forms for the entire state of California every day. We get the forms by large mail trucks, open each one, then scan every single one of them so that the key data operators can put the info into the system and get the unemployed their checks sent to them.

We get up to 300,000 forms in a day. We work a "straight eight" shift with a 20 and 10 minute break, or if you smoke, you get six 5 minute breaks, and try to inhale something resembling lunch along the way. We have always gotten the work out by the end of our shift, and the unemployed get their money on time.

We have also had our pay reduced by almost 15% because of Furlough Fridays, which we are not allowed to take on Fridays because we are too important. We have to save them up, and then ask for permission to use the time off owed to us. If we don't use it before 2012, we lose it.

And... our salaries are 60% funded by the Federal government, so California is not really saving that much by furloughing us. Plus the fact that what the Governator is doing to EDD is illegal according to Federal law.

And yet through it all, and as burned out as we all are becoming (quadruple the work with a 15% pay cut in the last year), we somehow maintain our sense of humor and make sure the job gets done each and every day. ie... Nobody has gone postal... yet!

So give us a break why don't ya?

:wtf: