AN OPEN LETTER TO PUBLIC SERVANTS

Today is the first day of Public Service Recognition Week and since much of our readership is made up by people who have devoted their lives to public service, we thought it was only appropriate for us to send you this note, in honor of the occasion.  

To be clear, we’re addressing these comments to the public servants whose work is largely invisible. While some – like firefighters and teachers -- have jobs that are seen and appreciated by the public, this is not the case with people who labor into the night in areas like procurement, who ensure that the teachers have computers in their classrooms and provide firetrucks and hoses without which firefighters can’t do their heroic jobs.  

Much the same is true in fields like human resources, where workers spend their days trying to hire and retain the best and brightest. Or those who work in budget offices, trying to make sure that the public books are balanced, honest and timely.

We thank you, the unrecognized, underappreciated people who keep the government services coming our way. 

These are tough jobs. As our friend and colleague Bob Lavigna of UKG wrote recently, “Now more than ever, public service and public servants are under the microscope, and not just in the federal government. The work of government at all levels is being intensely scrutinized, too often unfavorably and unfairly. It’s no wonder that trust in all levels of government has declined, and government is struggling to attract and retain talent.

“What can get lost in the often-overheated rhetoric about government is that public servants perform vitally important work that affects us all every day in critical ways.”

Worse yet, though the public wants to be sure all the services government promises are kept, many are more inclined to complain about the taxes they pay than to appreciate what they’re getting for them. Good restaurants are packed with people who are uncomplaining when they get their bills – and take some pleasure in leaving a good tip for a server who has done a superior job. But it’s our impression that there’s minimal appreciation for the health inspectors whose work is to make sure that you’re not eating an overabundance of rodent hairs.

In these jaded times, when people hear the phrase “good enough for government work,” they often think it’s a pejorative that suggests something that is of inferior quality. But back during the Second World War, when the phrase first gained currency, it meant the top-of-the-top work that exceeded expectations.

We’re not ignorant of the flaws in government programs, but we’ve devoted much of the last 30 years to uncovering programs and policies that work well and have the potential – if funded – to make life better for all of us.

Let that be our thank you, to the public servants we try to serve.

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