An extensive consultation that confirms the unattractiveness of the civil service. This Tuesday, November 14, the Minister of Transformation and Public Services, Stanislas Guerini, presents to employers’ organizations and unions the results of a very large survey conducted among agents from June 20 to September 30. No less than 110,253 agents from three parts of the public service (state, hospital and territorial) participated in this consultation in order to give their opinion on the six commitments that the Government has taken to improve the conditions and quality of life at work in the public sector.
The six counseling topics are as follows: development managerial practicesthey guarantee agents a working environment that respects theirs healthequip the agents tools and workspaces customized, simplify the daily life of agents in the sense of human resourcescontinue commitment professional equality and support agents in question accommodation.
READ ALSO
Civil service: The Court of Auditors (again) deals with the management of contract workers by the state
Advising agents to encourage future civil service reform
And the results of this comprehensive survey are very clear: agents did not decide to enter the public service because of the working conditions. This criterion actually just appears, seventh position list of reasons that motivated agents to enter the public sector, behind the desire to serve the general interest, job security, the fact that they are at your service and in contact with users, or even career and mobility opportunities. “The appeal of public service is therefore mother of battles. It is also about the payroll, but also about everything that revolves around it, especially about the conditions and quality of life at work.explains for Main office of Stanislas Guerini.
After the salary issue, the Ministry of Civil Service therefore intends to put more emphasis on the need to improve the working conditions of agents. And this consultation is of great importance: “All results will be subject to change regulatory or legislative measures, especially in the context of the draft law that is being prepared. We have a compass that is all the more precious and legitimate here because it comes from the agents.”, detailed from the ministry. Namely, the government is preparing a bill aimed at implementing a new civil service reform at the center of which will be measures related to agents’ compensation and careers. This text should be finalized at the end of the year, in order to be presented to the Council of Ministers at the beginning of 2024.
READ ALSO
Conventional dismissals of civil servants: beware of the “risk of drift”, warns the Court of Auditors
A four-day week popular among public officials
Among the expectations of public servants is a very strong request for reorganization of working hours. So, all categories together (A, B or C)almost three quarters of respondents (72.6%) say that they are interested in a reorganization of their working hoursand especially by establishing a 35-hour work week over four days.
Public servants also want to benefit more innovative work tools : 79% consider it necessary to have a laptop – which is still not the case for everyone -, 67% emphasize the importance of using an office suite (Word, Excel, etc.). Then comes access to wifi, a smartphone or even video conferencing tools.
READ ALSO
Could the four-day week become widespread in France?
Expected improvements in remote work and workspaces
In connection with the previous topic, representatives of the public sector also have high expectations regarding remote work, and especially regarding the resources available for remote work. Thus, among respondents who can work remotely, 48% give it priority better financial support costs incurred by remote work and 45% possibility of using better digital tools.
Another important lesson from the consultation: public officials are generally not they are not satisfied with the workspace made available to them. In more detail, 55% of respondents would like to enjoy socializing areas in the office, and 53% in resting areas. A quarter of the respondents even mention the need to be able to use the space for isolation in the first place. On the other hand, less than one in five respondents (17%) prefer more open, bright spaces and classic meeting rooms.
Regarding health, professional burnout is at the top of public officials’ concerns (27.3%). This is followed by psychosocial risks (23%) and mental health in general (17%). Next, we find disorders of the musculoskeletal system (14.6%) and physical fatigue (11.7%).
Civil servants were also questioned on the topic of retraining and mobility, a topic closely related to the issue of well-being at work. the result: almost half of the respondents (49.1%) say they want to move or retrain. And still good news: almost three-quarters of these agents want to do it in the public service.
>> Do you want to retrain? Listen to this episode of “Remue Manage,” the management podcast shaking up the world of work:
Receive our latest news
Employment, management, rights, every week career news.