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Opinion
The Federal Government Quiet Quit — And Now Public Service Is in Freefall
The Consequences of a Disengaged Leadership on Its Workforce
Leadership Sets the Tone
Back in the day, I worked with a manager who pretended to work.
He was a genuinely nice guy, he was kind, considerate and supportive. He listened to his subordinates and gave everyone excellent performance assessments.
But no one could find him half the time. The rest of the day, he was either on his phone, or on the net. He couldn’t be bothered doing any actual work because no one could hold him to account. He couldn’t be fired. He couldn’t be disciplined. He had quietly quit working right in plain view.
Why?
Because he was a political appointee. His wife was an acting member of the Parliament of our tiny island Republic, and he himself rubbed shoulders with the then Prime Minister of the island. The controlling shares of the company were held by the Government so…he was untouchable.
I’m not going to call names here (lol) but the impact of his disengaged leadership was felt across the company.
