Each week, Apolitical asks public servants around the world a different question about life in government. In 2023 alone, we ran 52 polls. Sometimes, we zero in on a particular policy area that’s trending, or we try to delve deeper into a problem that’s been coming up in our research.
What we learn helps paint a picture of what it’s like to work in government. As you and your team transition into 2024, it’s worth remembering that there are people working in roles similar to yours in every country around the world. In all likelihood, they’re dealing with the same problems as you are and might be willing and able to offer you solutions based on what’s worked for them.
If you’d like to tell us a little bit more about what you found challenging in 2023 and what skill you’d like to focus on developing in 2024, please take Apolitical’s end-of-year survey — you’ll help us commission articles on the topics important to you, and curate events that address your needs.
But, before we fully move on from 2023, we want to share the results of a few polls that you might find interesting.
- There is no one way in which public servants are managing their inboxes. There are two types of people in this world: those who keep their email inbox neat and tidy and those who let all the junk email pile up. This is true in government as well. But email is more than just inbox management: it’s also the main channel governments use to communicate. As you head into 2024, make sure to read this short article on how to master the art of email.
- Finding time to learn as a team is hard to come by. However, learning is definitely better together. This doesn’t have to involve organising an away day. Learning as a team can be as simple as deciding to complete a course together and scheduling chats during coffee breaks to discuss what you’ve learned. We recommend doing so with one of Apolitical’s free courses. See the course catalogue.
- It’s hard to clearly identify productivity blockers in government. Staffing, instability, a lack of resources and bureaucracy come up most often when we ask public servants what the biggest challenge they’re dealing with at work is. But there’s no clear winner. It’s possible that all four problems are coming together or that there’s a problem we have yet to identify. Either way, Apolitical has put together a few courses which might help address these problems, including courses on resilience and silo-busting.
- However, it does look like hiring and staffing is the biggest productivity blocker, which is perhaps why the topic public servants most want to focus on developing is project management. After all, effectively managing large-scale projects is key to improving government’s efficiency. The good news is that Apolitical has created a course on project management.
- Finally, despite the challenges that come with working in government, public servants are likelier to be proud of their work than not. This means that, no matter where you’re based, you’re part of a global community that is excited about the work they’re doing. If you want to grow that sense of connection around a specific topic, we’ve launched our first community! It’s on AI in government, so make sure to join if you want to see what amazing things your peers around the world are doing with AI.
What do you think about these poll results? Are there any you disagree with? Do you have follow-up questions? What else would you like to know about life in government? Tell us by leaving a comment below ⬇️
(Image credit: Unsplash)
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