The power of giving back on the job

This article is written by Denise Grant, Public Servant and Legal Assistant in the Ministry of the Attorney General, Canada.

The views of this author are their own and do not represent the views of Ministry of the Attorney General.

• The problem: Have you been doing the same job for too long? Has your work become repetitive or routine? Employees often feel undervalued and unfulfilled for a range of different reasons, such as losing interest in their position, or waiting for the government to provide opportunities. It’s time – no more waiting – time to create your personal push for change.
• Why it matters: Employees often feel there is little or no room for creativity and to make a difference. However, to feel valued and fulfilled will require you to take ownership of the problem and find ways to rejuvenate your interest or passion for your job.
• The solution: Take responsibility for your personal and professional development: make the decision to pursue different results than you are currently experiencing, put in the necessary work and become determined to push past your discomfort. You will be on your way to changing you, your job performance and improving your workplace culture. Everybody wins!

Calling all government employees! Are you fully contributing your skills and time to improving your workplace? Are you considering your input creatively?

I have been a public servant for over eight years. During that time, the work became routine, and I was out of fresh ideas to keep me engaged with the work. I have participated in two secondments within the same branch. In both roles, I had become comfortable performing my duties.

Traditionally, many public servants have behaved with the mindset of “I have a government job, I am set for life.” No more job hunting. I am good until retirement. The challenge with this type of thinking is that it fosters a sense of “I have arrived” and nothing further is required from you. This is a false sense of security and a “personal mental trap”.

Workplace philanthropy

I am introducing a new concept for government employees called “workplace philanthropy”. The programme is for social good and provides employees with opportunities for both personal and professional growth, which can positively impact engagement and retention rates. This component of a well-rounded benefits government package is a win for all involved. 

A good place to start is to find creative ways to give back right where you are and see what creativity that sparks from within.

In the past, I have struggled with coming up with new ways to add value and to think outside of my everyday work routine. Finally, it hit me! I wanted to find ways to give back to the government rather than always being on the receiving end. I wanted to turn the table. Here is how I got started. I took a few vacation days and rather than using the whole days as leave, I instead used them to create more flexible workdays, where I could work fewer hours throughout the week. I attended the office on a couple of days and worked remotely on the other days. On days when I really needed a break but had no real plan and was not sick, I took a mental health day. I submitted the mental health day as a vacation day. This exercise was empowering because I no longer felt stuck. I moved from an undesirable place to a more liberated space.

As I discussed in my article ‘Why government internal practices must change’ in this series, another idea I had was to attend the office five days a week rather than three. This might sound a bit crazy because I was using my time in ways that were unconventional. While this was true, it also left me feeling a sense of autonomy, particularly in how and where I spent my time. It certainly got me out of my same old workday habits. I freed my ability to see things and my circumstances differently. When I needed to be close to home, I simply emailed my manager letting her know I would be working from home that day. No sweat, and most importantly, no guilt or feeling the need to make up an excuse.

At first, it felt as if I was going against all that was common practice and that was true. However, as I look back, I can see now that it is exactly what was needed to ignite my fun for working again and it gave me the opportunity to think outside of my normal pattern of behaviour. And to be honest, I no longer feel like a robot.

Where are you and where do you want to be?

In any area of your life, whether you want different results or a change, it all comes down to taking responsibility for where you are and where you want to go. So, a good place to start is to find creative ways to give back right where you are and see what creativity that sparks from within.

Examples of employee-focused philanthropy include giving your time outside of your current role, taking on a project that is not part of your duties, helping in areas of heavy workload, devising a plan to tackle a backlog of work, offering flexible scheduling and using your paid time off for volunteering in the office. The point here is to come out of the constant receiving from the government and move into giving, whether in small or big ways.

Start making your plans to give back to government today!

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