It's a funny thing about the Public Service

These are jokes that have been doing the rounds of the public service in Australia for some time. I am not sure if they appeal to a global audience, but somehow, I feel they will:)

You know you work for a government dept when...
*You've sat at the same desk for 4 years and worked for three different departments.

*You've worked for the same department for 4 years and sat at more than 10 different desks.

*You've been in the same job for 4 years and have had 10 different supervisors.

*You order your business cards in "half orders" instead of whole boxes.

*When someone asks about what you do for a living, you can't explain it in one sentence.

*You get really excited about a 2% pay raise.

*You use acronyms in your sentences.

*Your biggest loss from a system crash is that you lose your best jokes.

*You sit in a cubicle smaller than your bedroom closet.*It's dark when you drive to and from work.

*Fun is when issues are assigned to someone else.

*The words "challenge" and "opportunity" make you shiver in fear.

*You see a well-dressed, good-looking person and know it is a visitor.

*Weekends are those days your significant other makes you stay home.

*Art involves a white board.

*You're already late on the assignment you just got.*Dilbert cartoons hang outside every cube and are read by your co-workers only.

*Your boss' favourite lines are "when you get a few minutes" or "when you're free".

On a side note, I used to work for the Dept. Of Lands in Sydney. Due to restructuring, I constantly had to apply for the position I had held for some time.

The straw that broke the camels back was the very last. There were only two candidates, myself and a co-worker. He asked that I train him to use the computerised records system as I was "better at it" than he was and therefore, had an unfair advantage.

Guess what - his request was granted!