With so many employers in the public sector, and so much diversity within each part of the sector, there are many differences in working conditions and experiences. But broadly, working in the public sector has many benefits – most of all offering the chance to make a real difference to people's lives and it can bring both personal and professional rewards.
Facing all public sector organisations is the demand – from the public and politicians alike – that they should deliver the greatest possible value from taxpayers' money. This pressure has never been as stark as now, as the government's commitment to efficiency and public sector reform impacts on both public sector organisations and their workforces.
Some aspects of the government's reform agenda have been very positive, and huge increases in investment in public services have benefited staff with higher wages, more training and development opportunities and helping to sort out unequal pay problems. New career paths have also been opened up with the development of new job roles, such as healthcare assistants, classroom assistants, community support officers and nurse practitioners.
Allied to the increased investment has been a focus on public service reform. There is pressure to ensure that services are provided efficiently, offering value for money to taxpayers, and fairly based on need rather than ability to pay. In reality though, where this is resulting in stringent performance targets at best, and job cuts at worst, across the public services, the reforms can be to the detriment of staff motivation and morale.
