Think about it like this – either pay your government employees well or they'll jump ship ASAP before gaining too much experience to the first big lobbyist or industry insider offering more money. And in that situation, do you think they'll spend their short government career focused on serving the people or advancing their future industrialist employer's wishes?

by RuinWeird9684 1 week ago

I'd say that's true of most public service jobs. If you pay them nothing then you will end up with the people who are there because it's all they can do, then your public services will be crap.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Why not... Pay them well then? And not rely on a bonus

by Dull-Apartment-989 1 week ago

Those two things seem the same to me, but sure. Idk much about Canada, but maybe this structure is just the result of all government employees getting bonuses. And I can see where that's particularly useful for a lot of other non-legislative jobs.

by RuinWeird9684 1 week ago

Government bootlicking is what this is

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Because they make the rules

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I think bonuses can make sense if they meet certain performance benchmarks, but I think a lot of bonuses are given out as a way of dishonestly reporting salaries for officials. Basically, if a department is tasked with lowering costs by 10% while maintaining all performance metrics and they achieve that goal I could understand the managers and employees receiving a bonus; but in the absence of goals and metrics bonuses are just a handout.

by Halvorsonroyce 1 week ago

I am sure their work has a bigger impact on the population than the average person's job. You think most of them are there because they genuinely want to serve the public with minimal compensation?

by Anonymous 1 week ago

This must be a Canadian thing. In the U.S. they are all on salary. There are no bonuses, and no one is getting rich being a government employee. The ones who are rich usually are high ranking officials who come from wealthy families or had a high paying career before they started working for the government.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Federal employees in the US can get performance bonuses, though the amount and whether they get one at all depends on budgets and the agency. But yeah, nobody is getting rich as a regular federal employee.

by stacy31 1 week ago

I work for the US federal government. In my little corner of the government only management is on salary. The rest of us are hourly and it's awesome, we get OT. I agree that no one is getting rich being a fed, typically salaries are lower than one would make in private industry. But there are performance awards. They are typically not very big, they are capped at some portion of your pay (I think the largest one I've seen in my office was equivalent to one week's pay) and are sometimes awarded as leave hours rather than cash. But I stay because my agency is supportive of employees, the benefits are on par with the best ones I ever got in my private sector career, and there are actual job protections (and a union) and you get to take the leave you've earned without having to justify it, etc.

by gerholdlaverne 1 week ago

How is this an unpopular opinion

by Hot-Low 1 week ago

Because most Canadians think it's fine they do this.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

In the US we don't pay our lawmakers anywhere near what industry pays lobbyists. So everyone wants to just serve a few years and then cash out for their private industry payday. Or they take other "speaking fees" or other outside income.

by RuinWeird9684 1 week ago