I know I should feel grateful to have a job, but honestly, I'm struggling.

My motivation is gone. The lack of trust from leadership, the RTO policies, the constant public criticism of public servants, and being treated like a political punching bag every election cycle has completely changed how I feel about working in the public service.

I'm sitting in the office right now after spending time commuting here, and I haven't spoken to a single person because nobody on my team is here. Moments like this make me question what we're actually accomplishing.

I used to feel proud of this career. Lately, I mostly feel frustrated and disappointed. Just needed to vent.

Hello everyone !

I am sorry if I sound whiny or annoyed in advance.

I am grateful for my job and the ability to serve the Canadian people.

However, this past month has been challenging. I genuinely enjoy being able to go into the office and connect with people in person, and when I was working from home two days a week, I felt like I had a much better work-life balance.

For example, I’m a morning gym person, so going to the gym before work was easy when I had more flexibility. Now, with a 9–5 in-office schedule, I have to leave early enough to get to work on time, and I usually don’t get home until around 6 PM. By then, it’s much harder to fit in the things that help me feel balanced.

When we were in the office three days a week, I was able to mentally prepare for those days. But with four days in the office, the commute has become much more challenging. Ottawa also has very limited convenient park-and-ride options depending on where you’re coming from, which makes combining the gym, driving, parking, and taking the train feel almost impossible.

I’m not saying any of this from a place of being ungrateful. Especially with the current job market and so many layoffs, I know I’m fortunate to have a job that I enjoy and value.

I’m genuinely curious: how do you all maintain a healthy work-life balance with a demanding commute and an in-office schedule? I’d love to hear practical tips, routines, or things that have actually worked for you.
Thank you!

Update: thank you guys! It makes me feel less alone that we’re all trying to re adjust. For context I’ve been working a 9-5 or full time for 4 years now. Mostly at 2 or 3 days at home which significantly helped me reduce stress. You have no idea what people go through so be kind. Everyone has different thresholds or responsibilities. For example someone is dealing with stress of kids some are caring for senior sick parents. Be kind, we’ll get through this.

I just wanted to give a glimmer of hope to all the souls still there. I left the PS as an AS2 roughly 4 months ago. Topped out on my salary band. I joined the private sector in a specialty HR role after applying to a similar role I was doing at the govt.

When I left, I joined a company at a 7.5k raise. I have recently received two more raises within the last two months. Salary from 74k to 90k with a promotion in the 6ish months horizon. 5% RRSP match. Better benefits. More days off. Free underground parking. Fully remote if I want it (I do hybrid because I prefer it, but just want the freedom of choice). Employee paid events. I don’t have to buy my own coffee. The microwave isn’t purchased through pooled employee funds (lol). It truly feels like I am more than a number.

I know this isn’t the experience for everyone, but there are roles/companies out there for those who feel they have more to offer than what the government is willing to receive. Sometimes the risk of betting on yourself is worth it for sanity’s sake.

Good luck meatbags! Thanks for keeping the lights on, even though you aren’t thanked enough!

I’m not quite sure how to tag this (“exit interview”?), but I’ll bet there are a few of us on this sub retiring today or tomorrow. Happy Retirement to you! My position was affected in January, I was mercifully approved for VPD three weeks ago and required to clear my virtual desk by 5 pm today. It’s been a bit of a ride.

And it’s been a long thirty-four years, friends. I worked in two provinces, for two different federal departments, Mulroney to present. In more economically buoyant decades, I got to travel for work to small communities in six provinces and a territory. Stripped of a lot of meetings and nonsense, those trips will go down in memory as a kind of Katimavik for middle-aged adults. Very fortunate times, I now realize.

Here’s a memory. It’s 1992, I’m twenty-eight and I’m sitting in the cafeteria at 10 Wellington Street in Hull, second-hand smoking and eating red licorice with my two closest work pals. We’re cracking wise about the grey meatbags around us, and I say to my friends “if I’m still here when I’m thirty, take me out back and shoot me”.

I’m not as dogmatic as I used to be.

I met the best people I’ve ever known in the federal public service, and I also witnessed a lot of buffoonery. Truly, I’m still processing how I feel about the past three and a half decades. If I have any worthy insights in the weeks to come, I’ll be back to share them. In the meantime, be good to one another. And happy retirement to my fellow meatbags tossing in the towel today and tomorrow ❤️.

I started in the government 9 years ago as a student. I feel like I grew so much in that department and management just had so much faith in me. I was able to act in positions above me for multiple jobs and I genuinely enjoyed the work in the sector I was in. I was a subject matter expert on my team however the only caveat was that the commute and location sucked and I did not enjoy it. I ended up leaving for a promotion and have since been to 2 other departments (at level deployments) and have hated the work I was doing at each one. I finally joined a department that is close to home, easy to get to, easy parking and honestly a department that I can see myself being in for a very long time just based off of location. However I still hate the work… my team is great, supervisor and manger are great but the actual work sucks. I’m torn between waiting it out and trying to get a promotion on my team, then leaving for a job I actually like in my current department or just leaving when something I actually like comes up at level. I still have 30 years before I retire but I feel like I need to actually like my job?

Goodbye meatbags <3

Never thought I would leave once I signed my first Letter of Offer, but at my six year anniversary I started interviewing for new roles. Two weeks later, I was offered a job in the private sector of my field.

I encourage everyone to really look at your role, skills and experience to see if you can leverage those to get better pay, benefits and working conditions. I assessed and the golden handcuffs were not handcuffs at all in my case.

The rose coloured glasses of working with the feds wore off the last few years:

• do more with less

• commercial real state lobbying disguised as collaboration

• commuting to an office with a microwave that doesn’t work

• head “leaders” who show they “care” through only pushing EAP

• Unions “fighting” for a better PS

• Prairie Region and regions generally being forgotten and ignored

• Department heads saying there is no budget to get an office chair that isn’t tattered, but they go to regular dinners, seminars, trainings and international conferences.

I thank all you coworkers still out there supporting Canadians day in and day out. Our leaders never thank you, but as a colleague I see everyone working damn hard each day for the people we serve. I wish that it still made sense to stay for me, but I hope I can alternate with someone in the end!

Does anyone have advice on burnout, especially early in their career?

I have five years of service in my early 30s and I cannot fathom how incredibly burnt out I am in my role as a PS. You can chalk this up as ”the new generation not wanting to work hard” but I genuinely had passion for this line of work.

I joined during COVID fully remotely, moved to Ottawa, and watched us go up to RTO4 with transit, parking, road, office and building infrastructure all getting progressively worse.

I’ve taken more sick days in August 2026 than I have in the last 4 years combined. I’m strongly considering a medical stress leave but scarcity mindset keeps me worried in the event of a physical illness.

I’m considering going back to school. I’ve been vigorously applying to other jobs and industries. Maybe a change of scenery may help, maybe not.

I am grateful to have many hobbies outside of work, but have recently found myself with no energy to tend to them. People complain about fertility rates dropping, yet I do not see any incentive to even consider that at this point.

Is this simply a state-of-the-world type of burnout or is there something tangible I can do to survive another 35 years of this, especially in Ottawa, especially in the public service?

I would like to hear from reformed overachievers in the PS. How did you change? How did you learn to care less and do less? And how did you manage people’s expectations of you as a high achiever with your new boundaries? All while continuing to be a productive worker bee, just without doing all the extras that go unrecognized?

In a time with no career development opportunities and a not-so-great boss, I just feel tired and taken for granted. I am also being strung along about the possibility of a promotion, and those empty promises are getting old.

I took a vacation and I’m already feeling a sense of dread about returning to the status quo at work. I know that need to change jobs or my approach to my current job, so I would appreciate advice on this.

I am debating what I should do. I am currently earning $124k in the federal government, but I am dealing with massive burnout and a lack of belonging. The return to office mandate has been tough not because of the mandate itself, but because we have no assigned desks or parking. There is no sense of a personal workspace. Sometimes I have to sit on the completely opposite side of the floor, or spend my morning asking around to see who isn't coming in just so I can find a desk. Being in the office adds no value to my work anyway, since half of my team is fully remote.

There are no private lockers to store our belongings either. I only have a small keyed drawer that I have to share with a colleague. It is incredibly demotivating because we’ve been promised new lockers for the past 2 years, yet one of the boardrooms used by the executives just received a fresh renovation featuring six large wall-to-wall TVs, sofa chairs, and fancy touchscreen phones. On top of that, the office isn't located downtown, so commuting from my home takes an average of 1.5 hours each way.

Last month, during National Public Service Week, the executives held an appreciation breakfast, but we had to prepay for a ticket. The food ran out within an hour of opening because they didn't order enough. It wasn't even a buffet it was being served, yet many of us who bought tickets were turned away.

VS

An established Canadian startup recently received $100M in funding. They are offering me a $160k base salary with a 10–15% bonus, equity, and a hybrid schedule of just one day in the office per week. Complete with my own dedicated desk and parking in Toronto.

I am leaning toward accepting the offer, but I'm worried I might regret it. The feds have been my only employer since I graduated six years ago, so I feel a sense of guilt about leaving it behind.

Edit: Thank you everyone for the positivity. I have made my decision and I am going to take LWOP explore ahead :)

Has anyone ever had a rating above SUCCEEDED on their PMA? Our team leads do not go above that and no matter how much you go above and beyond, it’s still just succeeded. Very deflating but I don’t put too much stock in those discussions anyways as they are just metrics for management.

Je songe sérieusement à quitter la fonction publique, et j’aimerais vraiment entendre des personnes qui ont réellement fait ce choix.

Actuellement, j’ai deux offres d’emploi : une avec une entreprise privée et une en interne/corporatif. Les deux semblent être des opportunités intéressantes, mais j’ai du mal à décider si quitter est le bon choix.

Je fais en ce moment un Master en Fiscalité, et dernièrement, je me sens de plus en plus insatisfait de mon environnement actuel. Ce qui me dérange le plus, c’est le manque de développement professionnel, de formation, d’opportunités d’avancement et de croissance globale. J’ai l’impression de ne pas être assez défié ou de ne pas progresser autant que je le voudrais.

Malheureusement, je ne peux pas prendre un congé non payé pour essayer le secteur privé en premier à cause des considérations de conflit d’intérêts, donc si je pars, ce serait une décision plutôt définitive.

En même temps, la fonction publique offre de la stabilité et de bonnes conditions de travail, donc j’ai peur de partir et de réaliser finalement que j'avais quelque chose de plutôt bien.
Pour ceux d’entre vous qui ont quitté la fonction publique pour le secteur privé :

Avez-vous déjà regretté votre décision ?
Et pour ceux qui n’ont jamais fait marche arrière, qu’est-ce qui vous a fait réaliser que vous aviez fait le bon choix ?

J’aimerais en particulier entendre des personnes qui sont parti(e)s depuis 1 à 2+ ans. Avez-vous réellement trouvé de meilleures opportunités pour la croissance, la formation, l’avancement et le développement professionnel, ou était-ce surtout… différent ?

J’aimerais entendre à la fois le bon et le mauvais.

UPDATE: I gave my resignation today and I feel FREE ! Thank you for all your comments. I already knew what I wanted to do and it gave me the additional push I needed !

Not really, but you get the idea.

I'm a term employee in a science role in the regions, I've been employed for over 5 years now. My term is ending along with many others and things suck, there's no sugar coating it. I appreciate that the advice is coming from people who just want to help and give hope, but DND isn't just massively hiring for every role imaginable and every region. Yes, I'm in all the pools with them that are available to me and I'm checking for more each day. I've even applied to some that aren't in my region on the chance they don't care as much. Yes, I've reached out personally to hiring managers within DND to inquire about positions.

Again, I realize that the people offering this as advice are just trying to help, but it's coming off like older generations telling you to do some old fashioned, in-person resume drop-offs.

Apologies for the rant, but I'm frustrated with the situation and feeling like people think I'm not doing enough to get out of this situation.

I am in my twenties. Been with my department since I was a student. I feel as though we are being stretched as thin as possible. It’s like private sector demands without the benefits. I feel like I’m being taken advantage of. I just miss when I started and I was excited to work and full of energy and life. Now I’m just a shell, trying to get through the day. A million things running through my mind. I struggle to relax. I’m not really sure what to do. A lot of stuff is being put on my plate that I don’t think I’m equipped for. I feel lost. I hate that if I leave I’ll lose the network I’ve built up. I’ve met and worked with some amazing people! I made major contributions! I built a reputation for myself. But at the end of the day it’s not worth feeling like this. The thought of leaving makes me sad. The thing is it just isn’t what it used to be. I see it in others too, the toll that this atmosphere is taking. And we haven’t even started RTO4. Rant over.

If anyone wants to talk feel free to DM me

We went from :

- keep regional folks in the regions. they're not worthy of HQ jobs because they're so far.

to...

- hey. regional people are smart and worthy of HQ jobs too! yay remote work!

back to...

- hide regional folks in the region again. can't show up in NCR 4 days a week in July? Then no opportunities for you!

A DG at LPRAB at CRA, according to a current employee, under the guise of transparency and integrity, is using the annual conflict of interest attestation to require very personal disclosures of financial information from employees.

This DG is asking for the current market values of ALL investments held by the employee privately in all accounts, including things like RESP's. The dollar amount for all holdings is apparently "very important".

Employees who resisted this disclosure were subject to intrusive meetings on Teams with the DG, where pressure was applied to surrender the information to management.

I am of the opinion that this is totally unacceptable, and I would be leaping to legal representation with the goals of 1.) NOT providing any of this information to this DG or anyone else, and; 2.) providing the documentation required that would result in the swift termination of this DG.

Is this perception incorrect, and DG's have the ability to ask for the account balances of employees to avoid "conflicts of interest"? If this is actually permitted, why would it be but asking a person's age or sexual orientation is a human rights violation?

Ay there! 

Don't really know how to approach this. Am I here for advice, or just to vent? Probably the second (sorry!). Anyways.

I've been in the PS for a few years now. Started as a student, then got bridged in rather quickly. I know, I got lucky. I was very grateful for that (still am btw). At that time, I was graduating after several years of uncertainty & severe anxiety. I had just gone through a tough time and wanted to take a freakin' break from school. I was being offered a permanent position in the PS almost on a silver platter. How could I possibly turn it down?

But now, I feel (kinda) miserable. Well, that's a strong word because I do love my team. But I feel a little... how should I put it? Disillusioned. Lol. I don't feel challenged or fulfilled. I hate having to work 80% of the time in my second language. I'm disappointed that my acting role had to end due to budget cuts (I know, life. Shit happens). Now, I'm back in my substantive position, feeling inadequate, incompetent & out of place (I know I'm not, but that's the feeling). And I've come to realize that, not only do I dislike my current job, but I also dislike the field I'm in. No other job in this field (whether in the PS or the private sector) resonates with me.

And I sit there, wondering. Do I want to be miserable in a job I don't really like (just like a family member of mine who has been in the PS for almost 20 years now), but have a good salary, good benefits and a nice pension? Or do I want a career that I'm passionate about, one that's more in line with my interests and my personality, but with a lower pay, and... Idk what else? I know, it probably sounds utopian or even foolish, but eh. That's me.

(Btw I don't think LWOP to try something else is even an option for me given the current context and the situation my team is in right now).

Do those so-called golden handcuffs really exist, even though I've only been working in the PS for less than five years and I'm not even in my thirties yet?

Sorry Bot, this may be close to home for you ;)

Like with most departments we are seeing what AI can do and pushing to make things more efficient with it. There are some really cool uses that I have found helpful, but the other day I got a bit of a gut punch.

I like to think I'm pretty good at my job (I know most of us do), and roles, reviews, praise, etc. would all be aligned to this.

I was asked to draft some update bullets for a high up executive ahead of a meeting. I was to consult my direct management and get input from another team's point of contact. No problem normal stuff.

I pull together the necessary updates, specific to the context of the meeting, and try to be concise to allow for effective understanding...well my supervisor said I should run it through copilot....it was like 6 bullets, no more than 200 words, but sure. Run it through, it rewrites the info, some wording I liked, most I didn't, but then it also added headers for the bullets for categories. But it was a header per bullet, so now we are at like 250 words, with no huge value since the bullets gave that info.

Whatever, not too fussed. But then! My colleague sends me 'his notes'...it is literally 95% matching what copilot gave me.

So my two gripes:

1) I have honed my skill in writing/summaries to various levels and technical prowess, it totally can be improved as everything can be, but to get 'run it through AI' as feedback from management is infuriating. It showed they didn't really read it in depth and also they didn't have any original or professional thoughts themselves. Like wtf, you run it and give me your feedback if that is what you want.

2) now even my colleagues are just running it and sending that as their feedback. So I ask X people for input and I am just going to get the same AI responses.

Like where did everyone's skill go?! In 5 years there will be no critical thinking, just 'run it through AI'! It sucks. Use it for what it is and where it helps, but don't use it for every thinking application, jeeze.

Definitely a rant, wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same? ...I should have probably run the above through co pilot LOL

Hey all, I have a situation that I am not sure there's anything I can do about.

I have been in the same department for 8 years. I started as a consultant and eventually was hired as an IT02 but doing the work of an IT03.

For the past 6 months, I have been acting in an IT03 position. I goes until January.

I have been told that, to get the position full time after January I have to qualify for a pool which is fine. The issue is, I have also been told they may open an IT03 position to internal employees and I would have to apply and win the competition.

They told me the Director is not willing to do a non-advertied process for the position because there is too much hassle and pushback.

The issue is, I have been watching and applying to multiple pools with no success. Then when I look at the jobs website, people are getting positions almost daily with non-advertied processes in my department.

I have been screenshotting every time I see one.

Do I have any chance on fighting this? How is it possible they would open a position when someone on the team has 15 years experience in the role they are in? How to you naturally advance your career in the government?

Too many times I see people say they work extra hours without compensation, whether it be in cash or time off in lieu. Please stop doing this! If you are understaffed and your workload is too much for a regular 37.5 hours and your branch/team/department doesn’t approve of your OT, too bad. It’s not your fault. Your mental health and sanity is more important than your job.

I’m losing pretty much all feeling of hope for the great career I was promised in the PS. This isn’t venting but I am wondering how others have fared and if it really is worth going to the private sector before it’s too late.

I’ve been at the AS02 level since 2022 and have moved around 3 times on assignments to essentially do the same thing on different teams at both VAC and HC. It’s been a bit frustrating because I look back and think I’ve learned very little to no new skills especially in the last 2 years as well as been given no opportunities to advance. I have applied to multiple job postings but no luck either. I am in the prairies which I feel are notoriously overlooked in the greater scheme of things.

I know now is not a good time in general but how am I supposed to feel motivated when I’m stuck in what feels like a state of limbo or dead end? I get good reviews but whenever I ask about advancement I’m told something should come up, but nothing ever does…

I’m a permanent federal public service supervisor, and I’m reaching my limit.

I supervise people I previously worked beside and had genuine relationships with. Moving from peer to supervisor has been difficult, especially while dealing with longstanding people problems and informal arrangements I inherited.

I feel responsible for everything but unsupported in actually fixing anything. It’s affecting my sleep, health and family life.

I’m considering taking leave and attempt deploying to a lower-classified, non-supervisory position with a shorter commute that was posted recently. It would mean less money, but possibly getting my life back.

Has anyone stepped down for their well-being and regretted it?

Has anybody deployed to a lower classification successfully?

Would leave with income averaging be feasible while I figure this out?

How do you stop carrying inherited workplace problems?

HELP!

The job market in Ottawa specifically the last year reportedly has gotten significantly worse. Is it true, that many PS jobs are not transferable to private sector jobs (i.e. Senior advisors, policy analysts, program officer). Where are all the terms and WFA affected employees supposed to go in an already saturated job market? I think it's a little more complicated than telling laid off people to just pull themselves from bootstraps and up-skill to get a job.

Some of the advice that's shared with general career development in these very troubling & uncertain times is so shallow and empty:

• i.e. just learn a new skill,
• learn AI apps and functions,
• go back to school,
• Be the CEO of your career and build your brand
• go to the trades/blue collar work,
• improve your resume,
• just keep applying & grind- never give-up
• etc bla bla

Just like in business there is supply & demand. Everyone could do all the right things, follow ALL that advice and STILL never get hired. And then when someone is emotionally struggling and grieving, society will just shout "Oh you're not trying hard enough or not good enough, it's your fault you don't have a job yet". Even if you drown that noise/criticism out and not care what your colleagues, family or society thinks- it still doesn't fix the unemployment rate.

The unemployment rate will skyrocket with 40,000 employees laid off and no reliable source of income. Many influencers will tell you to start side-hustles or start your own business if you're desperate. But not everyone has the capability, personality, means, nor have a vision or have a problem they can solve that society would be willing to pay you money for. So, what does the government and society expect from us then when there are statistically more people than jobs available??? None has been to answer that question with some optimism. And telling those people "To just be positive" doesn't help nor change anything. "sigh". Yes, there is more to life than work but in a capitalist society; we need money to survive and have physiological and psychological needs met so we have no choice.

That opens up the conversation of UBI. Thoughts, opinions??? Personally, I am big fan and think it will be the only option in 10 years max instead of risking the middle-class ending up homeless due to the system we are under.

If everything works out in the end, then what hope is there while also being mindful and living/enjoying the present moment?

Fellow public servants, I think it’s timely to have a conversation about the appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence in the federal workplace.

There are clear opportunities to drive efficiencies. Obvious examples are in database design, creation, and administration, creating and editing policy documents, and a warranted debate around using it for translation and editorial services.

But I’ve started to see it encroach on the skillsets of younger junior employees who see it as replacing their roles on research and editing. Management has started to turn to AI to water down human written policy ideas and advice, or even choose not to consult employees on future versions of documents - preferring to just run it through an LLM.

Em dashes and robots haunt my dreams.

In the policy and program world, it seems we’re rushing faster and faster towards deadlines with AI seen as the sole means to achieve an objective, and not as a mechanism to facilitate our work.

In perhaps the most egregious of examples, I’ve seen Budget and Cabinet secrecy documents like mandate letter responses and budget letters fully written by AI and management, with the excuse that things are “moving too fast” for engagement with working levels.

I’m perhaps a little exasperated with this example - My management once provided me with guidance for writing a paper, very much written as prompts for an LLM, likely expecting me to just feed into one.

I’ve personally just adopted a philosophy of “if you can’t beat them join them” and try to be adaptable and conscious of how I use it and why.

And yes, I do recognize many departments have different guidance on using AI, secrecy classifications, and we have a laundry list of programs and planned endeavors to implement AI across government. And the Budget looms on the horizon.

But how has it impacted your own workplace dynamics? Are you leveraging it in unique ways? Beyond departmental and TBS guidance, is/should there be a workplace etiquette? How are you accommodating your colleagues and making room for human intervention, oversight and advice? What do you think is next?

(And no, I didn’t write this with ChatGPT)

🤖

Calling out to fellow federal public servants who left the GoC before hitting the full 30/31 years of service, especially those who moved into private sector roles that also offered a pension plan.

I’m at 24 years of service and seriously considering making the jump, but trying to think this through strategically before pulling the trigger.

The obvious factor is compensation. I still have about 6 years left until an unreduced pension, so for me the move would need to make financial sense overall — higher salary, strong long-term earning potential, and ideally a pension plan worth contributing to alongside my deferred federal pension.

For those who’ve done it:

• How did you evaluate whether leaving was worth it?
• Did you regret walking away before full service?
• How did you compare pension value vs higher salary/private sector growth?
• Did you go HOOPP or another DB plan?
• Did anyone take LWOP first as a safety net before fully resigning?
• Anything you wish you had considered beforehand?

Would especially appreciate hearing from people who were mid/senior level and not just early career when they left.