Yo. Mods.
I am getting pinged on teams about u deleting the post re cuts of recent employees.
I am also getting pinged on teams about u deleting the post asking u about deleting the post.
Explain yourselves please. Cuz this is escalating
This is the first time in my many years of government that I'm interviewing for a job where they're only sending the interview questions 2 hours before the interview and said I'm allowed to bring my notes. Has anybody else experience this and why only 2 hours?
Hi everyone,
As I’m sure many of you have seen the discussion in the sub today around a post mentioning layoffs being deleted by the mod team, we felt the need to address the issue and offer a path forward that hopefully everyone can support.
To provide some context of the mods’ position, we have generally taken the approach of deleting/removing posts that have heavy speculation or are conspiratorial in nature. Over the past year this has mostly revolved around people speculating when layoffs will occur, who or what employee group will be next, consolidation (such as HR or IT), or sharing unconfirmed information that no one directly involved can verify. We have taken the approach of trying to protect people from misinformation that may impact their mental health at work and outside of work.
We wanted to have verified information before it was widely open to everyone’s eyes and we know there are a lot of eyes here. I’m sure we all have experienced the water cooler talk of what someone saw on Reddit and this happens at every level, including up to ministry and cross-ministry executive meetings. The media has referenced the sub and the BCGEU was regularly posting during bargaining. So overall we saw a lot of risk with allowing a free for all.
Over time we have heard from many of you that felt the mods are silencing discussion, in bed with the PSA, pushing an agenda, etc. We have had this discussion many times with many people in the sub, but this time it has blown up and we now feel we need to act on the desires of the membership. We appreciate the feedback and discussion and ultimately we want this place to be the best it can and four mods can’t do it alone without your input and constructive criticism!
The mods have huddled and have a proposed path forward. We would like to try opening up the discussions and not being as heavy handed with the removal button. Instead of deleting posts like the above examples, we are proposing that mods will have a stickied post in the thread to warn users of unverified information or misinformation. Sometimes posts can have 100+ responses and people can’t read everything. But we hope anyone perusing the sub will read the top post in the thread from a mod. Our goal will be to represent the facts. State that the information as unconfirmed and caution should he taken. State that there is misinformation and it’s not accurate the way the post implies based on the title. Things like that.
As the mods have lives outside of Reddit we may not always be early to the discussions, so we hope you all can continue to ask the right questions and try to get to the bottom of the post and draw out the facts/truth.
Our hope with this is to still allow people to see what others are saying and participate in the discussion. We are open to additional feedback and ideas of what you would like to see or how we can support these discussions better.
One final note - the mod team will be doing a review of the sub rules over the next little while. The issue that has come to a head today is at least partially due to the outdated sub rules that hamstring us a bit. So stay tuned for that as well.
​
Hey everyone,
I’ve been with the BCPS for about two years now. I am 33 and at 27 now. Every time those milestone emails go out—celebrating colleagues who have put in 25, 30, or 35 years—I have two conflicting thoughts.
First, I have a ton of respect for that level of dedication. Second, I realize I just can’t see myself doing the same.
I’m currently giving a lot of thoughts to the FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early) because I’m looking for a different path, but I’m finding that saving and investing at our salary and on top of our mandatory pension deductions is a massive uphill battle.
I’m curious to hear from others in their 30s or early 40s:
The "Long Haul" vs. The Exit: Do you actually see yourself staying for the full 25–35 years, or are you actively building a bridge to leave earlier?
The Math: After your pension deductions and life expenses, what percentage of your salary are you actually able to invest? Is it even possible to hit a high savings rate right now?
The Strategy: What are you actually doing with your "extra" savings? Are you prioritizing TFSA, or looking for specific tax-efficient ways to grow a portfolio outside of the pension?
“Attempting to skirt unionized liquor distribution is a clear attempt to undermine the leverage of workers in future negotiations. Under a year ago, the BCGEU went on Canada’s longest public service strike. The results were better wages and higher standards for BC’s workers, but it was only by withholding liquor distribution that they were able to get the government to the table.
The BC NDP has relied on their reputation as a workers’ party for so long, they’ve forgotten to actually represent them. Their doors are wide open to corporations trying to undercut union workers, and closed to the workers themselves.”
hi folks, curious if other employees have taken longer than 5 days for bereavement leave. My dad is in the process of passing and we are not sure exactly how long he has left. likely not more than a few weeks but we can’t know for sure. I took some vacation days last week to process. However, I would like to go back to be with my family. Hoping not to have to use vacation days for this. Any insight, answers welcome
I just got laid off being told that this isn’t individually targeted but part of a broader batch
Curious if more people are affected / aware of this
Edit: I am an included employee (covered by the BCGEU)
Hello, I am seeking advice on what to do in my situation. I am currently in a TA that ends in 4 months. When I was hired my contract states that I can work from any BC Gov office, which is essential to me as I do not live within commuting distance of my “home base” location. I offered to do some training in person via work trip, and discovered that this is the first time this role is offered remotely, and the tasks of this role rely heavily on handling hard copy documents that cannot leave the building. I have had to invent ways with my supervisor on how to get this job to work, and was going well enough until recently. It seems that as more people have gone on mat leave, and there is a in-person version of my position that has been unable to be filled, my supervisor has gotten more and more strained. I am still in my probation period, but my supervisor has ceased training / refreshers on a lot of tasks. Admittedly I have made some minor errors and careless mistakes recently, and since my supervisor used the phrase “this is getting concerning”, I am worried about gaining a bad reputation/ being terminated.
I just got M status and really want to enjoy my health benefits after bouncing around TAs for a year and a half. I cannot apply for perm positions (not a PR), but am interviewing for another longer TA that would start in the fall. Basically, I’m considering the options of:
If there’s any other options people can think of, or have experienced something similar, please let me know. I’m also concerned that being up these concerns with my supervisor will just receive a response of “this doesn’t seem like this is a good fit, so long”. The poor communication and lowkey verbal abuse as of late have really impacted my mental health and ability to focus on the actual job.
I have an interview for a Band 3 manager position. Unlike most of my interviews which have been virtual, this interview is in person at our office.
I’m currently included and most of the office knows me already, I’m curious if I should still wear a suit and tie or if it would look out of place since I’m usually just in a polo and jeans. Any feedback is appreciated.
For some reason, recent communication from BCGEU hasn't mentioned anything new about the dedicated remote category or the job classification system change. I'm curious about what's going on with these two items.
Looking for some honest insight from BC public servants.
I’m deciding between two jobs right now, both would be my first salaried job out of university. One is with the BC government, the other is a temporary role I’ve already been hired for and start next week.
The other role pays a lot more (over $20k difference), but the hours are longer/more unpredictable and the work would probably be more stressful. The BC gov role pays less, but from what I understand offers stability, benefits, and a more regular schedule, which has been a big priority for me.
I’m sure experiences differ a lot depending on sector and specific roles, so I’m mostly just looking for more general perspectives on working in the BC public service.
For people already in the public service, especially those who joined early in their careers: do you feel it was a good long-term decision? Any insight would help :)
When you’re part of a team, at same classification, but someone is doing literally half the work of you. I really don’t want to call anyone out (to a manager or anything) I guess I just have to suck it up? Or would you say something to them? It seems they have zero motivation to even try to figure things out and take the opportunity to learn more.. just leave it for the person that’s been there longer. Rant over
For how long do you think this lateral only move rule will last?
Already 5 ppl in my work announced their early retirement. What's it like in your teams if any
Does anyone here have experience successfully adding additional life insurance coverage while having a pre-existing condition?
I’m wondering how the process works with Canada Life. Did you submit the proof of insurability directly to Canada Life, and how difficult was the approval process? Any insights or personal experiences would be appreciated.
I am going to be taking STIIP before my mat leave due to work stress, physical stress and my lack of ability to work/get my job done. Pregnancy has not been easy and it is just getting increasingly harder. Im grateful that we have STIIP as an option, and that our family can afford the reduction in pay.
I do not have a family doctor, and have been seeing a midwife for my pregnancy. Is a midwife able to complete the ST02? I have an apt at the end of this month, but trying to stick it out till July/August. Can an STO2 be completed in advance and then I can use it once I am ready to step back?
I am also aware that my mat leave will kick in 6 weeks before my due date as I will be off work. And I am ok with that!
TIA
I'm thinking of online programs at Toronto Metro, and other Ontario universities for example, and Calgary/Alberta. Outside of BC, I see programs we don't have, are easier to qualify for, and appear more useful/applied. One example (not an area I'm familiar with) is highly regarded OHS programs at New Brunswick.
So our small group got moved into CSBC. We're not rocket scientists but are a unique specialized team. Our move to CSBC brought us a brand new director, ED, and ADM all of whom have no experience in our field.
Ok, we're trying to help and bring all up to speed. Guess the ADM gets a pass. ED, ok pass for now. But our new director has no idea what we actually do. Discussion with him isn't working well, he cant absorb it. He's asking us to run everything through copilot to condense it to be concise. Ok but allot it is conceptual where AI doesn't help. They still don't get it.
I've been in this team for 15 years and always had management I could just discuss with. We didn't always agree but conversations were understood.
Now it's like I'm trying to explain to a car mechanic how to perform dental surgery. They just threw in available surviving managers into any available slot with no consideration of field expertise is how it feels.
I'll also throw in that new director, he's at least honest and was thrown into this. A team member asked him if he was OK being shifted to us, his paraphrased response was he was happy to still have a job unlike a bunch of his other excluded colleagues. Just saying it's not personal but .....
I’m interested in hearing others’ perspectives on hiring practices within the BC Public Service.
It has been my observation that, in most of the cases, competitions appear to favor candidates who are already working within the team, on temporary assignments, or within the same business unit or ministry. While internal mobility is important and valuable, this can sometimes create a perception that external or new candidates may not be given equal consideration, even when they bring strong qualifications and relevant experience.
If a role is primarily intended for an internal candidate, greater transparency in the hiring process could help manage expectations for external applicants and ensure their time and effort are respected.
I would appreciate hearing whether others have had similar experiences or insights into how these processes are managed.