Public service flextime isn't fair, especially when you don't get it

You don't know how easy you've got it until it's gone, writes Oliver Jacques.

Ah, flextime. That magical public service creation that allows you to take leave without using your leave.

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Those of you who work in the private sector may not have heard of it. You would be familiar with days when your boss told you to stay a bit past 5pm to get something done. You probably know that as business as usual.

In the public service that happens too. Occasionally. But when it does, the employee banks that time and then takes a Friday off.

Last year I had the experience of "working" in a government department. Based on my experience, every stereotype you have heard is true. If I arrived at work before 10am, I'd have to turn the lights on. Those of us who stayed upright in our seats and awake all day were considered high performers. And, most days, if you walked along our floor at 4.59pm you would see rows of empty chairs spinning.

The ironic thing was that my branch had the word "innovation" in its title, a contemporary public service buzzword. The only innovative thing we ever did was change Casual Friday to Casual Thursday – a decision made because most of the staff flexed off on Fridays.

There were two things I learnt about the flexitime regime.

First, there was no real scrutiny. Managers would sign off on any spreadsheet you shoved in front of them. Most of us would just change the date on our last one.

Second, not surprisingly, those who worked the shortest hours tended to take the most flex days.

When you take into account study days, annual leave, long service leave, sickies and (believe it or not) stress leave, our office was often emptier than the Gabba during a Test match. It really affected productivity. We couldn't have a meeting on a Friday because half the staff were away. Nor Monday because the other half were off. By Tuesday most had forgotten what we were supposed to meet about.

But now I'm back in the private sector and don't get flex. I need to liaise with government to get things done. But nobody is ever there to answer the phone. It's so unfair. They're flexing, and I'm fuming.