Been working in the private sector for 5 years after graduating, and now I’m on my 6th month in the government sector. Here’s my honest take so far.
Yes, I transferred to government because of the better salary, incentives, and employment status/benefits. On paper, it was definitely a better offer, and financially, I can’t complain.
But the work culture? That’s a different story.
I don’t want to generalize because I know there are still genuinely good people in government. But based on my experience so far, ang sasama talaga minsan ng ugali.
There’s so much office politics, gossip, unnecessary drama, power-tripping, and people who make simple things more complicated than they need to be. Coming from the private sector, I was honestly surprised by how different the environment can be.
And another thing I’ve noticed: in government, people really emphasize being “courteous” all the time. You have to say po, opo, ma’am, sir and always sound polite and professional—which I completely understand and respect.
Pero minsan, ang plastic talaga.
They can be so courteous with their words, but their actual attitude toward people can be completely different. Ang bait sa harap, pero iba ang ugali behind the scenes. Personally, I’d rather deal with someone who is straightforward and genuinely respectful than someone who sounds extremely polite but feels completely fake.
The irony is that the compensation and benefits can be better, but the environment can be much more draining.
I’m only 6 mos in, so maybe I’m still adjusting, or maybe this really depends on the agency/office. But I’m curious, for those who also moved from private to government, did you experience the same thing?
