“Call centres” and dog whistles… September 11, 2012
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Irish Politics.trackback
You’d have to wonder is Minister of State for Finance Brian Hayes being entirely serious when he makes the following suggestion in the Sunday Business Post as regards ‘plans for an overhaul of the government’s property portfolio’.
Hayes said there was a need to move away from “the silo mentality, where each separate departmental agency has to have its own front door”.
Even higher grades of public servants in state agencies might have to forgo their own offices as part of the rationalisation plan, he added. “Just because you’re a certain grade doesn’t mean you will be entitled to your own office – there will be far more open-plan space,” he said.
Office space was expected to be shared in a way “not dissimilar to the call-centre style that we see in the private sector”, with a better use of space through cellular offices, Hayes said.
It’s not so much the concept – he could take a trot around some Government Departments I’m familiar with and he’d see no end of open plan offices, as well as room to spare as there are cutbacks and retirements. It’s more the terminology used – ‘call-centre style’. Really (perhaps he should look at this data compiled by IBEC (natch!)) ? The vision! Hmmm… now what message is he sending and to who?
if i were working in one of the offices i’d hear that as a loud message to expect [excuse the business bullshit] rightsizing.
Firing PS staff, and amalgamating even if it may cause inefficiencies becomes a campaign against old fashioned ego centric mandarins and outdated modi