so all of them getting A for appraisal
the org chart saw a tech lead under a tech lead, indeed brilliant

1.0**** 10 Apr 2023

Toxic Senior Management
Software Engineer, Current employee, more than 3 years
X Recommend
- CEO Approval
X Business Outlook

Pros
General staff benefits are good, and work-life balance is better than most of the other government agencies.

Cons
The senior management appear to lack concern for the well-being of their staff, particularly those in GDS central. The senior management team in GDS central may come across as kind and friendly, but they true character is far from it. They are solely concerned with impressing their superiors and showcasing the software's capabilities, without regard for the challenges faced by software developers in implementing such features. Despite the impracticality of these demands, they puts immense pressure on the team to deliver, often requiring excessive overtime. Their only concern is saving face, with little regard for anything else.

Another issue is the company's salary policies. When employees have raised concerns about their salaries not being competitive, the senior management dismissed them, citing their salaries as already being too high. It is apparent that this statement only applies to the senior management, who take credit for the work of the software engineers and reap the rewards, such as good grades and high bonuses. Meanwhile, the developers themselves receive mediocre grades and low bonuses, despite their hard work.

It is advised to approach joining Govtech, particularly GDS central, with caution. The senior management team put little regard for their well-being.

Advice to Management
The CE and HR should reconsider their approach to placing individuals in senior management positions.

1.0 ****

Simply not Agile, Bold and Collaborative
Delivery Manager
Former employee, less than 1 year

Pros
Good place for entry level engineers to start and learn new technologies.

You will meet some capable people genuinely wanting to contribute to the nation, especially during the COVID situation, not just in Govtech but in the various agencies.

Some groups, mostly in HQ, are moving in the right direction in terms of actually adding value, new tech to public service. My rating is mainly for the department I was assigned to.

Cons
Lots of overtime due to inefficient processes and middle management not willing to even try to clear the issues, that are beyond the control of staff working on the ground. Not ideal for people that worked for many years in highly productive private sectors with good work life balance.

You may encounter toxic leads and managers (see link), who will do anything (bully, lie, sycophants) to make themselves look good for promotion and grading. So just watch out. (Google on dealing with jealous manager) . The thought of paying taxes to these leads/middle managers simply puts people off.

Usually people get promoted not because of the value delivered from their work, but doing things like presentations or "volunteer" in some extra activities or actively participating in chatgroups, that do not add value to their core work or to the public.

There is a strong fear of failure within the organisation, so people are wary of taking challenging tasks, blame others when things don't go well, or follow the old way of working so to have a flawless record for their performance review based on a bell curve. This is somehow ironic considering the values Agile, Bold and Collaborative that they kept espousing.

Advice to Management
Refer to what Philip Yeo mentioned about the 'eunuch disease' in public service.
Get rid of your little serfdoms, and toxic middle managers that only set the wrong examples to future leaders. Help bridge the tech and agency together as one true collaboration, instead of being afraid of offending them, focusing on workaround ways of working.

Lead by example the Govtech values, not just talk (especially middle management ).

HR may want to consider cross department, team, agency review, and bottom up review, team objectives (instead of individual ranking) as part of KPI.

Usually people get promoted not because of the value delivered from their work, but doing things like presentations or "volunteer" in some extra activities or actively participating in chatgroups, that do not add value to their core work or to the public.

fun fact which is ridiculous

indeed, no pun intended.

Its both actually. If u dont do tasks that shines u or put u to the spotlight, how the bosses get to know u or justify to promote u

Serious? Might as well they come another ogp.

I am from services so not sure what kind of contributions they have done or reached out.

I am actually still salty, no idea why their title and grade so inflated. Read back my previous posts, a bit a bit also principal, lead. Sibeh damn unfair

But good also, dont need or don't want to know or don't care.

you sound like you havent reach the senior grade

Anyone from services read the recent pptx sent out during services townhall?

Agile remains the lowest for L3 and above. Not sure why they put the L3 bar so high.

Made me lost interest to apply L3. Ownself and internal know enough alr

smart people come out this bar so high so they become distinct from you all

U are right
Maybe that's why I'm stuck at grade G :(

Forever unattainable :(

Even if you all go L5, you wont be principal level. They will say you need time to grow. If your boss wants you to promote, your competency level will raise no matter what. Otherwise no point looking at it.

so hows your peers in the agency and cluster doing?

something is brewing

Brew long time liao. Now is see which poor fellas tio sacrificed

Yes, I agree that it is really funny that the public service gave higher scores to people who do CCA or have more connections to the higher up which gave them an assumption that they did their primary job very well. Maybe they just want wayang people la. I have experienced myself a few times and I start to wonder if my boss grades me only or includes bosses who don't know me. One day, everyone should just hang dry their primary job and do CCAs, to see how these agencies survive.

sacrificed how?

Is CE planning to retrench GT people?

does not have to be this way. Just need to make you uncomfortable or unhappy enough to leave.

What do u mean? Like that lo. Nothing fancy or out of the ordinary

Last govtech con even they admit it ma. Is no choice cause need to reduce headcount

They should really reduce those GDS or indeed folks lo

copied from reddit
 

indeed hired by govtech - salary amounts
ex-SG indeed office here. fired 5 months ago, govtech offered ~60 places to the office in may. here are the salaries offered per month to indeed people:
Grade E - 7,000 - 1 year
Grade F - 8250 - 2 year
Grade G - 9500 - 3 years
Grade H - 10750 - 4 years
Grade I - 12,000 - 5 years
also, YOEs are inflated: indeed SWE who worked for 9 months considered as 1 year.
i got friends in govtech - so i know the system. normal SWE takes around 4 years to reach G, and is only around 8500 monthly.

the ex-indeed are now in PIC department, not having any deliverables.

whoever caused the indeed saga and make others sacrificed for them, shame on him

Shyt .... Since indeed folks are SWE ... They going to sacrifice the GDS ppl? Fk

not 'going', it is happening noww

Lol sounds about right. I'm grade G and near the amount u quoted but not near the indeed / PIC salary

Another way to see it is considered restructuring or reorg

Which I think is considered as healthy

ShopBack lays off 24% of employees, CEO apologises for expanding team too quickly

Happens to any organization too. Except SME la. They really need ppl lol

So which SLM from Govtech come out to apologise then?

2.0
14 Mar 2024

Management have lost its direction
Software EngineerCurrent employee

Pros
Good work life balance and wfh policy

Cons
Everything changed after the management shift

3.0 13 Mar 2024

toxic bosses
Data and Policy Analyst
Former employee, more than 3 years
X Recommend

Pros
very very good pay, one of the highest in government.

Cons
toxic management air dropped from dunno where. knows nothing but wayang and territory fight. now worse with reorg

Advice to Management
can you wake up and see yourself in the mirror

What happened to GDS folks? Outlook for this year not good ... Heard this CE keep trying to cut cost everywhere

missed CE Ping Soon

any achievement(s) since he joined? cut cost?

He probably took on a very difficult role, need cut cost and expand

Why need apologize. Move on lo

should cut SLM and indeed inflated salary

True ah. Never realised how good and valuable he was until he’s gone. When he was around, everyone just kept dissing that he is a bureaucrat and didn’t know tech.

See la, now parachute in the “tech guys”, and look what has happened.

SBF is thriving now under Ping Soon.