Is the public sector a good place to work if you want to satisfy your personal values?  The answer, of course, is it depends on your values but certainly, in terms of raising values to a conscious level in the way people are expected to work, the public sector is a good place to be.  And increasing numbers of young people are seeing the government sector as the sector of choice.  A research study conducted late last year amongst final year business students at universities across the country found that, after the Big Four accounting firms, government was the employer of choice.  Given that the Big Four expend an inordinate amount on feting young people and are themselves battling hard to keep graduates, it would seem to indicate that so-called Gen Y do have a greater sense of public conscience and are seeking greater meaning from the employment choices they make.

So, are values important in how an organisation retains its brightest people?  Numerous studies over the past 20 years have indicated a direct link between values and performance.  In a world where the traditional foundations of meaning are in decline, more and more people seek meaning through the work they do.  Public sector organisations have been at the forefront of providing that meaning through active engagement with values statements and performance measures designed to monitor progress against those indicators of organisational wellbeing. 80% of “triple bottom line” reports are produced by government entities and, while Australia lags the world in this important measurement of social accountability, there is no doubt that the lead is being shown by our public sector organisations.

Published in Department of Commerce – in house publication “Better Buying” Issue 5

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