How many electricians does it take to change a light bulb?

How many electricians does it take to change a light bulb? Well, according to my workplace it is two highly paid people, but like everything in the state government, it is never as simple as it should be.

We have a fixed structure at the college based on the negotiated enterprise bargaining agreement that has a manager, a head of programs that as an assistant is to aid planning and implementation and the lecturing staff aided by technicians and administrative support - a fairly standard hierarchy.

As frontline staff, the lecturers are the ones that generate income for the college, everyone else is a cost. That's not to say the administration or technicians aren't important, they perform an important support role.

Likewise, the manager is a cost to the portfolio as well; naturally, a manager with an entrepreneurial mindset is an asset to a business who more than pays for the cost of administration or the control factor in business parlance - they generate revenue.

But the state government does not work on such a mindset, instead of the flat management structures employed by private enterprise; the unwritten rule of government is to create a hierarchy of people underneath you to increase your empire that you are building.

The manager is to perform the role of manager - that is simple. The head of programs is an academic position enjoying the benefits of the academic role and as such is supposed to be part-time teaching.

The head of programs is a role to assist the manager with planning, implementation and scheduling including staff development and educational support. Actually, scheduling is the first role listed on the job description.

When a head of programs claiming a 5% flexibility allowance offloads the role of scheduling to a subordinate, the subordinate then claims academic delivery time, the 5% flexible hours allowance and then programmed overtime to perform a role the head of programs is paid to do - one suspects a rort is taking place with government funds.

So apparently it only takes two electricians to change a light bulb, one paid to do the job who then offloads the role to a subordinate who is also paid to do the job, both claim 5% flexibility allowances and the one now doing the job is paid overtime at a rate plus an extra loading.

Naturally, the head of programs still doesn't undertake half-time teaching after being freed of the main duties - welcome to the state government and the reason why I need to get out.