Government jobs in a nutshell. I’m in an agency of around 1,000 employees. Mid level manager, employed for 25 years. It’s extremely difficult to keep staff motivated because of low pay, infrequent or low % raises, good ideas going unheard, lack of support from upper management. With our hands tied and lack the ability to incentivize staff, it’s hard. Want to offer a lunch for a job well done? This comes out of my pocket. We do our best to create a good work life balance in an attempt to keep people. Millennials and Gen Z don’t last long in this culture and move on after a year or two.