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Civil Servant Duties

Civil servants can have various duties and roles throughout the United States. The U.S. federal government employs civil servants, more than 2 million people as of March 2010. There are many different careers and jobs for civil servants, but many of them have similar duties due to the role in their communities. Civil servants are professionals who should take pride in their work and be honest, neutral and ethical at all times.

  1. Professionalism

    • When you are a civil servant, you must always have a sense of professionalism. You want to represent your government with pride and patriotism. Whether you are a specialist, auditor, analyst, accountant, doctor, teacher or the director of a bureau, you should always be professional on the job.

    Morality and Ethics

    • As a civil servant, you are a civilian working for the government. The government (whether local, state or federal) will expect you to have good morals and practice making ethical decisions. The government always wants to be looked at in a good light, and the only way it can succeed is if their employees are portraying that. Therefore, as a civil servant, your duty is to make moral and ethical decisions.

    Honest

    • Honesty is expected from civil servants because honesty is expected from the government. Set an example for others to follow by being honest with others. Do not go behind an employee’s back or try to hide mistakes. Be open and honest; it is the only way to improve yourself, your place of employment and the government.

    Compliant With Rules

    • Government officials and employees must follow strict rules and regulations. This means civil servants need to be compliant to these rules in order to keep their job. As a government employee, others will be watching what you are doing, so you must follow the law at all times. If you break a rule or law, you will be terminated from your job. It is your duty to set a good example and be compliant to government rules and laws.

    Neutral

    • While working as a civil servant, you should be neutral. You want to be the voice for the civilians in your government. You should not be biased for the people, for the government or in any other way.

    Reserve

    • Another civil servant duty is to keep a good reserve. As a civil servant, you will have to work with many people, and you will need to keep your reserve if they upset you, offend you or disagree with you. You will have to keep your opinions to yourself, along with your emotions. You are working for the government, and you should never forget that.

    Discretion

    • In some cases as a civil servant, you may even have to be discreet about your employment. At times, you may have to go undercover to evaluate or analyze a person or business without letting them know who you are, but this completely depends on which type of civil service job you have.

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