Main virtues, advantages and motivators appear from the very last history

Interviewee: Mr. Krzysztof Banas

Job title & employer: Head of Unit for HRM systems and tools in civil service, Department of civil service, The Chancellery of the Prime Minister
Job description: Planning, co-ordination and supervision of Unit’s (5 people) activities within the scope of HRM in civil service corps, e.g.: development and implementation of HRM systems and tools, drafting legal acts, oversee the observance of principles of the civil service.
No. of years of service: 7 years in civil service corps
Career path: I am a member of so called “state staffing pool” (more below).
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What is great about the Polish civil servant?
Why did YOU become a civil servant?

In 1989 communist rule was overthrown and Poland became what is informally known as the "Third Polish Republic". Today, as the 6th most populated member state of the European Union, Poland is a liberal democracy made up of sixteen voivodships (regions). Poland is also a member of NATO, the United Nations, OECD and the World Trade Organization.

Looking at this short story of the very last history of Poland, the main virtues, advantages and motivators of being Polish civil servant appear. On the one hand there are big challenges as participation in building of the modern state, increasing effectiveness of its institutions and work focused on delivering services to the Polish citizens and on prosperity of Poland in European and Worlds’ environments. On the other hand Polish civil service corps is a good and stable employer giving wide perspectives and opportunities of career and development. Possibility of working in international environment, connected with joining EU and other international organisations, is also a big advantage of having status of a civil servant.

What kind of skills and knowledge are required from a central administration official in the recruitment situation? Do they differ from the private sector?

Of course there is a huge variety of required skills and knowledge due to wide range of civil service activities and responsibilities. But despite the requirements direct connected with the specialized character of specific post or group of posts, there are general skills desired in Polish civil service, e.g. team work skills, good communication skills, creativity; handling crisis situations, openness to change, interpersonal and analytical skills, focus on personal development and improving skills, managerial skills.

The differences between the civil service corps and the private sector according recruitment requirements in general are not big. There might be bigger ones in organisation of the recruitment processes and in using more sophisticated (and often also expensive) recruitment methods and tools in the private sector.

What are the key challenges within your personnel administration at the moment?

The top priority within the human resources management of Polish civil service is the reform of the remuneration system of the civil service corps members and, connected with this reform, works on standards of job description and job evaluation. The need to improve the Polish civil service remuneration system is in line with the pan-European tendency to tie the salary with the effects of work. The changes in the system are supposed to strengthen the capacity of the Polish civil service, its efficiency and flexibility and to promote goal-oriented behavior in the civil service.

When thinking about the recruitment process, what do the future key challenges look like?

The key factor is great and rapid change on the labour market in Poland, especially in 2007 – decreasing of an unemployment rate and employment emigration of Polish citizens to EU Member States. Because of these factors the big challenge for the Polish civil service corps is to be more and more competitive on the labour market to recruit well educated and skilled candidates and then to motivate them to stay for longer in the civil service corps.

Additional information

• Republic of Poland (Chancellery of the Prime Minister)
  www.premier.gov.pl
  
• Your Europe, Civil Service, Poland
  http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope
• About the career paths: There is no formal or prepared in writing individual career path. However, there is so called “state staffing pool”. Persons to fill the high-ranking state posts shall be appointed from the state staffing pool by authorised bodies*. There are also different possibilities of horizontal career development (different kinds of transfers – to another post, office, city and also outside civil service).

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* According to the Act of 24 August 2006 on the state staffing pool and high-ranking state posts. These high-ranking state posts mean amongst others: heads of central government administration offices and their deputies; presidents of state agencies and their deputies; presidents of Management Boards of state funds and their deputies, Secretary of the Council of Ministers; Chief Internal Audit Inspector; heads of state organisational units and their deputies, subordinate to or supervised by the Prime Minister or relevant ministers; directors-general of offices or persons in equivalent posts established in pursuance of separate regulations; heads of departments or equivalent units in ministries, central offices and voivodship offices, and also their deputies; executive posts in foreign service.