Reply To: Government Jobs

violation of ethics rules or workplace issues such as threats of violence, theft, etc. are easily fireable offenses since they are clearly wrongdoing.

OTOH, slacking off and barely doing adequate work, as long as you physically show up and leave on time, are far harder to prove and fire for than theft or violence. And as Avram in MD pointed out, it is difficult to fire a government employee, and as a result many managers are loath to undertake the documentation necessary to do so. (Especially if a hiring freeze may result in no replacement.)