Things you may not know about the Civil Service

  • In the past, the Official Secrets Act had to be signed by every civil servant when they joined the Civil Service. We’ve moved on a bit since then and now it’s part of your contract and does not need to be ‘signed’ when you join.  For further information when you have your MOJ technology, click here –  Official Secrets Act
    The Official Secrets Act will still apply when you have left the Civil Service.
  • Civil Servants provide an impartial service to the government and the public. This means we have a responsibility when it comes to political and public activity. We can (and should) vote and we can support certain roles such as those at Polling Stations, but if you have dreams of campaigning or standing in local or national elections, then you would need to consider a career break, as campaigning might compromise our impartiality.
  • As Civil Servants we work for the Crown to implement the work of the Government of the day through the minster of the department.
  • Civil Servants are bound by Purdah, which is the period immediately before elections, to maintain the integrity of democracy. There are certain communications, decisions and meetings that may impact the election outcome, so we need to remain vigilant and impartial during this time.
  • As Civil Servants we get an extra non statutory holiday day for the Queen’s birthday.
  • Civil Servants are entitled to a wide range of benefits including Cycle to Work, shopping discounts and other great offers.
  • They have access to 2 separate schemes offering a range of discounts, services and perks. The Xexec offering can be accessed at MoJ Employee Rewards and Edenred’s via the My Lifestyle. For further information, please use this link: Employee Benefits. (Some of these links can only be accessed once you have your MOJ technology).CSSC Sports and Leisure offers a huge range of sport and leisure activities available locally, regionally and nationally. Gain free entry into over 280 of English Heritage properties and thousands of discounts including gym memberships through CSSC’s Online Shop AT: https://www.cssc.co.uk/.The Charity for Civil Servants support civil servants when times are tough, listening without judgement and offering confidential practical, financial and emotional support via: 0800 056 2424 or https://www.foryoubyyou.org.uk/about-us
  • The Civil Service Code of Conduct principles apply equally both in & out of work. For further information, please use this link: Civil Service Code
  • As Civil Servants we are (of course) free to use social and other digital media in our own time. However, we always need to be mindful of our duties not to disclose official information.
  • Civil Servants may undertake secondary employment or activities outside of working for the Civil Service. If you have or are considering secondary employment, please use this link to the information on myHub which includes the HMPPS and NPS policies at the foot of the page: Outside Activities (only accessible when you have your MOJ technology).
  • As part of the Civil Service recruitment processes, some jobs which become vacant in other parts of the Civil Service, are only open to existing Civil Servants.  However, a move to a role in HMPPS/MoJ or wider Civil Service (as opposed to within the Probation Service) will mean a move to the Civil Service Pension Scheme as opposed to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).  As Civil Servants are employed by the Crown, and not by individual departments, they can be transferred between departments.