culture is great - people are very supportive and work collaboratively together
On the whole I think the culture at Education is fantastic and it feels fulfilling to work in a Department full of people seeking to improve things for young people around the country. The structure took a little getting used to but makes logical sense and enables supervisor and managers to advocate for their team/branch/division. Socialising amongst colleagues can be a little hit or miss but there are many friendly faces around. There is a balance between respecting everyone's right to come to work solely to do the work and socialising and I think Education strikes the balance well for the most part. One critique of the structure and hierarchy is that some teams have little to do and are not under much pressure while other teams are continually stretched thin and constantly in need of more resourcing. This can impede the culture a little bit as people can have wildly different work experiences despite working in the same department. The same can be said for the working groups which also have a lot of variance.
People are friendly, supportive, and professional, creating a positive and collaborative environment. The workplace culture encourages teamwork and respectful interactions both in the office and after hours.
Top-down culture is really great coming from the higher-up executives. I've been in really great teams and branches so have experienced great culture on that level too. Everyone is easy to approach and discuss things with.