Employees that are by law unable to get a raise might decide to leave the government, or worse, they might stay as disengaged, disgruntled employees. But there are ways to make them less frustrated by a salary cap.
Congratulations! Sounds like you have engaged employees who care about your agency’s mission, though disagree that all decisions from above serve that mission. Here's advice to get their cooperation.
Some officials might make you part of “innovation theater,” encouraging employees to go through the motions of an innovation process, without letting them produce any substantive change. But you can still learn from it ...
The good news is, you are not crazy. The bad news is, your employer will probably not start producing written rules. But there are ways you can make up in part for your management’s failure to provide usable procedures.
There are possibilities, and limitations, when using a grow-from-experience strategy to start as an entrepreneur while you keep the security of your job.
Your problem is common: a system is bought, paid for and officially a successful implementation, it just doesn’t do what the workers need. But there are ways to automate tasks in your job that official IT ignores.
The pressure to certify something you cannot know is more than an affront to your personal ethics. It is an excuse for your agency to not apply real controls that would prevent unnecessary purchases.