Bridge the 'no work' culture gap

The service qualities of Government employees today are poles apart from the qualities of Government employees a few years ago. The work culture of employees detoting day by day hampering the real growth of the society. The work which can be done today are kept pending for many tomorrows. In the global changing economy, the employees should try to achieve efficiency by integrating and coorditing. At the same time they also need to be sensitive and responsive. The employees should know that expectations affect performance. If the expectation of head of any organization is high, employees are likely to excel for better performance. What is urgently needed is work planning. Work planning involves discussion between the head and the sub-ordites for better and better result oriented performance. Once plans have been set, good communication must be maintained with the employees in order to follow up on how well the plans are being carried out.

That good work culture is an important life concept needs to be propagated and inculcated into the minds of young people at early age. For shaping young minds, the educatiol institutions bear special responsibility for development of civic competency and civic responsibility. School is the primary agency where children learn civics and discipline. However, highly circumscribed rules that a school play today seldom prepares this students to face the reality of life. Most schools have often segregated these vital issues to social studies curriculam where students are taught through lectures and text rather than by engaging them in activity contributing to the well being of others and society. Under such circumstances, our youths are losing employable qualities in the job market. This is being reflected in society which all of us are silently observing. Therefore, what is urgently required is to discover the essential spirit of schools and inject energy and activity into the curriculum which is otherwise abstract and distant. The outcome will enhance intellectual capacity, interpersol skill and social responsibility. We have to explore new horizons and fresh areas for bright future.

It has been realized by all in the society that absence of transparency and efficient work culture on the basis of efficiency, regularity and value addition have created a problem for good governce. What is commonly found in us is a circle of lethargy and unwillingness to discharge duties properly. The time consuming mode of carrying out tasks, except for some occasiol impediments such as Right to Information Act etc seems to have jelled with the system so well that nothing make a difference.

The leakage of question papers and wrong distribution of question papers in examition by responsible teachers, a scholarship program which demands running around many Govt. departments and greasing the officials to get the job done, a doctor being vigilant at his clinic by disregarding the hospital, a student missing the assignment deadline, a professor speaking of punctuality and running late every day, the mis-utilization of Govt funds by many departments especially in construction of embarkments to 

flood and erosion works causing loss of lives and properties of villages are the example of work culture of public service providers in our so called educated society.

The quiet but ironic dependence on outside work force be a labourer, mason, tailor, barber, rickshaw puller, land tiller, all these and more have become a reality- actually painful reality. It is time to open up, time to stop the dependence on outside workforce. Adopting new strategy to these can lead to a changing work culture. Time has come to run the fastest, score the highest and work the best.

The bottleneck remains that the work culture is poor and most of us ubashedly form a part of it. The idea of clamour for our right seems justifiable although there is hardly any practice of professiol integrity when it comes to fulfilling the giving responsibility. The attitude of lethargy and confusion acts as a major road block in everything positive that can be otherwise achieved. What would be a boon for all of us is a common importance towards notions of time magement, meeting deadlines and eventually getting the desired results.

Training, orienting and sensitizing our government employees to equip and prepare them with necessary skills and upto date administrative knowledge is immediately needed. It is important to explore work force to diverse situation in order to make them learn the aspect of leadership. They will have to learn to innovate and discover how the knowledge of past lives can open a new vision. In fact man is the master of his own destiny. Creation of new era is possible provided that everyone has a creative mind. Learning speed has changed which means how quickly one can learn and implement is a good quality that we look for in young minds. Energy, enthusiasm and excellence must be characterized by everyone to act and achieve.

The fundamental question is regular performance audit of employees. This system will provide an opportunity to find out inefficient persons in the department for accountability and motivation. Every employee should take new assignment as challenge and try to complete the public work in time. Creativity and new ideas in workplace will surely generate hard work, faith in work, dedication and professiolism which are essential to discharge public works as quickly as possible. This will check mal-administration. The public eye is very sharp. The public may forgive us for small mistakes but will never forgive for mistakes in motive.

(The writer is Adviser, Guwahati Magement Association)