JEDDAH, 8 November 2005 — Public sector employees across the spectrum are saying it’s time for a human relations update. Training, career development and a performance-based evaluation, promotion and salary system are among their recommendations.
Arab News recently contacted several longtime employees at various government ministries and municipalities, and asked them to voice their concerns.
Most of them said that government jobs should be competitive with private sector jobs — not only in pay but in development and advancement opportunities, as well.
Performance-based rewards and compulsory annual training and development would motivate employees to do a better job for the ministries and their customers, most agreed.
Adnan Al-Ghamdi, a Ministry of Education employee, said performance-based rewards work. Under an old program, he was recognized as the best employee among six divisions of his department. He said the award inspired him along with his colleagues who realized their contributions also could garner such recognition.
“Just like in some restaurants where they put up a picture of the employee of the month,” Al-Ghamdi said, “it all motivates the employees.”
He said rewards for employees who improve their computer literacy might be a good place to start. “Many employees are still incapable of using the computers correctly, and they do need some guidance,” Al-Ghamdi said.
Training also breaks up the monotony. “It’s almost like a routine,” said Hisham Albiladi, who works for Jeddah Municipality. “If such development programs and courses were offered to us, we definitely would be able to enhance our performance. We could stay updated all the time, and we would work harder because of the encouraging rewards.”
A common observation was that public sector managers need to have the freedom to select their employees, who should work in a supervised, performance-based system with clear objectives.
After examining managerial research, Prince Muhammad Khalid Abdullah Al-Faisal, president of Al-Faisaliah Group Holding Co. Ltd, told Al-Eqtisadiah daily that such initiatives will make a difference and would help develop employee skills and qualifications in the public sectors.
The prince also said the 15 percent salary increase instituted by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for public sector employees was a wise decision. The Ministry of Labor, he said, needs to use this as an opportunity to further enhance the public sector. Such changes wouldn’t be difficult to implement, he said, as they have been successfully applied by many private sector businesses.
Such improvements also could encourage more of the best and the brightest to consider careers in public service.
“Why not? If I found the same offers and treatment, I’d work in the public sector with no hesitation,” said Amani Ghazi, a grad student working on a master’s degree. “It’s my country, and I’m obliged to work and give the best I can — as long as my efforts are being appreciated.”
