Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Civil servants must be committed, says Sultan of Pahang

KUANTAN: Civil servants should provide good services to the people and put aside their political differences, Sultan Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah said.

Sultan Ahmad Shah said as public servants, they must be committed and professional in discharging their duties to uphold the government’s aspirations.

”Bear in mind that we are there to serve the people regardless of their affiliations.

”We are also working for Allah and it is part of our ‘ibadah’,’’ he said in his speech during a dinner with government servants in Zenith Hotel here recently.

Also present were state secretary Datuk Seri Muhammad Safian Ismail, state executive councillors and other department heads.

Sultan Ahmad Shah said government servants must be “people-friendly” at all times and performed their duties diligently.

”Talk less and concentrate on completing the job as action speaks louder than words,’’ he said.

Sultan Ahmad Shah added that efforts must be made to improve the level of services and efficiency from time to time so that the civil service would be respected by the people.

”As the country is working towards a developed nation status, let’s ensure the civil service is on par and relevant,” he said.

THE STAR ONLINE

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Proposed buddy system may backfire, says Cuepacs

PETALING JAYA: Cuepacs has questioned the suitability of the proposed buddy system for civil servants, and urged the Public Service Department to review the plan.

Cuepacs president Datuk Omar Osman said the system might prove to be counter-productive as those who were assigned a buddy could take it the wrong way.

“Some may feel demoralised and demotivated to work if they find out that they were considered problematic,” he said yesterday.

He added that assigning someone from the same department to “help” an underperforming colleague might also have a negative impact.

“The buddy may highlight small mistakes and weaknesses, making the colleague unnecessarily stressed. This would make the situation worse,” he said.

Omar suggested that government departments develop training programmes instead.

He said every department should have its own plan on how to improve the productivity of its staff.

“We believe that well-designed training programmes will be more effective for civil servants than assigning a colleague to help them.”

THE STAR ONLINE

Dept to introduce ‘friendly’ system to motivate problematic civil servants

PETALING JAYA: Underperforming civil servants will be assigned specially trained “buddies” from next month to guide and motivate them.

The “buddy system” to make the civil service “more dynamic and functional” is aimed at employees with attitude and other problems that cause them to be unproductive.

The Public Service Department uploaded on its website the guidelines for the system, which is an initiative of its psychology management unit.

Unit head Dr Aris Kasan said the “buddies” would be selected by a special committee comprising human resource personnel and psychologists.

He told The Star that the buddies would be chosen from more than 4,500 civil servants who had been trained in counselling for the existing Public Service Colleague Guidance Group, which organises formal activities such as team building sessions.

“The buddy system will involve activities on a more personal level such as having meals or watching or playing games together,” he said.

The programme, which supports the Public Service Colleague Guidance Group, would identify workers with attitude, work, financial and family problems.

“The buddies will motivate colleagues assigned to them or help by sharing their knowledge and experience with them.

“However, if they detect major issues such as mental problems or any form of addiction, they will have to refer the colleagues to the department's counsellor or the psychology unit.”

The number of buddies selected depends on the need of each department.

Dr Aris said he would meet the counsellors from all the depart-ments once every three months to garner feedback.

“We will then conduct an impact study on the programme to gauge its effectiveness,” he said.

Dr Aris added that the department would also look into training doctors under the system in light of the recent death of a houseman in Kajang Hospital.

The Star had reported that some housemen were overworked and bullied, sending some into depression.

THE STAR ONLINE

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Cuepacs wants 35,000 to be made permanent civil servants

KUALA LUMPUR: Cuepacs has urged the Government to absorb more than 35,000 civil servants on contract, whose term ends in May, into the service.

Its president Datuk Omar Osman said they hoped to meet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak before Workers Day to resolve the matter.

“We sympathise with the contract staff. The only way to settle this matter is to talk with the Prime Minister,” he said yesterday.

He said he had received many complaints from civil servants that their contracts might not be renewed although they had performed well in their jobs.

“Some of them have worked more than 10 years in the civil service and a majority of them are in the management and professional group. They might not be able to secure a job in the private industry after working so long in the civil service,” said Omar.

He said that Cuepacs had met Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan and Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Abu Bakar Abdullah, but nothing conclusive had come out of it.

“If they cannot be absorbed permanently, we hope the Prime Minister can consider extending their contracts,” he said.

He noted that there were about 700 Administrative and Diplomatic officers with contract status who had previously received JPA scholarships but failed to secure a permanent job in the civil service.

“I do not understand why they were not absorbed permanently,” he said.

THE STAR ONLINE

Thursday, April 5, 2012