It’s mid-year and requests to submit performance reports are raining.
I received a request to fill-out a form. When I opened the file, I found out that I only have “viewing” access, thus, I cannot edit the file. When I told the sender that I can only view the file, I got a “you should have requested access”. I am asked to provide and indicate information in a file that can only be accessed or edited upon request.
I was asked to provide information, but I have to request access in order to provide the needed information? What is the logic? I learned that access should be requested to track those who will edit. But then again, they asked me to provide information that should be indicated in the given blank sheet.
This is a prime example to illustrate what the general public say about government service or government agencies or government employees. That government is inefficient. As a government employee, I get offended by such statement. I am always doing my best to provide a good service to people, to give them something they can be proud of. But it is disheartening when your co-government employees are giving the best examples of inefficient government service.
We are not even talking about trust yet. And trust is critical in government service. The people entrusted their lives to government officials and workers, whom they think can guide and assist them in all facets of development. If one government employee cannot trust another government employee, then there is definitely wrong with the way we serve the people.
The online sheet where we would be indicating the needed and requested information was sent to a “known” group of employees. It has several subsheets or tabs assigned per member of the “known” group. Did they think that a member of the “known” group would sabotage or destroy the work or the information provided by the other member in the other subsheet? If I would get a “Yes!”, then I am greatly diminished. We trust them but they don’t trust us. We celebrated our Golden Jubilee years ago, but it is apparent that we have yet to reach the level of maturity where employees do not pull each other back to the ground.
It is saddening that the oath of government employees we recite during a Flag Ceremony is only good for memorisation. And that it has no place at all in a day’s work.
DEXTERIFICATION 