Discipline civil servants, manpower official says<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Imprecise job descriptions and the absence of
\ncontrols are blamed for lack of discipline among government
\nemployees.<\/p>\n
An assistant to the minister of manpower said on Friday that
\nit is common for civil servants to fool around or even leave the
\noffice during working hours because they do not have specific
\nduties while their superiors are out.<\/p>\n
Payaman J. Simanjuntak, the official, said at a seminar on
\nproductivity that clear job descriptions for the employees and
\neffective control by their superiors would reduce lack of
\ndiscipline and thus increase productivity.<\/p>\n
The two-day seminar on the productivity of government
\nemployees, which ended on Friday, was attended by development
\nand human resources experts from the government and private
\nsectors as well as businessmen.<\/p>\n
Simanjuntak, an expert in human resources development, said
\nmotivation should come from the superiors, leading by example.<\/p>\n
"An official cannot expect his staff to come at seven o'clock
\nif he or she turns up at nine or asks them to stay late when he
\nor she leaves early," Simanjuntak said.<\/p>\n
With such an attitude, it becomes hard for superiors to
\ncontrol the staff's activities, he added.<\/p>\n
He said that the result is "hidden" unemployment or
\nunderemployment.<\/p>\n
According to him, superiors play a crucial role in supervision
\nbecause the employees are not used to a control system.<\/p>\n
In advanced countries, people already have a strong work ethic
\nand are aware of their duties; their discipline does not depend
\non whether the superior is around to watch them or not,
\nSimanjuntak said.<\/p>\n
Antara news agency reported recently that residents in the
\nWest Java town of Karawang had complained over the disappearance
\nof about 200 civil servants from the regency office for an entire
\nmonth, bringing services to a complete halt.<\/p>\n
The authorities have shown serious attention to civil
\nservants' disciplinary problems by cracking down on
\nlackadaisical and listless civil servants to boost discipline.<\/p>\n
Last year only 150 civil servants were disciplined for taking
\noff early.<\/p>\n
Low salary<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the chairman of the United Development Party
\nfaction in the legislative body, Hamzah Haz, told the seminar
\nthat low salaries are the main reason for low discipline among
\ncivil servants.<\/p>\n
"The administration should now start to consider the
\npossibility of paying civil servants on the basis of productivity
\ninstead of educational background," he said.<\/p>\n
By receiving enough take-home pay, civil servants will be able
\nto concentrate on their duties without having to search for other
\nsources of income, he said.<\/p>\n
Low salary is also the main reason for many professional civil
\nservants leaving their office and find a job at private
\ncompanies, he said. He did not give any figures.<\/p>\n
According to the new salary policy, a newly-appointed civil
\nservant with a university degree receives Rp 150,200 ($67.5) a
\nmonth, increasing by around Rp 14,000 after two years. The
\nhighest salary for a person with 30 years of working experience
\nis Rp 537.600 ($242). (03)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/discipline-civil-servants-manpower-official-says-1447893297",
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