Discipline civil servants, manpower official says
Discipline civil servants, manpower official says
JAKARTA (JP): Imprecise job descriptions and the absence of controls are blamed for lack of discipline among government employees.
An assistant to the minister of manpower said on Friday that it is common for civil servants to fool around or even leave the office during working hours because they do not have specific duties while their superiors are out.
Payaman J. Simanjuntak, the official, said at a seminar on productivity that clear job descriptions for the employees and effective control by their superiors would reduce lack of discipline and thus increase productivity.
The two-day seminar on the productivity of government employees, which ended on Friday, was attended by development and human resources experts from the government and private sectors as well as businessmen.
Simanjuntak, an expert in human resources development, said motivation should come from the superiors, leading by example.
"An official cannot expect his staff to come at seven o'clock if he or she turns up at nine or asks them to stay late when he or she leaves early," Simanjuntak said.
With such an attitude, it becomes hard for superiors to control the staff's activities, he added.
He said that the result is "hidden" unemployment or underemployment.
According to him, superiors play a crucial role in supervision because the employees are not used to a control system.
In advanced countries, people already have a strong work ethic and are aware of their duties; their discipline does not depend on whether the superior is around to watch them or not, Simanjuntak said.
Antara news agency reported recently that residents in the West Java town of Karawang had complained over the disappearance of about 200 civil servants from the regency office for an entire month, bringing services to a complete halt.
The authorities have shown serious attention to civil servants' disciplinary problems by cracking down on lackadaisical and listless civil servants to boost discipline.
Last year only 150 civil servants were disciplined for taking off early.
Low salary
Meanwhile, the chairman of the United Development Party faction in the legislative body, Hamzah Haz, told the seminar that low salaries are the main reason for low discipline among civil servants.
"The administration should now start to consider the possibility of paying civil servants on the basis of productivity instead of educational background," he said.
By receiving enough take-home pay, civil servants will be able to concentrate on their duties without having to search for other sources of income, he said.
Low salary is also the main reason for many professional civil servants leaving their office and find a job at private companies, he said. He did not give any figures.
According to the new salary policy, a newly-appointed civil servant with a university degree receives Rp 150,200 ($67.5) a month, increasing by around Rp 14,000 after two years. The highest salary for a person with 30 years of working experience is Rp 537.600 ($242). (03)