The Attitudinal and Behavioral Change in partnership with the Human Resource Management office yesterday undertook a lateness and absenteeism awareness campaign on Government Ministries and Departments.
The essence of the campaign is to help formulate a policy data to support the government curb lateness and absenteeism.
Speaking to Awoko at Youyi Building, the deputy National Coordinator of the Attitudinal and Behavioral Change Allieu Kamara said the public sector and the civil service were not working in consonance with the President’s call for change. He said they were undertaking a survey to ascertain those that go to work late and also those who go to work early.
He disclosed that at the end of the survey, all the figures will be collated and statistical analysis will also be made and a campaign shall start immediately.
The Deputy National Coordinator said the survey hopes to minimize lateness and absenteeism and also hope for productivity. “We want people to adapt to believe that coming to work in time is essential and as citizens we have a responsibility and as the President had made the pronouncement to change our attitude, this is one of them. We cannot develop socio-economically without improving our work habit. What we are striving to achieve is to develop the minds of the people and to orientate them that coming to work in time is some of our answers” he said.
He categorically stated that the exercise is not a witch hunt and no penalty will be levied at the end of the day “The Attitudinal Change is not a law enforcement agency. We are here to create the awareness and to sensitize people”, he added.
Mr. Kamara proudly informed that the messengers, drivers and cleaners defeated the purpose as they were the earliest to work but few of the ministers he said refused to answer to some of the questions they were asked for coming late.
At Ministerial Building at George street which houses the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, 99 personnel of that Ministry had made it up to the office in time as if they got a tip off that the one day survey was another trap to reduce the size of the Civil Service, but Abubaker Kamara of the Human Resource Management Office said the thrust of their one day survey was to test the perception of the general public on the Civil Service.
He further stated that the perception of the public on the Civil Service could not be unconnected to: laziness, lateness, absenteeism and corruption, noting that their action was in no way tantamount to any punitive action against one absenting or coming late to work yesterday as they were just seeking to determine the level of effectiveness of the Civil service so as to enable government to reach a policy decision.
“We are not policing people but a day like this will spark something in the minds of people that we need to improve on our work by coming to office on in time” he said.
By Ishmael Bayoh and Solomon Rogers