By Mazen Abdul Razaq Balilah
THE new guidelines for evaluating performance of government employees and the desire to relocate surplus workers send a strong message to public sector employees – they have to change their attitude and improve performance or they will be changed.
I have noticed at least eight bad habits that make us appear foolish before others. Some of these habits directly contribute to poor performance of government employees.
The first bad habit is lack of enough sleep. When our body does not get enough sleep a number of negative responses occur from our side. One is not able to concentrate on work and get angry for simple reasons. Moreover, one may spoil the mood and will not have patience and have to tell lies to convince his/her boss on the reason for absence or delay.
It has been our custom to hold family functions late in the night to spend sleepless nights with friends and relatives. These customs and traditions upset our sleep pattern and make our life tense. As a result, employees will not be able to get up early to reach places of work on time.
Increased use of sugar in drinks and light meals is another bad habit, the main reason for the growing diabetic cases in the country. Doctors have warned against the use of sugar saying it would also increase blood pressure. Employees having diabetes will be weak and will not be able to concentrate in their work, thus their productivity will be low.
Obesity is another health condition that reduces efficiency and productivity of government employees in the Kingdom. It is a lifestyle disease caused mainly by lack of dieting and increased use of oily food. It has been scientifically proved that fat mice lacks flexibility and understanding.
Holding so many meetings, which take a lot of time, is another bad habit. Such marathon meetings teach people how to get stubborn and learn the art of how to oppose others to prove themselves right. At the same time successful managers prefer combined work of employees.
On the other hand, several and lengthy meetings weaken the concentration of employees as well as their intelligence and their ability to take decisions because of dependence on others. Many managers are fond of holding such meetings to impose their hegemony on other employees.
Fifth, addiction to PowerPoint presentation is another major issue, which damages the ability of people to think. It affects a person’s ability to present information and discuss it publicly.
Sixth, getting frustrated quite often will make you disappointed and strengthen your hormones of depression. Seven, readiness to do everything is another bad habit, because such people will not have enough experience to do a particular job in an efficient and professional manner.
Eight, traveling a lot is not a good habit as the change in place and weather would affect a person’s health and upset his/her biological clock. However, travels will enhance a person’s knowledge and his ability to accommodate different cultures and traditions.
