Mahmoud Ahmad

 

It is really strange that people would resort to unbelievable reasoning to flout rules that are set up to streamline a system. I read last week that officials from the technical college in Tabuk — a government department — and some other government departments in other areas were objecting to the installation of fingerprinting system that controls attendance at work place.



The argument these people tout is that it has negative health consequences and these types of devices are not safe. This incredulous argument was delivered by one of the people who had objected to the installation of such machines. He said: “We are not objecting to the system itself but there is no medical report from the Health Ministry guaranteeing the safety of these devices health-wise and, there’s no way to ensure that these devices do not spread diseases. Also the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality organization havwnot approved such a device.”



Currently, most government departments are using different types of instruments in their systems. Even to the extent that some departments still use the time sheet with the employees physically logging his arrival and departure on a sheet of paper or the attendance log.  But there are departments that are semi-automated with a punch-card system in place. These departments use cards that are punched in a machine that functions as a keeper of records with a 24-hour timer. The card, when pushed down the slot in the machine, prints the date, day and time of arrival and departure on the card.



The systems, however, can be bypassed by errant employees, who could work out ingenious ways to beat the system. It also enables employees to shirk work by absenting themselves from work after marking themselves present. That’s why both the modes used for logging the arrival/departure of employees is easily bypassed by employees working in consort with each other. In the first system nobody can prevent an employee from writing the name of his co-worker even though he is not there and in the second system one employee can also push the card of his friend, who generally arrives late, thus generally defeating the purpose of the time sheet, which should help ascertain the productivity of employees and the frequency of attendance.



We have to admit one thing: that we are facing a very tough task in instilling discipline at some government departments in terms of attendance and also the employees’ completion of their regular work hours. Government employees have a reputation of not being at their job and, if they are, they are not productive.



I quote from a recent study, which I had published in an earlier column, that 69 percent of workers in government sector were absent from work without a valid excuse. It also revealed that 59 percent of workers leave work well before time and 68 percent of workers regularly take three-hour breaks. The study went on to say that 47 percent of supervisors do not monitor the productivity of their employees and the majority of the absentees from work are married.



Ensuring productivity is a whole different task but we cannot get to the stage of ensuring productivity of government employees if we cannot govern their attendance by a system of time management and get them to respect the time of working. That’s why such devices that provide limited area for abuse in the work hours is being denounced by some workers. It is only employees who do not want to or shirk work, or resort to collusion with colleagues to be absent, who will be vociferous in their objection to such devices.



I am sure many good government employees who work hard and use their work hours productively want this system to be implemented. For, at least, it will be a start in seeing those who are on time and the number of hours being put in by individuals. It will also help in differentiating the hard working from the hardly working.  The devices would be able to ensure that there’s effective use of time and work hours. It would also provide the supervisors a yardstick to evaluate and reward an employee — be it on a monthly or yearly basis — on the productive use of time.



In the private sector, time is money. When time is lost so is money. With this maxim drilled in everybody’s mind, the vast majority of private sector companies have resorted to the use of the fingerprinting system to control their worker's attendance. With the worker’s present on time, there’s streamlined work. Innovations, efficiency and hard work are then considered to evaluate the worker’s productivity. The appreciation of works will boost competition, which in turn will churn the wheels of productivity.



It is only in government departments where employees are present in name only that this system is hard to push. After logging in their arrival, some disappear from the job site for the majority of the day, while some are mentally not present even if they are there at their desks. The deception of logging in through a friend happens only in our government departments where an employees’ name arrives at work before he arrives in soul and body.



The claim that employees fear catching germs and viruses from the fingerprinting machine is funny and baseless. The same people grab door handles, which has been touched by thousands of people before them, use common washrooms and eat in cafeterias but are not worried about germs. They push carts at supermarket that is not clean and have been touched by thousands before them, but are not afraid of catching a virus there. They hold staircases sidebars when they walk up and down the stairs that have been touched by thousands before them. But when it comes to the fingerprinting system, they are afraid to catch germs. One simple solution to wash their fears is to get an anti-bacteria wiper and clean your hand after fingerprinting.



It is very sad to see people objecting to such devices especially when the government is trying to streamline its systems to improve its services to the people. The government should be tough on such objecting employees and install systems for the betterment of public service. It is time that we need to tell such people that every riyal they earn should be reciprocated by attending office on time and by being productive. Long gone are the days when people sign in and leave for their own errands after doing so. For now, people want accountability, and so does the government.



With fun and humor, a friend told me that if you come early to a government department, employees must have not arrived yet. If you arrive late, employees must have left early. And if you come in between — neither early nor late — they are eating. But joke aside, the sorry image of the government needs to be refurbished, and the installation of the fingerprinting devices is just the start.



— The author can be reached at mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa