The Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources (MRMWR) will soon implement a pilot project for a self-assessment programme, which will encourage employees to come up with ideas to improve the ministry's services.
The programme is aimed at creating a culture of loyalty to the organisation for enhancement of public services. MRMWR will launch an incentive plan for employees based on their level of commitment. Performances will be monitored and employees who are negligent in their duties will be penalised.
"The concept of self-assessment is to help ministry employees improve their work culture and performance without direct assignment by superiors, like in private sector institutions," Eng Majid bin Said al Rawahi, an advisor at MRMWR who has also designed the programme, told Muscat Daily.
"The main aim of the programme is to provide better services to the public. We will be approaching all the departments in the ministry to explain how it works. We will eventually reward all those who perform well and punish those who don't," he added.
Initially for a period of two years, the programme will kick off in the second week of February. "We have finished our consultations and decided that training will be given to human resources on how to be self-reliant. We need to inform the staff that they are here to work for the progress of the country and not just to get paid," he said.
The programme will take the ministry's vision, mission and institutional values into consideration and will look into the strengths and weaknesses of services provided, as well as the risks and opportunities involved.
Rawahi expressed hope that other ministries and government departments would follow suit. "I would like to see other government organisations follow our example, because human resources are the wealth of any establishment. So all organisations should take care of their human resources."
The programme will also reinforce the concept of team spirit among the staff of various administrative units as far as their responsibilities are concerned. "We hope the programme will bring about a change in policies and human resources management, and develop self-assessment methodologies among ministry employees," he added.
© Muscat Daily 2012
