SHILLONG: All the policies relating to the development of Meghalaya are made in the Secretariat but the work culture in the “power house” of the State is abysmal.
A visit to the Secretariat reveals that many of the fourth grade employees spend their time sitting and gossiping along the corridor. In private organisations employees of all grades are expected to multi-task. When the driver is not driving he is doing other jobs in the office/organisation. No institution except the government can afford to employ a full time peon. Moreover the government does not take stock of the performance of its employees.
Officials from the Secretariat Administration Department (SAD) have expressed their disenchantment with the poor work culture and feel that unless there is a change and employees are held accountable for their productivity there will be no progress.
Many of the employees of various departments spend their time either playing computer games or viewing social networking sites like Facebook.
Officials from the SAD cited overstaffing as the main reason for the poor work culture in the Secretariat where people have been hired on political considerations even when there is no need for them.
Reacting to a query, officials on condition of anonymity said, “SAD cannot go and inspect each and every room of the Secretariat to check the activities of the employees.”
When asked about how the work culture can be improved, officials said that the higher officials of all the departments, including the secretary and deputy secretary, need to keep a tab on the employees for their efficiency and punctuality at work. SAD sources, however, said that the situation has improved a bit after the installation of the Access Control System (ACS) machines. But coming to office is one thing. There is no mechanism as yet to assess the productivity or output of an employee on a daily basis, which is an imperative in private institutions.
It may be mentioned that it is mandatory for all the employees to punch the biometric cards before entering the Secretariat.