Promotion and their withdrawals are serious issues

Nov 11, 2016 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Government workers are crying to be paid more money. The defence of the government is that it cannot afford to sustain the increases demanded.
The more things change the more they remain the same. The persistent cry of workers is for more money. The ongoing demand of their unions is for greater increases in salaries.
But there is something that all sides are overlooking which is more important than salary increases. The one thing which can substitute for a salary increase is a promotion.
It gives a worker a great sense of satisfaction when that worker is promoted. A promotion says to the worker that you are not a machine, you are human, and your efforts are recognized and appreciated. A promotion says to a worker that he or she has made a difference. A promotion is signal to a worker that he or she can expect to pursue a career in their place of employment. They will not have to worry about looking for greener pastures, because they can climb the occupational ladder.
Promotions are important, also, from a psychological point of view. They make workers feel good about themselves. They motivate them to do better and motivate others to try to follow in their footsteps.
The problem under the PPPC government was that little attention was ever given to promotions within the public sector, except of course for the military, police and teachers. The fact that persons were constantly brought in for top positions for jobs rather than looking from within the organization for seniority is something that discouraged a lot of employees.
It has led to the crab-barrel mentality, whereby people are climbing all over persons, because this is how they feel they will get ahead.
A person who works within an organization should expect that if a vacancy arises in that organization, it will be filled firstly from within the organization. Only if no one is judged suitable, should a vacancy be filled from outside. What happened under the PPPC was that a great many vacancies were filled by persons from outside of organizations. This led to a grave loss of morale within the public service.
It is happening again under the APNU+AFC coalition. Persons were brought in to fill positions by those who were sent home. In some instances the persons brought in were long past retirement age. The same loss or morale is repeating itself, because persons within the public service do not feel that they will ever be able to rise through the ranks unless they have friends in high places.
People should be promoted. Any worker at the lower tiers of the scale who has not received a promotion every two years should be worried. Any worker who is at the middle of the scale should be worried if he or she is not promoted every four years. Any worker at the higher echelons should expect a promotion every six years. If this is not happening, the system is either not right or the worker should be looking for another job or should be upping his or her performance.
Promotion and the withdrawal of promotions are serious issues. They can damage the relationship between a worker and the company with which he or she is employed.
The New Year is a good time for promotions. The promotion lists should start being prepared. There are persons who are acting in positions who should be confirmed forthwith. It is unfair to persons who have worked long in an organization to be bypassed in favour of someone outside the organization. If a person within an organization cannot rise through the ranks, why keep that person on the payroll?
Promotions are also important for politicians. A tradition, long ignored, was the reshuffling of Cabinet positions and the naming of new Ministers and the shelving of others, at the break of the New Year.
There is a need for the President to look at his cabinet closely and to decide whether he wants to make any promotions, appointments or demotions. But more pointedly, the government needs to announce promotions regularly. It is the best motivator of performance, far more than salary increases.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News