Breaking Absenteeism’s Hold
Yanthungo Patton, who also holds the Home and Border Affairs portfolios, made a surprise inspection of the Home Department at Nagaland Civil Secretariat in Kohima last month
- In an unexpected yet laudable move, Deputy Chief Minister of
Nagaland Yanthungo Patton, who also holds the Home and Border Affairs
portfolios, made a surprise inspection of the Home Department at Nagaland Civil
Secretariat in Kohima last month, only to find at least 18 officials/employees
absent. He later took to social media to express his disappointment, saying
that “accountability and discipline are the cornerstones of efficient
governance” and that “absenteeism not only hampers the functioning of critical
departments but also affects the delivery of essential services to our people”.
Days after the chief secretary alerted that the Home Department would conduct
such surprise checking in all the departments, the Dy CM once again visited
more departments -- Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Social Welfare,
Evaluation, Economics and Planning – earlier this month. No information about
absenteeism was made public this time, but he has sent out a clear message that
he might walk into your office unannounced, anytime during office hours. If any
employee is found absent without sanctioned leave, the chief secretary warned
that the “No Work No Pay” policy would be slapped against them. But will the
errant employees, who were already used to such warnings, budge? Doubtful. At
the most, it may force some to attend the office for a few days, only to fall
back to old ways. That’s what we have seen in the past and is likely to be repeated.
- It’s a pity that warnings no longer have an effect in
Nagaland. Years of uncontrolled dereliction of duty by employees of all ranks
across all departments have made it extremely difficult for the government to
reverse what has been normalised over the years. For instance, the Education
department has tried every trick in the book -- No Work No Pay threat, the
launch of the SMILE (Smart Attendance Management and Informative Leaves) app,
and warnings -- to address absenteeism and proxy teaching, but such measures
die a slow natural death. The Home department’s initiative, however good the
intention might be, too is likely to experience a similar fate. So, what’s the
way forward? Action. The concerned authorities and those in the position to
change should stop beating around the bush. Warnings and directives should be
followed by strict action without any condition. It’s time the government bites
the bullet to turn the tables. Disciplinary action, including suspension and
termination, should be taken against habitual offenders based on the nature of
misconduct – one department at a time. Only then will heads turn and governance
improve.
