Changing lanes

I have been working all my adult life - started as a cadet journalist at Berita Harian/New Straits Times in Johor as early as I was 19 of age and now to working with the Government as a contract officer. I think of all my years' of working, there were two jobs that I enjoyed thoroughly. One, when I was a journalist for Berita Harian, The Star and NST afterwards (post-Operasi Lallang 1987) in Penang and second, when I was in Toyota in Shah Alam as a PR.

I don't mind slogging, clocking long hours for these organisations, as the jobs themselves gave me more than satisfaction. The jobs were simply fitting to my qualification, experience and character. More importantly, it was the organizational system that was solidly in place. However, as I moved on from one organisation to another over the years, supposedly looking for better wage, I could not find the X factor - not just emotional satisfaction and the right remuneration package, it is the organizational systems that I always be looking at.

Changing lanes on a busy road can be dangerous and hazardous to you, your family and to other motorists. You either make other motorists annoyed by your carelessness as you could snake in and out of the long lines of vehicles which you feel are hogging the lanes. However, when I really look at it, it is the system of having multiple lanes on the road that made us like crazy drivers who love changing lanes all the time.

Likewise, in life like mine, changing lane in careers can also do the same thing to you, your family and people around you.

The only big advantage of changing jobs that I know of is the learning process. Certain organisations have certain ways of teaching and learning, sometimes in weird kind of ways and sometimes, you'd be so challenged that your life is threading a thin line between right and wrong, good and bad, and sometimes, your conviction in whatever you believed before hangs in a balance. I have always believed in life-long learning, as you learnt through practices, visual experience and these are kept tacitly somewhere in your head.

As I was saying, different organisations have different strokes of learning process. I return to the Government, after a lapse of 10 years, and what I found the Government is still at the same level of mentality. Every minute of meetings is recorded conservatively and calling of a meeting is done on paper, when every officer has an email that he or she can utilize without spending too much time printing an invite. It is irony that Putrajaya is a first class infrastructure, but it has the worst kind of work methodology. I am sure not all Government employees are dried basin of uncreative ideas or malas, but someone has not done his job of managing work processes. I blame MAMPU and even Tan Sri Sidek Hassan, the Chief Secretary to the Government, for not able to see the processes through and through. There are just too many overlapping duties and activities, but they keep doing in circles until they don't realize the replication.

I have also seen fantastic Government employees who are dedicated and committed to their work but not given due recognition. It is sad, however, these employees are not noticed or being used by their selfish bosses to advance their careers. Promotions are still not based on performance or meritocracy, promotions are still based on seniority and well sometimes, whoever is closer to the bosses. This nepotism also happens in private sector but in private sector, performance always comes first, as the performance assessment system is well in place.

These factors have done one thing to me - they damage my hope and aspirations to be a better civil servant in helping the Government to be better than it is today. The administrative system and the work processes are so inefficient and flawed in every way that I look. Trainings and courses are given to the civil servants in hoping to improve work process, but when the system still remains the same, nothing can be done. Dato' Idris Jala waited for 3 weeks for his security pass to be ready, as the system flawed. I waited 3 months for my salary to be paid. Not the people who flawed; it is just the system.

Sometimes I think I have made an error in my own system of judgment - swerving into the wrong lane in this current career. It does not give me any satisfaction but a lot of anger, disappointment and frustration. Pay-wise, though I have a lot to complain, but alhamdullillah, this is God-given and I shall be thankful with that.