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Fitness to serve in public sector goes beyond the physical

28 Oct 2022

This week, it was revealed that the authorities are considering terminating the service of around 4,000 police officers who have been found to be unfit to serve. Among them are officers who do not meet the required medical standards due to various reasons including work-related issues, such as injuries.  The pressing need to rid the public sector of unfit employees is a matter that goes beyond the Police and their physical fitness – or the lack of it. Over the years, the issues of incompetence and inefficiency have become commonly highlighted in discussions about public officials and the public sector. In fact, in the eyes of the public, public officials are seen as the country’s most rewarded yet most incompetent and inefficient workforce. In this time of crisis, which has taught Sri Lanka the lesson that the Government cannot keep on spending on the public sector with no significant return, the public sector should be filled with competent employees. The first step to take is reviewing the competency of public officials, with a focus on either improving or getting rid of incompetent employees.  Although physical fitness has a lot to do with police officers’ competency, when it comes to the overall public sector, apart from education and experience, there are many factors that determine the level of service a public official provides. These factors include attitude, updated knowledge including technical literacy relevant to the job, efficiency, and responsibility. It is the public’s opinion that the majority of public officials that deal with the public directly are severely lacking such qualities, and that this is a major reason as to why the public sector has declined or has remained stagnant despite massive recruitment and investment. In this context, firstly, review systems should be introduced for the entire public sector so that such qualities can be evaluated accurately. While every public official should face this review, these systems should be tailor-made to match the nature of each institution. Secondly, based on the results of this review, steps should be taken to ensure that the reviewed officials receive the opportunity to improve themselves, in the event they do not meet the necessary standards. When there is no room for such a second chance, steps need to be taken to remove them from the service, or reappoint them to another institution where they can serve satisfactorily with the level of skill they bring to the table. Most importantly, the results of this review should be one of the key factors that decide whether a public official is suitable for receiving promotions or increments. Another benefit of such a system is that public officials will then voluntarily improve themselves due to the competition they will face. While this proposition may sound too impractical or too strict for a country like Sri Lanka, which has a habit of turning down systems that threaten ineffective work cultures, this is a must, given the public sector’s size and the weight it bears on the country’s economy. In fact, such systems are not at all new to a considerable share of the private and corporate sector, which reviews employees at least once every few years. In a context where the public sector has become a burden on the country, having such a system in place will leave the public sector with more competent employees, and allow employees who are not adequately competent to improve themselves or seek alternative career options. However, this system should not be purely a technical one; it should also be humane and practical to take into account practical issues, such as employees having to work under extremely stressful environments that have an impact on their competence and attitudes. 


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