Saudi Gazette Nader Ali was elated when he got his first job at a government organization. He was keen on arriving at his office on time, meeting deadlines, and impressing his managers. But eventually, his enthusiasm started fading; he became bored of his job and the routine work he had to go through every day. His energy level went down, which showed in his work. Although work is not always a bed of roses, there is no excuse for an employee to become careless or lose interest in his/her job. Both men and women want salaries on time, apart from craving for bonuses, increments, and allowances, but they do not think once of doing justice to responsibilities given to them. Amjad Al-Qahtani said that many of her coworkers at the government organization preoccupy themselves with other distractions and do not fulfill what is expected of them. “Many people in our society lack strong work ethics and they suffer from an absence of conscience when it comes to working hard to truly earn the paycheck they receive at the end of the month. It is not uncommon to find governmental employees also working part-time in private marketing companies, to gain a supplementary income. These types of jobs pay the employee a certain percentage for each sale, so women obviously spend more time on part time jobs as it gives them more money. They neglect their duties at their regular job. Can you believe that they carry out such activities on the computer in their offices that their full-time government job has provided them with?” Al-Bandari Khalifa works as a security officer in the women's branch at a government organization.“A colleague of mine is constantly checking her messages on WhatsApp or laughing and talking on her mobile phone when she should be inspecting the women entering and exiting the building. Such behavior is unacceptable because our job requires our full attention because we are responsible for maintaining security in the building.” Some employees believe that the employer in such organizations should keep a regular check on their employees. Productivity and loyalty at work are highly influenced by them as well. Employees can not be entirely blamed if the employer lacks managerial and leadership skills. “I have been around for a long time and I initially loved my job and pushed myself to deliver the very best. However, all my efforts were going unappreciated and unnoticed. I tried to self-motivate myself but after realizing that there was no hope of any promotion or bonuses in the near future, I just don't care anymore,” said Najiba Saad, a receptionist at a ladies' beauty center. Moustafa Alzuabi is an IT manager at the Islamic Corporation for Development, a branch of the Islamic Development Bank. He shed light on some essential managerial skills that help ensure job satisfaction, motivation, productivity, and improved performance of the employees in his team. “Contrary to what most managers believe, motivation is not derived only from money and financial bonuses. In fact, statistics show that real motivation comes from giving the employee recognition, acknowledgment, a sense of achievement, and a sense of belonging to the corporation. Sometimes psychological rewards have a more positive effect than financial rewards. If people are happy in their jobs, they will be willing to work harder and even longer hours. Being a good leader means serving your team and not just pushing them and bossing them around.” According to experts, other effective managing skills are: Be clear in what you expect of your team members and know how to delegate tasks. Keep the door of communication and dialogue open. Invest time in people development and in providing training, educational conferences, and skills development workshops for employees. Provide constructive feedback and give credit to people who truly deserve it. Dr. Saleh Al-Aqeel, a social worker, said being self-disciplined is the missing key and that is the most important characteristic for employees to have if they want to be more successful, exceptional, and highly productive. “Many members of our society lack the quality of being self-disciplined, and they wait for external negative pressures, warnings, or positive incentives to keep them working hard. The problem lies in the employee's incorrect belief that by merely being present in his office, he is doing his job and he has a right to the salary. It is the attribute of being self-disciplined that creates an honorary university student or an ideal salesman at a company or an admirable doctor who closely follows up on his patients' cases. Many people are unaware that their monthly salary loses its blessings, worth, and sufficiency if it was not rightfully earned by working hard,” Al-Aqeel told Al-Riyadh newspaper. __
