Mag ginoberno gud na trinabahuan. There is this
misconception among people that if one is working in a government agency, you
have the right to loaf around and receive the salary with lesser displacement
of work consistent to what is being paid. We hear of local government workers
who perform procrastination at its peak. We also hear of teachers coming in
late to their stations and go out of school as early as three thirty in the
afternoon. But the most annoying ones are those who come to work early but do
not displace any output at all. They are just there with no tangible outcome of
either services or paperwork.
Loafing according the
Dictionary.com is to idle away time or to lounge or saunter idly and lazily. It
then prompted the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to remind state workers to
strictly observe government working hours. The CSC issued the reminder through
Memorandum Circular No. 1, series of 2017 reiterating the policy on government
office hours, and penalties for unauthorized absences, tardiness in reporting
for duty, and loafing during office hours.
What then is the
reason why people get unproductive during working hours other than sheer
laziness?
Worker productivity is
an ongoing challenge in the world. It would be easy to blame this lack of
productivity on ‘lazy’ millennial. But there are more complex factors at play
including issues with workplace culture, a lack of investment in skills and
training, and change on use and expectations of digital communications tools.
Barry Chignell (2019)
mentioned that these are the main reasons why people are NOT working at their
best: The working environment is not fitting for the purpose; Digital
technology is out of control; Managers are unskilled; Performance management is
not in step with reality; No rewards and recognition scheme; Stressful
assignments with additional loads and less social interactions.
Let us look at the
schools since this writer is immersed with them as the ecology.
If one visits the public
schools, the reality will slap the person with enough force that could knock
him/her unconscious. Classrooms are
jam-packed with learners and the furniture and even the floors are not
wholesome enough to look at. Teachers and students are trying cope with the
online fad and cannot manage themselves on how to situate themselves in this
social media revolution. School heads are not focusing on the curriculum since
they are misguided by all the paperwork and “beautification” activities. The introduction
of the PPST/PPSSH-aligned performance is beyond the understanding of other
school heads (they do not even understand why lesson plans must be tracked and
classroom observations must be properly written). Teachers claim to have enough
teaching loads and competencies to be taught are stressful enough to cope.
These are just slices
of the big pie that encompass the realities in the Department of Education. But
then, as persons of cognitive understanding, we can adapt and cope on the
so-called demands if we understand what we are working at.
Heraclitus, a Greek
philosopher who lived around 500 BC, developed an entire philosophy around the
fact that life is nothing but constant change. Having to adapt to those changes
is a basic element of being human, but it is not always easy to excel at it.
Adaptability requires an ability to positively alter your mindset and your
actions, often in ways that are initially uncomfortable or even stressful, to
conquer new challenges (David, 2019).
There is the gap.
When people sit on their laurels and do not go out of their comfort zones and then
resort to sloth.
A person is being
lazy if he is able to carry out some activity that he ought to carry out, but
is disinclined to do so because of the effort involved. Instead, he carries out
the activity perfunctorily; or engages in some other, less strenuous or less
boring activity; or remains idle. In short, he is being lazy if his motivation
to spare himself effort trumps his motivation to do the right or expected thing.
Recent research
suggests that, though our instinct is for idleness, people will pick upon the
flimsiest excuse to keep busy. Moreover, people feel happier for being busy,
even if their busyness is imposed upon them. In their paper, Idleness Aversion
and the Need for Justifiable Busyness (2010), Hsee and colleagues surmise that
many purported goals that people pursue may be little more than justifications
for keeping busy.
Government workers
must be reminded that we took oath on serving the people and the country to our
utmost abilities. Since we chose to become teachers and employees of the public
schools, there is a need for us to be productive daily. Our performance and
academic achievement of the students are manifestations that we are doing our best to displace services.
Meanwhile, the Civil
Service Commission warned the government workers that loafing during regular
office hours is a grave offense and is punishable by suspension of six months
to one year for the first offense, and dismissal from the service for the
second offense (CSC Memo Circular no.1, s. 2017).
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