Administrators told to end 'we are working on it' syndrome

The Chartered Institute Administrators and Management Consultancy, (CIAMC) – Ghana, on Tuesday held a professional conference with a call on public sector workers and administrators to end the “we are working on it” syndrome.

The one-day conference on the theme: “Growing Together as Admin Professionals: Partners in National Development,” was aimed at uniting and strengthening administrative professionals towards its growth.

Mr. Rockson Dogbegah, the President of the Institute of Directors – Ghana, who made the call on administrators in the public sector, said the attitude of not attending to requests made in a timely manner did not promote productivity.

He said although the private sector was sometimes caught in the administrative bureaucracy, that of the public sector, had become a canker to deal with if the country was to increase productivity.

He called for the country to wage a war against the attitude of some administrators promoting the “we are working on it” syndrome to enable “us to fast forward the country’s growth”.

Mr. Dogbegah said there was the need for effective and ethical leadership in all spheres of the corporate world, adding that, “ethical leadership is about transparency, accountability, responsibility and fairness.

On his part, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, said administrators were people with unique and significant roles to play in the success of any organisation.

The Minister, who is also a member of CIAMC-Ghana, said very successful politicians were those who had taken the advice of their hardworking, ethical and efficient administrators and had also built good working relationships with them.

He called on the Administrators to change their attitudes towards work and also yearn to bring some positive reforms to their ways of doing things, adding that, there was the need for them to avoid misusing time and adhere to good time management practices.

He said there was also the need to take the training of institutional administrators serious because trained administrators tend to serve as catalysts for the growth of any entity.

Mr. Baffuor Awuah urged institutional administrators, especially those working with politicians, to always strive to give advice devoid of political biases or any personal consideration because “often times their duty is to give the options to politicians to enable them to decide”.

He said ultimately, what was more important is about the work done in the interest of Ghana towards its promotion and growth.

He said inasmuch as there was the need for legislation to regulate administrative bureaucracy, the most important thing to consider was the continuous training of people towards making them better and appreciate their responsibilities.

The sector Minister said it would be meaningless to come out with a legislation if the people who are supposed to implement it were not even up to what was required of them.

Samuel Mawusi Asafo, the Chief Executive Officer of the CIAMC-Ghana, said the conference was held with the aim of educating and enlightening members on the tenets of best administrative practices.

He said there was a need to educate the public and relevant stakeholders on the pivotal role of administration in the success of every organisation and emphasised the strategic leadership role of the 21st-century administrator.