You must be productive, Lagos charges public servants

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L-R: Akeem Apatira, Director Accounts, Office of Establishments and Training; Mr. Deji Koko; Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson Oke; Director, Training, Office of Establishments and Training, Mr. Ayodeji Aruna; CEO Geum Macrophyllum Projects, Mr. Olajide Adams and Mr. Sammy Oki at a 2-day workshop on Work Ethics and Attitudinal Change for Improved Productivity.

The Lagos State Government has charged public servants in the state to take the issue of productivity seriously.

Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke made this charge on Thursday at the opening session of a 2-day workshop tagged: “Work Ethics and Attitudinal Change for Improved Productivity,” organized by the Lagos State Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions in conjunction with Messrs. Geum Macrophllum Projects, held at the Pearlwort Hotel & Suites, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

Oke said the first and most important reason why public servants should take the issue of productivity seriously was because their time was limited and that they ought to make it count for something worthwhile.

“In our own case, our customer is the general public; the good people of Lagos State. When each officer of the Lagos State Civil Service is productive, the members of the public interfacing with the civil service will obtain such huge benefits and satisfaction that will positively rub off on the reputation and morale of the civil service as a whole,” he said.

According to him, employees themselves would also benefit from increased productivity in the organisation, stressing that more often than not, when an organisation was highly productive, it eventually becomes successful.

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“Because of this, incentives are bound to be made available to the employees. These may include pay rises, bonuses, and so on. This will also motivate employees. Indeed, productivity in the workplace is an important aspect of every organisation and when all stakeholders understand this concept, success is just around the corner.

“It is therefore important for each person to consider how to make each moment count in their own interest and in the interest of the organisations they serve. Working smarter has now been established as better than working harder. Also, behavioural scientists have found that while being more productive at work is not rocket science, it does require being more deliberate about how one manages one’s time,” he explained.

L-R: Akeem Apatira, Director Accounts, Office of Establishments and Training; Mr. Deji Koko; Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson Oke; Director, Training, Office of Establishments and Training, Mr. Ayodeji Aruna; CEO Geum Macrophyllum Projects, Mr. Olajide Adams and Mr. Sammy Oki at a 2-day workshop on Work Ethics and Attitudinal Change for Improved Productivity.
“The third strategy is to set self-imposed deadlines. While we usually think of stress as a bad thing, a manageable level of self-imposed stress can actually be helpful in terms of giving us focus and helping us to meet our goals. For open-ended tasks or projects, try giving yourself a deadline, and then stick to it. You may be surprised to discover just how focused and productive you can be when you are watching the clock,” he added.

Oke added that in order to discourage unproductive discussions, it had been suggested for workers to hold standing meetings, saying that there were some evidence that standing meetings could result in increased group arousal, decreased territoriality, and improved group performance.

The commissioner charged the trainee to take the best advantage of the seminar and resolve to be even more productive than ever before.

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