Employees should be transferred regularly

By Editor

Editorial Cartoon

On being employed for the first time, especially in the civil service and any public entity, one of the conditions for a worker is to work anywhere and at any time if required to do so by his/her boss.

 

There are many reasons for this condition, one being that it gives leeway for the employer to choose where to post staff depending on various conditions and circumstances. 

 

For instance, an office somewhere may be understaffed, and thus need strengthening by a new appointee.

 

In some cases an area may be notorious for crimes and, in the case of the Police Force, requires a no-nonsense cop! Thus, it is only logical for the boss to post personnel that would fit particular circumstances.

 

However, this has not been happening all the time in Tanzania. For, once posted to a new area, some civil servants become so used to it that they no longer would want to be transferred anywhere else.

 

The reason may be that they are so accustomed to the weather, people or environment in the area that they would rather stay put than go anywhere else. In this way they would do anything to remain in the area. 

 

This may be among reasons that prompted the recent directive from the Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda. On a visit to Iringa Region he directed the Iringa Regional Commissioner, Amina Masenza, to give him a list of all civil servants who have been working in the region for more than ten years. 

 

His intention is to transfer them to other duty stations, and as the head of all cabinet ministers, the Prime Minister could not be more right. 

For he has both the obligation and authority to intervene in any government machinery which he thinks does not conform to the right way of fulfilling government policies and duties. 

 

As civil servants, those officials are required to stay in one station for a minimum of three years and thereafter be transferred elsewhere. 

There is a lot of logic in such an arrangement as it gives room for new ideas from other civil servants. This in turn promotes good governance, improves execution of duties and ensures efficiency.

 

This is because it is true that if they overstay in one place they will hardly be creative and have new ideas in performing their duties. 

Ultimately the ‘work as usual’ attitude will be entrenched in their minds and they will not have anything new in performing their day to day duties. The result will no doubt be stunted development of their areas of operation.

 

The Prime Minister’s directive to the Iringa Regional Commissioner should be regarded as an eye opener to other regions that have such civil servants.

 

As a matter of fact, it should also be a wake-up call to other public organisations who have, for one reason or another, kept their employees in one duty station for too long. 

 

Unless there are special reasons, the employees should be transferred regularly because they would get familiar with working in a variety of environments in Tanzania.