Government workers in Dubai will be given new performances targets in a drive to increase productivity and encourage a competitive spirit in the emirate, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed has announced.
The Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai issued a resolution on Tuesday that will link the achievements of employees with the targets of the government bodies they work for.
The resolution, which applies to all full-time public sector staff and is due to be brought into force in January of next year, will outline a framework for assessing performance fairly and objectively based on a set criteria.
Guidelines will be clearly laid out for how bonuses and incentives can be secured.
According to the resolution, Dubai Government Human Resources Department will be in charge of providing support to government bodies to implement the system and overseeing periodic reviews of its operation.
The department will also provide any necessary training or workshops to get employees up to speed with the initiative.
Employees will be required to participate in the performance management system, while line managers will also be called upon to implement the scheme.
The new appraisal process has five phases – performance planning, periodic review, evaluation, budgeting and adjustment of scores and rewards and recognition.
The director general of each government entity in Dubai will set up a review committee to assess the performance evaluation of the organisation’s units and discuss it with managers.
The resolution also sets out ways to recognise and reward exceptional employees and outlines the process for employees to seek a review of their appraisal.
Employees who were absent for more than six months for a valid reason will receive a ‘satisfactory’ appraisal rating for the year in which they were absent.
This provision also applies to national service employees.
The resolution will be effective from January 1, 2019, and will be published in the Official Gazette of the Government of Dubai.
In July, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said the results of an employee satisfaction survey of government workers were unacceptably low and gave managers six months to improve morale.
In his latest push to improve efficiency in the public sector, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai expressed disappointment at a study that showed employees in five government offices had relatively low job satisfaction.
Sheikh Mohammed said that, while some showed satisfaction was as high as 93 per cent, only 60 per cent of employees at five offices said they were satisfied at their workplace.