Tjahjo Kumolo, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister of Indonesia said that the government is formulating a strategy to reduce the number of unproductive civil servants, working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they are unable to complete their usual set of tasks and responsibilities on a day-to-day basis.
Aiming for change: Competencies, skills, and productivity valued
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician said the unproductive civil servants place a higher burden on their productive coworkers, especially when they fail to deliver their usual set of tasks and responsibilities. Thus forcing the productive servants to be overloaded with work, on account of failure and slack from their coworkers.
Aiming for a drastic change in competencies for future requirements, the Minister believes the Indonesian government has an excess of civil servants, but still lacks capable staff. "Too many, but not enough."
Should India adopt learnings from Indonesia and lay off unproductive civil staffers?
To find an appropriate solution to this growing problem of excess with a lack of capable workers, Tjahjo Kumolo said that the Ministry will be working with the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) to reformat the civil service management system around new-normal policy reforms.
Reducing civil servant numbers could perhaps help reform the civil service management system, and civil servants with required competencies will be paid higher and better to result in significant improvement in remuneration.
Is it time the Indian government takes cues from Indonesia by emulating their approach to layoff unproductive civil servants during the current work-from-home period, implemented amidst COVID-19 pandemic?
