Mohammed bin Rashid... and the third footprint!
As I reread the book “Reflections from the Mind of Mohammed bin Rashid,” I found that it begins with a question:
What is the role of government? The answer, “as Mohammed bin Rashid sees it,” was simple and comprehensive: The role of government is to achieve happiness for society. “Repeat,” yes, our daily work is to achieve happiness.
Oh my God...! Imagine the depth of this idea planted by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid in society’s perception of the government’s role. Imagine yourself receiving a notification to visit a government office, feeling happy as you complete your transaction, with mutual respect, smiles, and ease... In return, you, the employee, will feel happy while performing your role in serving the country and society.
By the way, I had the honor, as director of the “Kuwait Says Thanks” campaign, of honoring His Highness during the campaign’s second edition in 2014. We coordinated with Ms. Mona Al-Mari, his office director, to present the award in recognition of his distinguished role in attracting Kuwaiti investment projects and facilitating all matters for businessmen from Kuwait in Dubai.
I changed the article’s title after rereading his book. The original title was “The Present... Absent!” A dear friend insisted that I write this title and article. He confessed to me about his feelings during his daily routine when placing his finger on the second fingerprint scanner, which was mandated two hours after the first scan. He also shared an idea for a project to rent a “caravan” where employees could sleep near their workplace in one of the ministries, allowing them to rest for two hours until the time for the second fingerprint scan arrived. He compared the importance of “his finger” to prove his presence at the workplace... with that of a colleague who was actually present at the workplace, handling transactions or attending meetings, but forgot to take the second fingerprint scan due to his busyness. Therefore, during the evaluation period, the one who was actually “absent” but had only taken the second fingerprint scan received a better evaluation than the one who was genuinely present. Yet, all that mattered was placing his finger on the fingerprint scanner!
Without a doubt, my friend, his colleague, and everyone who graduated from his faculty never imagined that “there is fake unemployment in most ministries.” This is undoubtedly due to accumulated mistakes by previous governments, and the current government is working to address them. However, the solution begins by defining a role for each employee. Alternatively, transforming the work system into weekly tasks that do not require employees to go to the workplace would save office expenses, utilities, water, electricity, tea, coffee, etc.
