Living Life: Office Etiquette

For a few years it has almost become a government obsession to improve the level of customer care. Indeed, many organizations have gone to great lengths to make it happen. However, some individuals are bent on derailing the whole momentum of the good cause. Take this lady who works in a government office. Early morning at about eight o’clock, the lady is sitting in office making a call about wedding clothes of some sort for a good twenty minutes while am sitting across her patiently fighting the temptation to protest. Then there is this receptionist receiving phone calls on behalf of the whole company who keeps on shouting disrespectfully, “…who…what, what do you want, who do you want to talk to?” with the least sense of public etiquette. In some cases, it has come to my understanding that some of these individuals’ lopsided way of perception makes them think that they are more important than the people who they must serve because they hold positions or are employed by government or big corporate entities. This air of importance drives them to disregard the people they serve with the assumption that the world revolves around them. In the first place, people in service should realize that their role and job is to serve. The best leaders today are servants, not rulers. To serve means to put yourself at the disposal of others to solve their needs, to actively participate in solving their needs. For example a local government leader should lead by example by actively participating in monthly umuganda sessions. That is the way to inspire people. To understand this is at the core of leadership. Many a time, we have seen the president slashing grass or doing this or the other. He does not do it because there is nobody to do it. Nor does he do it so that his neighbourhood gets clean, am sure he has plenty of people at his disposal to do such mundane work. But more importantly, he does it as an example to general citizenly. He would like to show the people that we need to do these small mundane activities to keep our environments clean and healthy. These people who carry an air of importance should take cue from the president and begin to think like servants, not rulers. They should begin to understand that in the case of businesses, the people they hold ransom with all kinds of excuses actually make it possible for them to have that job and in the case of government, that the people they ignore actually pay their salaries straight from taxes. The absence of the people who sit in front of people’s desks means the absence of the good jobs and perks.I wish you a weekend of servitude. kelviod@yahoo.com