This week’s announcement by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, of the results of a survey of government customer service centres, will, I hope, prompt civil servants around the country to sharpen their performances.
The two-month review of 600 service centres around the UAE resulted in the dismissal of senior managers at some of the failing sites, and two-month salary bonuses for employees at the best-performing centres.
I haven’t had the pleasure – or otherwise – of visiting any of those venues classed as being either the best or the worst, primarily because none of them are in the city of Abu Dhabi where I live. In any case, some are part of institutions that I rarely have reason to engage with, although the fact a centre run by Emirates Post was declared the worst in the country doesn’t surprise me, given some of my own experiences in dealing with the postal service. Emirates Post has vowed to improve “as a matter of urgency” and I look forward to seeing its transformation.
The decision to fire managers at the worst-performing centres while rewarding staff at the best is a pretty blunt instrument. But it is also a good way of making the point that when improvements are required, they need to be made quickly.
As Sheikh Mohammed said: “Providing high-quality services is a flexible and changing goal.” What might have been tolerated a few years ago is not necessarily acceptable today.
The evolution of technology plays a part here. What might have taken hours in the past should now, for the most part, take just a few minutes. Before the age of digitisation, government entities the world over suffered from bureaucratic slowness, but now times have changed and his has led to a rising level of expectation from customers who demand a better service.
Tucked away in the mists of memory is a plethora of horror stories about trying to negotiate procedures at government departments in the days before modern technology simplified our lives. There were long queues and instances of staff who had little interest in what they were doing and treated the public as though they were demanding favours. Unless the task was absolutely essential, the temptation was to put it off or to delay it as long as possible.
I remember my pleasure the first time that I visited a service centre of a particular ministry, shortly after it had become computerised, to get some paperwork sorted. I was in and out, job completed in a matter of a few minutes, after a short wait to be served by a young Emirati woman, who smoothly guided me through the process with a smile. I marvelled at the time at how different the experience was, compared to my earlier ones.
If employees are to deliver high quality service, they need to be motivated. Otherwise, morale will be low and service will suffer
Perhaps in that tale, though, lies the real message of this week’s announcement by Sheikh Mohammed.
The worst performer in the ratings, a Sharjah branch of Emirates Post, was said to have “weak employee performance…and poor mechanisms in place to deliver services while morale was also described as low.”
If employees are to be able to deliver high quality service, they need to be motivated. Otherwise, it is to be expected that morale will be low and service will suffer. A good level of motivation is dependent on many factors and I recognise that financial rewards might play a role here. That could be beyond the control of the manager of an individual centre but a clearly defined career trajectory and rewards for good performance should always be present.
There are other factors too. An effective manager needs to display in his or her daily work a proper level of respect for their colleagues and to provide effective leadership. A willingness to share the workload at busy times, or to remember to praise good performance, can go a long way in creating a sense among employees of being part of a community.
Rules and regulations have their place. They are often most effective, however, when it is understood that they are intended to provide overall guidelines but that, on occasion, a little bit of flexibility can be allowed. A hard and fast enforcement of every little rule is not always best suited to the creation of a positive working atmosphere. That of course will affect the way employees interact with the public.
While I myself have not worked in offices where I had to deal with the public on a day-to-day basis, I would make one further suggestion that could perhaps be added to the new guidelines so emphatically spelt out by Sheikh Mohammed. Those being fired from the worst-performing centres, he said, “will be replaced by managers who know how to deal with customers”.
I hope the new managers will be selected from among those who also have a proven ability to work with their staff. Only if a proper degree of motivation is present at all levels can the objectives for top-quality service be achieved.
Peter Hellyer is a consultant specialising in the UAE's history and culture
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
More on animal trafficking
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The%20Kitchen
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
HAJJAN
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The%20specs
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.