ABU DHABI // Staff from 51 government departments gathered to celebrate the announcement of 24 performance awards on Tuesday, with Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation taking home the main honour.
Employees, from doctors to sales centre staff, were recognised for their achievements over the past year in the Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in Government Performance.
The event, held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre, drew about 1,500 employees to celebrate colleagues’ successes.
In taking home the excellence in leadership award, Enec showed that through good leadership and a culture of excellence in the workplace, it had reached its goals and sustained its performance.
Jasim Al Ali was one of the night’s winners. Director of the customer service centre at the Department of Transport, the 38-year-old Emirati has made major changes since he took on the role two years ago.
His department now ranks fourth in the emirate for its performance. “It’s been challenging,” he said. “I had to improve employees’ competencies, training, I worked on improving the facility and we went from a small centre to a five-star hotel-style facility.”
He has also upgraded the technology in line with turning government departments into “smart” or electronic systems.
He said the awards were a strong incentive for employees to do better. “I would encourage all employees to be part of this,” he said.
Fatima Al Blooshi, 30, was recognised for her work as project manager with Al Ain Municipality. Her role requires site visits to the city’s parks and recreation areas, ensuring everything from the maintenance of the plants and trees to the condition of the pathways.
“I’m surprised to have won. It still feels like a dream,” she said. “Everyone is really proud of me.
“The awards are good not only to enhance people’s work but also their character, their personality,” she said. “They will be more excited to give more to their jobs when they have something to aim for. My friends are now excited to take part in the next awards.”
Noura Al Muqahwi, 29, was nominated for her work as a senior analyst in consumer safety at the Quality and Conformity Council. She has been with the QCC for four and a half years and although she did not win, making it to the shortlist of 10 for administrative support was reward enough, she said.
“Everyone goes through ups and downs and can feel demotivated, but these awards make you realise you’re on the right track and being recognised. People know you’re doing your best.”
She said the competition was a positive push for higher standards in government. “Most people think that in government jobs it’s easy and we don’t want to work and achieve excellence, but that isn’t true.”
Meeting her fellow nominees was beneficial, she said. “I can learn a lot from the other ladies,” she said. “I’ve only been here four and a half years so this is a good chance to share experiences and ideas. Everyone has something special to share.”
Going through the application process had also been a confidence-building exercise, she said.
“Sometimes you don’t know your own strengths but once you start writing them down, you see them much clearer. It made me see my achievements and made me more confident.”
mswan@thenational.ae
