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By Abdellatif Sharaa
are some people who when they assume authority, especially if they become heads of departments, they become totally different and start dealing with those around including employees as if they are working for them personally and not the company or the government.
You find them sometimes very arrogant due to a lack of knowledge of how to manage, and they cover this deficiency by mistreating the staff and yelling at them to the point that they are not able to speak to them in any way.
The problem is that most of such people believe they are keen on the job and want it to be done the best way, but the truth is that such a person does not have the faintest idea about management, much less good management.
I am sure there are always rules and standards to be followed that should be implemented and enforced by the manager with a smile without hurting anyone. A manager must have an ear to listen to subordinates’ problems and solve them, and take their advice when applicable, because when treated as prisoners or much worse as slaves, there will not be much production and for sure there will be a clash.
This does not mean that there aren’t good managers who are adored by their employees and get all the respect they deserve. You find them liked by the public because their departments are run smoothly, and yes, efficiently.
There are places where employees see a large numbers of people every day, which causes them stress because they have to deal with many transactions from various people during long working hours. They may become lethargic at work and frustrate those who need their paperwork processed so they can go on with their businesses.
Such employees who deal directly with the public should be, besides training, given psychological courses to enable them to bear with their daily routine and leave their personal problems at the door, or at least not mix them with their official work. Because if this happens, all what we are going to see are mistakes and inaccuracies.
I once went to a department to get a document - the job normally takes about 15 minutes maximum. When my turn came, the woman took the application and told me to wait. I remained in my seat for 45 minutes as the lady spoke on the phone all that time, and when I finally gestured to her, she was really rude, to put it mildly. At that moment, the woman next to her grabbed my papers, reprimanded her and mentioned how much time she wasted.
I mentioned this incident that took place with me personally to stress the fact that employees should be trained in all aspects of their job, including how to deal with those in front of them.
Final Word: “Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.” —Emily Post
