New Delhi: In recognition to those adhering to office timings, the Union health ministry has started to award all those working eight hours a day and completing 40 hours of duty in a week of five days. The “employee of the month” award is given to those who are consistent in reaching office before 9 in the morning and leave after 5:30 in the evening.
“People crave recognition. Therefore it was decided to appreciate all those adhering to office timings. The employee of the month gets a letter of appreciation from the Union health secretary. Ever since we started this, things have started to improve. People are reaching on time and consistently doing it,” said a senior official in the health ministry.
The Union health ministry had earlier warned its employees of strict disciplinary action if they do not adhere to office timings serving a minimum of 40 hours in a week. The employees were told to adhere to office timing and mark their arrival and departure in Aadhaar enabled biometric attendance system. The office memorandum had directed the employees that late coming up to 20 minutes will be cordoned for not more than two occasions and the duration of late coming has to be compensated by putting extra work time. Stressing that a working day consists of 8 hours (9 am –5.30 pm) with half and hour lunch break (1-1.30 pm), the circular said that all officers, consultants-outsources and others engaged on contract basis are required to work 8 hour a day and complete 40 hours of duty in a week of five days. “The secretary recently decided to recognise those who are adhering to the office memorandum sent out in March this year,” added the official. The move comes after health secretary C.K. Mishra in January reviewed the attendance and asked the officers to maintain office decorum and mark the attendance in the system, failing which “appropriate action’ will be taken against the erring officers. “If 40 hours of work time for the five day week is not maintained, disciplinary action may be initiated against the erring officials as deemed fit under the rules besides debiting casual leave,” said the memorandum. Keeping in view the traffic situation in Delhi, the officers have been given a relaxation of 10 minutes twice a week, subject to the condition that the duration of late coming is “compensated’ by putting extra work time in the evening preferably on the same day or any other day in the same week, so that 40 hours of week time for the five day week is maintained. Similarly, early departure upto 30 minutes is allowed for not more than two occasions in the week with the clear instructions that the officer will have to put in an extra work time so that 40 hours of work is maintained in a week.
Significantly, arrival in the office after 9.30 am and departure from office before 5 pm will be reckoned as half day casual leave. In exceptional circumstances like consultation with doctors in CGHS dispensary, hospitals, attending social obligation, late coming in the morning and early departure in the afternoon upto two hours will be allowed. “However, in such cases too, the 40 hours work schedule for a week has to be maintained,” the memorandum states.
