Walvis acting CEO sets sights on ‘latecomers’
To send a message regarding municipal employees coming late to work, Walvis Bay acting CEO David Uushona locked the doors of the municipal building at 08:00 yesterday morning.
According to him, late arrivals have become a common practice.
Uushona said he informed staff members on 7 August that they "need to be in the office and ready to work by 08:00, not arriving at 08:00”.
At precisely 08:00, Uushona, with the assistance of security officials, closed the doors and walked from office to office to check who was present and who was not.
“My primary focus was on management because they must set the example. If management is arriving late, that’s a significant issue.”
After a brief ‘lockdown’ and a short walk-through with the media, it was evident that many offices were still locked, with staff members not at their desks.
“This reflects poorly on the type of service we’re providing and is not how we want to welcome our new CEO. Such behaviour does not demonstrate good customer relationships or a commitment to our work," he said.
Uushona explained that the municipality's core values - respect, accountability, professionalism, integrity and teamwork - should guide all employees' actions.
“Being late shows a lack of respect for both our customers and colleagues. We must take accountability for our actions, and lateness undermines professionalism. Additionally, claiming full payment for the day while arriving late and leaving early is not an example of integrity," he said.
“I hope that by the time our new CEO arrives, there will be a noticeable improvement in these areas. I also encourage you to visit our satellite offices at 08:00 to observe how they are reporting for duty.”
He added that the new CEO, Victoria Kapenda, is expected to start on Monday, 2 September.
According to him, late arrivals have become a common practice.
Uushona said he informed staff members on 7 August that they "need to be in the office and ready to work by 08:00, not arriving at 08:00”.
At precisely 08:00, Uushona, with the assistance of security officials, closed the doors and walked from office to office to check who was present and who was not.
“My primary focus was on management because they must set the example. If management is arriving late, that’s a significant issue.”
After a brief ‘lockdown’ and a short walk-through with the media, it was evident that many offices were still locked, with staff members not at their desks.
“This reflects poorly on the type of service we’re providing and is not how we want to welcome our new CEO. Such behaviour does not demonstrate good customer relationships or a commitment to our work," he said.
Uushona explained that the municipality's core values - respect, accountability, professionalism, integrity and teamwork - should guide all employees' actions.
“Being late shows a lack of respect for both our customers and colleagues. We must take accountability for our actions, and lateness undermines professionalism. Additionally, claiming full payment for the day while arriving late and leaving early is not an example of integrity," he said.
“I hope that by the time our new CEO arrives, there will be a noticeable improvement in these areas. I also encourage you to visit our satellite offices at 08:00 to observe how they are reporting for duty.”
He added that the new CEO, Victoria Kapenda, is expected to start on Monday, 2 September.
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