Sharjah’s Al Khan Emirates Post declared worst UAE service centre

Sharjah’s Al Khan Emirates Post has been declared the worst government service centre in the UAE, while the Federal Authority for Identity and Citzenship in Fujairah has been rated the best.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced the five top and five poorest performing centres in the country on Saturday, following an extensive study that examined 600 government service providers across the Emirates.

Employees at the best centres have been given two-month salary bonuses as reward for their efforts.

Senior managers at failing centres have been dismissed “and they will be replaced by managers who know how to deal with customers”, said Sheikh Mohammed.

The new heads have been given one month to improve. During this period, Sheikh Mohammed said he will be visiting the centres to check on their progress.

Sheikh Mohammed said it was the duty of government authorities to meet the "changing' demands of residents.

“Providing high quality services is a flexible and changing goal. People’s expectations today are different than they were five or 10 years ago. A successful government adapts and meets changing expectations,” said Sheikh Mohammed.

“Our government is dynamic, rapidly-changing and adaptive to people’s aspirations. Those who cannot keep up with us may rest away from the government field work.”

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The results were compiled on the back of daily visits to centres over a period of two months.

Fujairah's Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship topped the rankings thanks to the efficiency, flexibility and speed of its staff, which helped to foster a healthy and productive work environment.

The Emirates Post Group's Al Khan branch in Sharjah was bottom of the ratings due to weak employee performance. Inspectors said poor mechanisms were in place to  deliver services, while morale was also described as low.

Sheikh Mohammed also singled out individual members of staff for praised, citing the high performance of Mohammed Al Zohoori, of the Traffic Services and Licensing Center in Ajman, Sara Al Jasmi, of Ajman’s Ministry of Education team, Fatima Al Darmaki of Sharjah’s Wasit Police Station and Mariam Al Zaabi, of Ras Al Khaimah’s Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme.

Similar assessments will be carried out on an annual basis, and a feature of these will be evaluations for ministers, under-secretaries and general directors.

Ministries and government authorities will also be subject to annual reviews and the results will be publicly revealed.

“We have the courage to evaluate ourselves and our teams with ultimate transparency, because covering up our mistakes and shortcomings costs far more," said Sheikh Mohammed.

Sheikh Mohammed first announced plans to name and shame under-performing centres - and celebrate those offering high quality service to customers - in July.

He told officials the UAE government would not be satisfied until they reached the lofty goal of achieving the best services and facilities in the world.

The Dubai Ruler's pledge to rank service centres came just weeks after he criticised poor standards at a government service centre and pledged to remove staff who are not performing well.

His hardline message was prompted by a photo of lengthy queues at a branch of Emirates Post that he received from a mystery shopper. At the time he spoke of the need for a broader focus on customer service and "transparency" in public services.

"This is not our level. These are not our services. And whoever continues to provide such level of services will not be among my team," he said.

Committed to improving the quality of services, Sheikh Mohammed has frequently carried out unexpected inspections of government offices to ensure high standards are being met.

Last year, he carried out an inspection of Dubai International Airport and called upon airport officials to "raise the bar" in welcoming travellers and simplifying procedures for people flying in and out of the UAE.

He also famously toured Dubai's Land Department and the Department of Economic Development, in 2016, finding empty desks on the morning that staff were due to return to work after a long weekend.

A UAE minister joined the nationwide drive to boost standards across government service centres - by fielding the queries of customers herself.

Hessa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, met with staff and members of the public during a visit to a customer service centre in Oud Al Muteena in Dubai.

The trip on Thursday was part of an initiative - called Maydan - launched by the ministry to put more senior officials on the ground to improve quality of services.

She said the official inspections would be carried out weekly by leading executives over the course of a number of months.

The top five centres

1. Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship - Fujairah
2. Ministry of Education – Ajman
3. Traffic Services and Licensing (Ministry of Interior) – Ajman
4. Wasit Police Center (Ministry of Interior) - Sharjah
5. Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme – Ras Al Khaimah

The five worst centres

1. Emirates Post Group, Al Khan branch - Sharjah
2. Al Muhaisnah Centre for Preventative Medicine (Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship) - Dubai
3. General Pension and Social Security Authority Centre - Sharjah
4. Baniyas Centre for Social Affairs (Ministry of Community Development) - Abu Dhabi
5. Tawteen Centre (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation