Dubai Municipality employees honoured for best suggestions

Total 43 best suggestions and 73 employees from all levels and job categories who have contributed to achieve positive results, bringing a significant effect in raising the level of performance and revenues, have been honoured in the presence of senior municipal officials.

Lootah said we believe in our employees' capabilities and creativity. That belief led us to initiate the Have Your Say suggestion system (HYS) to create a room where ideas from employees find space and due respect. Any organization that faults in recognizing its cadre can't bring in best results.

"DM could implement many of the internationally recognized quality principles and introduce tools to maximize quality of services in several departments through this system. It paved way to simplify procedures, reduce expenses, generate more revenue and win targeted indicators with an ever zealous cadre having we-feeling and team spirit," said Lootah.

He said the credit of campaigns and programs Dubai Municipality launched last decade such as 'Let's Walk' 'Mobile Abattoir' 'Our Marina' 'Car Free Day' 'Green School' 'Keep Desert Clean' can be attributed to the suggestion system.

Khalid Abdul Raheem, Director, Customer Relations Department, said, "Our suggestion system was started in 2000 with the title Have Your Say as a manual system to be transferred to an internal online system in 2002. Later, in 2005 it was made a web based system and in 2011, DM joined the Unified e-Suggestion System of Dubai government."

The number of suggestions received since its inception in 2000 to 2012 is nearly 41 thousands from 9,600 employees. Total revenues achieved by the application of these proposals for the period is around Dhs320m, while the total amount paid for best suggestions reached at Dhs1.1m.

In 2012 the number of suggestions reached at 6,742 which helped to generate total revenue of four millions, and save Dhs15m.

"The system is operated by a joint mechanism between Higher Management, Suggestion Section, IT and Dubai government e- Suggestion teams. Once a suggestion is posted it will take maximum 15 days to evaluate and transfer to concerned department. Feasible ideas are adopted and implemented at good pace and best of them duly rewarded," he explained.

Maryam Ahmed Bin Fahad, Head of Customer Relations Section, said, "We encourage employees to share their innovative thoughts and ideas in many ways. We keep a rewarding program on a monthly basis apart from other occasional rewarding sessions. Workshops, running of a creative library sending SMS and mails regularly on brainstorming topics are other ways to keep them alive."

Maryam further said DM suggestion system has many awards in its credit. Ideas Arabia Awards (2006), UK& Ideas Arabia Award (2011) Ideas America Award (2009, 2010, 2011) are some among them. From 2007 up to 2012 DM secured 51 different types of awards related to its employment engagement programs.

Eng. Lootah praised the efforts of officials at Customer Relations Department and awarded them gifts and certificates of appreciation.