Psychology alone won’t help civil servants manage work pressure, says expert

Stress management for civil servants is good, but such programmes should not be a one-off event, says psychologist Geshina Ayu Mat Saat.

PETALING JAYA: A psychologist has welcomed the proposal for civil servants to undertake psychology courses to better manage work pressure, increase productivity and shape character, but warns against depending solely on such measures to address these issues.

“Sociology, social learning, work culture concerns and long-term talent assimilation also need to be considered,” Geshina Ayu Mat Saat from Universiti Sains Malaysia told FMT.

“Yes, stress management at work is good, but the programme or module has to be continuous instead of one-off.

“People experience different types and levels of stress throughout their career and life. The module has to have transferable skills and experiential learning rather than take the form of seminar or talk.”

Geshina was asked to comment on a proposal by the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) that the National Institute of Public Administration conduct psychology courses for civil servants, especially high-ranking officials.

Cuepacs president Azih Muda was reported to have said the courses would help civil servants better manage work pressure and increase productivity, as well as shape good character.

However, Geshina said productivity depends on many factors that go beyond psychology.

“Some people are already motivated, yet they don’t perform as targeted due to spillover effects such as family or work issues, or even both.

“Screening for trait-specific tasks is good but psychometrics cannot cover every single facet of the knowledge and skill sets required for specific tasks,” she said.

Geshina said Malaysia is far behind other countries when it comes to utilising valid and reliable psychosocial assessments, periodic job screening, periodic stress and mental health monitoring, and other relevant industrial and organisational psychology issues for employers and employees in the workplace.

Asked why this was the case, she said historically, psychology was not seen as important as other disciplines when it came to civil and corporate governance.

“It was more about management and business, accounts, engineering. What many people are not aware of or unconcerned about is that underlying all management decisions, organisational functions and stakeholder interactions, is psychosociology,” she said.

Psychosociology is the study of problems common to psychology and sociology, particularly the way individual behaviour is influenced by the groups the person belongs to.

In key company positions, Geshina said rather than actual academic and field expertise, it continues to be about political pull, linkages, mutual benefits and interview performances.

“Throughout history there is evidence of individuals who lack one or the other, or worse, both, and yet are in positions of power over others and are responsible for weighty decision-making tasks,” she said.

Fellow psychologist Goh Chee Leong said some training in the field of psychology – which is the science of understanding human behaviour, feelings and thoughts – is, in principle, useful.

“It can provide the foundation for dealing with a large variety of challenges in the workplace. For example, psychology includes EQ (emotional intelligence), understanding different personalities and social psychology, which will provide the tools to improve stress management and conflict management,” he told FMT.

Goh said similarly, organisational and work psychology helps leaders become more effective in managing their teams by giving them a better understanding of human motivation, change management, worker engagement and staff retention.

“Perhaps most importantly, the field of psychology helps workers understand themselves as human beings, their own personalities, relational styles, strengths and weaknesses, as well as mental health, and this self knowledge will help them become more effective workers and leaders.”

However, retired civil servant and G25 member Mohd Sheriff Kassim questioned how psychology courses could help top ranking civil servants in their work.

“I would prefer that they be given talks on world issues so that they get familiar with the big picture, and appreciate that our destiny is ultimately linked to what is happening around us.

“Then they will appreciate why good governance, rule of law and human rights are important,” he told FMT. - FMT