Social media, a detraction at the workplace

The road to national progress and prosperity the world over has never been an easy one. It takes a well-defined sense of purpose and an avowed commitment to give the best that the human resource of a given country could offer.

The nation’s crave for development, progress and prosperity has found expression not only in the promises made by politicians but also a general end that every Ghanaian aspires to.

Somehow, there are those who hold the view that the desire for our envisaged development is one that can be achieved by a magic wand.

While such a position may seem quite Utopian and romantic, the reality of the situation is that we must be prepared, as a nation, to take our destiny into our own hands if we are serious about ensuring better days ahead for ourselves and generations yet to be born.

That is the reason the Daily Graphic agrees totally with the President on his call on Ghanaian workers to change their attitude to work.

It is an understatement to say that the future prosperity of our dear country lies in the hands of the men and women who wake up every morning and head to their various offices to use their skills and knowledge to further the national cause.

Ghana can only be developed by its own people, but if we must do so, then we should be prepared to make the necessary changes that will place us in good stead for rapid growth and development.

We have heard over and over again situations where Ghanaians travel abroad to engage, sometimes, in menial jobs that they would not dream of undertaking in Ghana.

We are told of how Ghanaians working abroad are time conscious and use their time productively because the system there does not allow loafing.

If we can do such things for countries we cannot call our own and, by so doing, push the developmental agenda of those countries further, while hoping that we will get better remuneration, then we should be equally prepared to put in our best for the development of our country.

It is now commonplace to find in offices workers either chatting on whatsapp, socialising on Facebook, taking selfies, engaged in irrelevant chit-chats or watching movies on their phones or laptops.

There are still others who go to work, do nothing but are the first to leave the office when it is time to close.

The cumulative effect of these behaviours is that national productivity takes a nosedive and the targets that we set for ourselves as a nation become unattainable.

Interestingly, after being at our unproductive best, we are quick to agitate for salary increment and a betterment in our working and living standards and do not hesitate in embarking on industrial actions to press home our demands.

It is about time we changed our attitudes to work, both within the public and the private sectors.

The Daily Graphic believes that if we should all see our various roles at our workplaces as a contribution to national progress, then we will be in a position to contribute our quota in meaningful ways.

We must come to the realisation that our country can become great and strong only when we lend the supporting hand to productive activities.

Progress and prosperity do not occur in a vacuum but are by-products of hard work, dedication, commitment and sacrifice.

Ghana is making a frantic call to its children to take it to a better destination and we must collectively heed that call and put our shoulders to the wheel.