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Chapter

5
PART II. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

OFFICE

DECORUM

In the performance of the employee's official duties and responsibilities, he has to relate with his
peers, subordinates and superiors and with NEDA's clientele. It is important that he observes proper
behavior in dealing with them as this speaks of the kind of organization he is with. His devotion and
commitment to duty and his cooperation and interfacing with co-workers and sincerity to clients help
provide NEDA a favorable profile of competence and professionalism. On the other hand, one's
delinquency, discourtesy and unconcerned attitude will create a bad image of NEDA and the
government bureaucracy.

A. Courtesy

Pursuant to CSC MC No. 15, s. 1990, an employee is encouraged to render prompt and courteous
service to the public and create an atmosphere where promptness and courtesy prevail while performing
his official duties.
An employee can be meted administrative and disciplinary sanctions after due proceedings, once
clients file a complaint against him for discourteous behavior while providing service to them. However, if
the employee performs otherwise, he plays an active part in creating a positive public image of
government.

B. Cooperation and Teamwork


As part of the NEDA family, the employee has to relate with several persons: his clients, peers,
subordinates and superiors. As a member of a team, he is expected to extend his cooperation and
contribute to the completion of assigned tasks. He should not permit petty bickerings, intrigues and
jealousies to get in the way of working harmoniously. He should make his working environment as
pleasant as possible.
In NEDA, one has superiors to work with. His immediate superior has his own immediate superior
to relate with. It is only proper that he relates with his immediate superior on a long-term basis in the
pursuance of a career. His immediate superior holds in his hands the future of his career and is
responsible to a great degree for his enjoyment of the best and highest quality of work life.
One must respect his superior. He deserves this as much as the employee deserves the same
respect from any one else. The employee must also respect his supervisor's intelligence, values as a
supervisor and as a leader and his sense of direction. He must therefore follow all his legitimate
instructions, accept his counsel and believe in his leadership competence. He must never upstage his

supervisor. His role and that of his peers is that of providing essential support and cooperation to all the
work assigned to him.
Below are some guides to a harmonious working relationship with fellow employees:
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.

7.

Bear in mind the Golden Rule - "Do unto others what you want them to do unto you";
Extend help whenever one can;
Be pleasant, be friendly. It does not take much effort to say "Good afternoon", "Please",
"Thank you". Be generous with sincere praises;
One must avoid being a complainer. Everybody has problems of his own. Once in a while,
he can tell others of his work and/or personal problems but his co-workers will resent his
repetitive account of personal matters;
One must be careful about office gossip. He may end up in trouble over misquoted words;
Employees with similar interests are drawn together and may form groups or cliques. Cliques
are not by itself bad; it is only bad when they lead to jealousy and dissension among
employees. An employee must not make his group so exclusive; and
The employee observes the rules of his office. He should not expose himself to criticisms.
Set a good example.

C. Office Attire
NEDA abides with the Civil Service Commission's Memorandum Circular Nos. 14 & 25, s. 1991
requiring all government officials and employees to observe a dress code when reporting for work and
existing NEDA Office Circular 5-9 dated 2 August 1999 on the wearing of office uniforms, thus:
1. Office uniforms should be worn as scheduled. During non-uniform days , an employee must be
dressed appropriately preferably business clothes but no party attire, picnic clothes, sandos nor
t-shirts should be worn at work;
2. The use of tightfitting, seductive, micromini and gaudy/transparent dresses by female employees
shall be prohibited;
3. Walking shorts, pedal pushers, leggings, tights, capies, jogging and maong pants are likewise
prohibited. However, pantalons or such other dress pants worn for formal occasions are allowed;
4. "Maong" pants for male employees are allowed provided they are worn with collared T-shirts.
However, in the case of female employees, they are allowed to wear maong pants only in
instances when they perform their duties and functions in the field or, if temporarily assigned,
in actual field operations. They are not allowed to wear "maong" in the office;
5. The use of too much costume jewelry, flashy bangles and similar accessories is likewise
prohibited. Conversely, ostentatious display of expensive jewelry is strongly discouraged and
prohibited except for special occasions and official celebrations;
6. Wearing of heavy theatrical make-up is likewise prohibited;
7. Wear appropriate footwear. Wearing of slippers, sandals, bakya, etc. in the office premises is
banned; and
8. It is likewise considered taboo to use curlers, turbans and bandanas during office hours and
within office premises.

Exemptions in compliance with the dress code are allowed only for special cases like physical
disabilites, religious practices, nature of the work, and other analogous cirscumstances of any of the
abovementioned.
D. Telephone Etiquette
The manner in which a NEDA employee answers and talks on the phone reflects as much of his
personality as well as the image of NEDA. Courtesy to callers should be observed at all times to project a
positive image of NEDA. The NEDA employee must avoid waiting for the third ring. He must answer
promptly. When receiving a call, he should identify himself and his office and refer the caller to the right
Office/Staff or person. When making a call, he should also identify himself and his office before stating
the purpose of the call.
NEDA Office Circular No. 6-77 dated 5 July 1977 states that, as a rule, personal calls are not
allowed unless in urgent or emergency cases. The use of the telephone should be limited to official
matters. Thus, for personal calls to be made during office hours, personnel shall use either of the two
public phone card telephone booths located at the Ground Floor lobby near the chronolog machine or
outside the NEDA canteen.
Additional Reminders on Telephone Etiquette:
1. Before calling, list down the things or items to be discussed to avoid repeat calls and to save time;
2. Make sure one has the correct number before dialing.
telephone directory;

When in doubt, consult the latest

3. One's lips should not be more than one-half inch away from the mouthpiece so that there will be
no transmission loss. List down frequently-called telephone numbers for handy reference;
4. Avoid making unnecessary/personal calls, if possible, especially during office hours;
5. If something is wrong with the telephone, do not try to tinker with it. Call the General Services
(local 117), Admin. Staff;
6. The telephone should be answered not later than the third ring. In answering the telephone, the
standard greeting shall be: "Good morning (or afternoon). Maria Cruz (name of employee) of
NEDA. What can we do for you?"
7. Lift the receiver only when one is ready to talk. If one is talking with another person when the
telephone rings, he must stop his conversation before lifting the receiver;
8. Speak with the person, not at the telephone. One should modulate one's voice; one should not
shout;
9. Be on the line when the called party answers;
10. Avoid letting the caller wait on the line. If the caller has to wait, tell him so: "Do you mind waiting
while I go look for him?";
11. The one answering the call must be attentive and ask questions tactfully, using natural
expressions such as "I understand", "of course, to indicate attentiveness and presence on the
line;
12. When a wrong call is placed, one should not bark wrong number and slam the receiver down.
One must be as courteous as possible;

13. In answering a call, one should handle it if one can. If he cannot, he shall inform the caller that
he will refer him to the right party;
14. One must fulfill one's promises to call back; and
15. At the end of the call, one must say goodbye and place the receiver gently on the cradle. A
guide in using the local telephone system is presented in Chapter 15.

An employees office should be accorded the same care as his own home when it comes to
sanitation and upkeep. Thus, the practice of the 5S of Good Housekeeping is highly recommended.
The 5S, a technique which originated from Japan, is an integrated approach that establishes and
maintains quality environment to improve productivity. It makes the work place more pleasant, the work
more efficient, improves the safety of the work environment, and improves the quality of work.
Specifically, 5S stands for:
SEIRI

ORGANIZATION

Organization is about sorting out items, separating the necessary from


what is not, keeping the number of the necessary ones as low as possible and
at a convenient location, and discarding the unnecessary. It is important
to save things but it is just as important to throw things out. And most
important of all is knowing what to discard, what to save, and how to save
things so that they can be accessed/used later.
SEITON

NEATNESS
"Neatness is the study of efficiency". It is a question of how quickly
you can get things you need and how quickly you can put them away.
a matter of arranging and putting everything in its place.

It is
SEISO

CLEANING
"Everyone is a janitor" Cleaning should be done by everyone, from
the head of the office down to the utility worker. Clean your work
thoroughly.

place
SEIKETSU -

STANDARDIZATION

Standardization
means
continually and
repeatedly
maintaining your
office's neatness and cleanliness.
It
embraces personal cleanliness and the
cleanliness of the
environment. Innovation and total visual management are
used to attain and maintain standardized conditions that prompt one to
always act quickly. Visual management is an effective means of continuous
improvement and has been used for production, quality,
safety, and customer
services.
SHITSUKE- DISCIPLINE

done and
and good ones
beyond discipline.
person is
there is a chance he may not be

Discipline means instilling the ability of doing things the way they are
supposed to be done. By teaching everyone what needs to be
requiring everyone to practice them, bad habits are broken
formed. Self-discipline is important because it reaches
It guarantees the continuity of a daily routine.
If a
"disciplined" to do something at one time,
disciplined next time.

Additionally, the following guidelines shall likewise be observed:


1. Inasmuch as only one janitor is assigned per floor, it is the responsibility of each employee to
clean his own work area, i.e., dust his table, cabinets, files, etc.
2. Do not litter. Throw trash in the waste basket or appropriate trash bins located in each floor of
the building. To eliminate the proliferation of rodents and other crawling insects, janitors collect
the trash twice a day --- after lunch and after 5:00 p.m. everyday ;
3. Wrap all leftover food well before throwing it in the waste can. When washing one's plates, etc.,
make sure that there is no leftover food that will clog the kitchen sinks or lavatories;
4. Do not throw paper, plastic bags, forks and spoons, or sanitary napkins into the toilet bowls;
5. Do not open the windows. If one must open the windows, arrange/raise the venetian blinds before
doing so. Make sure that one closes the windows he opened before leaving the office; and
6. It is rewarding to be neat and orderly with ones things particularly those placed on one's
desk.

E. The 5s of Good Housekeeping


An employees absence should not prevent access to important documents kept in his working area.
He must see to it that "active" files and other documents related to his assignments are conspicuously
arranged on top of his desk so that officemates who want to use them for reference can easily get them.
F. Other Office Regulations
Compliance to office rules and regulations especially on personnel matters, cost-saving measures,
and security rules is the responsibility of each and every NEDA employee regardless of position:
1. Personnel Matters
a. On Loitering:
Loafing, idling, loitering or frequent unauthorized absence from duty during regular office
working hours is a grave offense under CSC Memo Circular No. 30 s. 1989 (item 16) with
penalties of suspension of six months and one day to one year for the first offense, and dismissal
for the second offense.
b. On Gambling and Taking Alcoholic Drinks:
Article IX of Presidential Decree 807, Rule XIV of the Omnibus Rules Implementing Book V
of EO 292 and other pertinent CSC laws on discipline, and NEDA Office Circular No. 07 - 96
dated 02 September 1996 prohibit NEDA officials and employees from taking alcoholic drinks

and engaging in gambling activities of any kind within and outside the NEDA premises during
regular office hours and / or within the NEDA premises after regular office hours. NEDAns
reporting for work under the influence of alcohol are barred entrance into NEDA premises while
those found drinking within NEDA premises are sent home and charged administratively.
Penalties for those charged administratively for violating aforecited issuances range from light to
grave as follows :
GAMBLING

reprimand for first offense,


suspension of 1 day (minimum) to 30 days
second offense,
dismissal for third offense.

suspension of one month and one day (minimum) to six


months (maximum)
dismissal for second offense.

(maximum) for

HABITUAL
DRUNKENESS

c.

On NEDA IDs :
The GS prepares the identification cards of newly-appointed NEDA personnel upon receipt
from PAIS of duly - accomplished (by new NEDA employee concerned) ID Request Forms and ID
pictures.
All NEDA personnel are required to wear the ID at all times while inside the NEDA premises.

d. On Chronolog Cards:
Based on the Chronolog Card Request Form filled up by the new NEDA employees, the GS
fills up the chronolog cards of new NEDA personnel and forwards these to Trident Electronics
Corporation for processing. Chronolog cards are released two weeks after submission to Trident.
Lost chronolog cards, except for the first instance, are replaced through the personal efforts and
expense of the NEDA employee concerned. Said employee submits an affidavit of loss to GS.
e. On Taxpayer's Identification Number (TIN):
For new NEDA personnel who have not yet been issued any TIN, GS prepares their TIN
Request Forms and forwards these to BIR for processing. The TINs are released by BIR after 2
months.
2. Cost - Saving Measures Based on Office Circular No. 04-98 dated 01 April 1998.
a. On the use of Elevators at NEDA sa Pasig:
1)

The freight elevator at NEDA sa Pasig may be used for the following purposes only:
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Protocol activities;
The delivery of office supplies and materials which cannot be accommodated by
the passenger elevators;
The hauling or transfer of office furniture and equipment, and indoor plants; and
The bringing of food by outside caterers or the NEDA sa Pasig Canteen Concessionaire
for official functions.

2)

Authority to use the freight elevator for the abovementioned purposes may be secured from
the Energy Conservation Officer, except when it is to be used by disabled persons. The
security guard on duty at the Ground Floor Lobby may however, at his discretion, allow the
use of the freight elevator for extraordinary situations requiring immediate action.

3) During the following peak hours, the two passenger elevators may be utilized simultaneously:
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7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.


12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Before and after the Monday Flag Ceremony and other special activities of
NEDA.

b. On the use of Airconditoners


1)

The schedule for the use of all airconditoners are as follows:


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Rooms of NEDA Officials


Airconditioners are turned on only upon the arrival of the officials concerned and
turned off when they leave their rooms for at least two (2) hours.

Staff Areas
Strictly from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

PABX Room and Computer Rooms


8:00 a.m. at the earliest and 7:00 p.m. at the latest

Conference Rooms

Airconditoners in conference rooms are turned on only at the scheduled time of the
conference or meeting and turned off by the end-user immediately at the end of the
conference/meeting.
The NEDA electrician assigned at the Board Room is responsible for the turning on
and off of the airconditioners at the Board Room.
2)

c.

Other regulations on the use of the airconditoners are as follows:


u

All airconditioning units, except those in rooms where meetings are being held,
are set on fan during the lunch break, i.e., 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.

No airconditioners are used during overtime work except in computer rooms

On Lights:
1)
2)

All lights are switched on between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. when personnel are already in
their work areas.
Lights are switched off between 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. every day and when not needed.

3)

Lights in staff areas are switched off by 7:00 p.m., except in specified areas per Staff where
authorized overtime work is being done.

4)

Lights in conference rooms are turned on only just before the start of the meeting and turned
off by the end-user staff immediately after the meeting.

5)

Maintenance personnel of the contracted janitorial services, when doing cleaning work before
office hours, can turn on each floor of the NEDA sa Pasig Building only two rows of lights at
any given time.

d. On the use of Electrical Equipment and Appliances:


1)

All electrical equipment such as adding machines, calculators, electric typewriters and
computers are turned off by their respective end-users when not in use and at the close of
office hours.

2)

Each Staff is authorized to use only one photocopying machine. Excess machines of Staffs
concerned shall be shared with the Staffs which do not have their own photocopying
machines.
The reproduction of documents is strictly limited to the official, most urgent and
necessary, and may be done only with the written approval of the Staff Director or his
designated representative indicated in the proper form authorized for the purpose.
Documents which require more than 50 copies are reproduced through the
mimeographing machines.

3)

Heating devices such as percolators and oven toasters are limited to one per Staff. The
heads of Offices/Staffs/Units are responsible in regulating the use of these heating devices
including electric stoves and microwave ovens used for cooking or heating food for staffs
breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks.

e. On the use of Water


1) Staffs are requested to report any leaking or busted plumbing fixtures to the General Services,
Admin. Staff.

f.

2)

The use of a water hose in cleaning NEDA vehicles is strictly prohibited.

3)

Staffs are reminded to turn off the faucets while brushing their teeth or soaping their drinking
glasses, dishes, utensils, etc.

On the use of Communication Facilities and Equipment:


1)

To enhance office productivity and efficiency, staffs are encouraged to use the electronic mail
(E-mail) and facsimile (fax) modems as alternatives to the more costly and less efficient
postal mail, ordinary facsimile (fax), messengerial or other communication services when
sending or transmitting information or official documents to other agencies or offices within
and outside NEDA.

2)

Referrals of draft documents either for approval by higher officials or for comment or
integration by another Office/Staff are done electronically either by file transfer within the
NEDA Local Area Network (LAN) or e-mail (as file attachment) to reduce paper use and costs.

3)

The use of computers for games is strictly prohibited. Staff Directors/Officials concerned are
responsible in seeing to it that such prohibition is enforced at all times.

4)

The use of the Internet and E-mail for personal reasons or "chats" should be minimized, if
not avoided. Heads of Offices/Staffs/Units are responsible in regulating this.

5)

The use of fax machines is limited to the transmittal and receiving of official and urgent
documents only. Urgent messages should not exceed five pages in any single transmittal.
Supporting documents for submission should not be transmitted through fax but through
other cost-effective means.
The concerned Office/Staff is enjoined to exercise discretion in receiving messages
beyond the limit set when the exigencies of the service require and when the time factor is
very critical for NEDA.
As much as possible, fax machines are put on automatic mode only when needed.

6)

The use of cellphones (Smart) assigned to MANCOM officials from Assistant Director level up
to the DG shall be in accordance with existing guidelines on limitations on their usage. Any
excess in the allotted time is for the account of the officials concerned unless they are able to
justify these in writing.

7)

Long distance calls, both domestic and overseas, for official purposes are limited to a
minimum of three minutes per call and shall be minimized as much as possible. Personal
calls may be allowed only when personnel use the phone booths at the Ground Floor and
outside the NEDA Canteen, using phonecards.

8)

Staffs shall use their respective utility workers to deliver RUSH and other
documents/communications within the Pasig, San Juan, and Mandaluyong areas to enable
the Communications and Records Section, Admin. Staff to deliver documents per its regular
schedule to more distant areas of Metro Manila.
To save on cost, the Admin. Staff (GS and PPTS) prepares daily schedules for
dispatching communications/documents by area using the form devised by ITCS. Staffs are
also encouraged to post notices or inform other Offices/Staffs through the intercom about
RUSH deliveries they will make to specific offices.

g. On Overtime Work and Staying-In at the Office:


1.

All overtime work should be covered by an authority from the head of Office/Staff, indicating
the duration of overtime work. Said authority is submitted to the security guard on duty prior
to the start of overtime services, copy furnished GS. Personnel without such authority will not
be allowed to stay within or enter office premises after office hours, weekends and holidays.
Staying-in at the office is allowed only if it is specified in the authority to render overtime work
or in exceptional cases like floods, typhoons, heavy traffic or unusual weather disturbances,
etc. when the safety of personnel is at stake.

2.

Only authorized Building Maintenance and Security personnel of GS are allowed to stay in,
depending on the requirements of the Office. Otherwise, staying-in is prohibited.

3.

Those rendering overtime work shall stay in only one designated area of their Staff where
the lights can be turned on.

4.

Drivers who are unable to go home late at night or who have to report very early in the
morning due to driving assignments may opt to sleep at the Sleeping Quarters near the
Motorpool upon approval of their respective supervisors and the Admin. Staff Director.
Drivers shall bring their own bed linen, i.e., pillowcases, bed sheets and blankets. Otherwise,
they shall be charged laundry fee for any bed linen that will be provided.
h. On the Serving of Refreshments/Meals:

Meals and snacks may be served in all NEDA internal committee and staff meetings at rates
not exceeding the following:
Breakfast
Snacks, a.m./p.m.Lunch or Dinner i.

P55.00
P50.00
P75.00

On Travelling Expenses:
In view of the meager allocations for travel and pursuant to OC 4 - 98 dated 1 April 1998 ,
priority is given to the pre-travel and clothing allowances of officials and personnel travelling for
the first time, and prioritized local travels as approved by the concerned DDG. Guidelines are
presented in Chapter 6 on Travel Facilitation.

j.

k.

On the use of NEDA Vehicles:


1)

Offices/Staffs are each allocated an amount to cover the gasoline, oil, lubricants, and other
requirements of the vehicles of the officials and their staff cars.

2)

The Purchase Order issued for the Pasig Petron Service Station is limited to gasoline,
lubricants (motor oil, brake fluid), distilled water, filter, spark plug, contact point, and
condenser. The Admin. Staff provides the other supplies such as flannel, car air freshener,
and feather dusters.

3)

The purchase of spare parts and car accessories from the Pasig Petron Services Station is
discouraged as lower prices may be obtained in other retail outlets.

4)

Offices/Staffs accessing vehicles from the Motor Pool shall bear the cost of gasoline, oil and
lubricants, charged against their respective Office/Staff allocations.

5)

All vehicles assigned to Offices, Staffs, and projects which draw gasoline expenses from
NEDA are used by NEDA personnel only and strictly for official business or other authorized
personnel welfare reasons as approved by the DDG concerned.

6)

For monitoring of proper utilization of physical resources, all vehicles leaving the NEDA
compound are covered by duly approved daily Trip Tickets or per Trip Ticket (for central pool
vehicles of Admin. Staff) which are submitted to the grounds security guard before leaving
the premises.

On the use of Office Supplies and Materials:


1)

The following cost-saving measures in the procurement and use of office supplies and
materials are required:
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Reduce requirements for photocopying and facsimile papers, etc. by 25 percent;


Type and reproduce communications/documents in required copies only;
Use recycled paper for drafting, and back-to-back photocopying of memos and other
communications; and
Limit the procurement and utilization of office supplies such as ballpens, sign pens,
pencils and paper to those who need them in their work.
The use of office stationeries for external communications must be observed, otherwise,
use electronic - printed letterhead.

2)

Newspaper/magazine subscriptions are limited to one local newspaper and one foreign
periodical/magazine per Office/Staff except for the Offices of the Generals, NPPS, and DIS.
Additional subscriptions are charged to the Extraordinary and Miscellaneous Expenses of
concerned Office/Staff.

3)

RIVs that comply with the limits set by the PPTS on the procurement of supplies required by
Staffs are the only ones to be processed, subject to the submission by Staffs concerned of
Stock Requisition Slips.
Violations of any of the cost-saving measures are reported by the security guards in their
monthly reports to the Admin. Staff, together with a list of noncomplying Offices/Staffs to
MANCOM.

3. Other Security Measures


a. NEDA personnel should not leave their personal belongings like wallets, purses, cellphones, etc.
b. Money or NEDA checks should be kept in safety vaults and not inside desk drawers, even if
these are double-locked, nor in filing cabinets. Losses of government property should be
reported in writing to the Admin. Staff. Losses of personal items are the personal responsibility of
the concerned personnel.
c.

Since NEDA personnel are required to be properly attired, their visitors are expected to give due
respect to the Office by being likewise properly attired, i.e., no walking shorts, collarless T-shirts,
and sandals.

d. In order to minimize the unauthorized practice of buying and selling commodities during office
hours, all vendors have been prohibited from entering the building. They may however sell their
wares/products behind the Ground Floor Lobby after securing the necessary authority from the
Director, Admin. Staff.
e. Personnel bringing in their personal equipment such as notebooks, radio tape cassettes,
walkmans or other property shall prepare a Gate Pass, duly noted by the Property Officer, at least
one day before they bring in said property. The Gate Pass shall be presented to the security
guard at the Ground Floor lobby who in turn shall log it at the guard's logbook. The personnel
concerned shall keep/ file said Gate Pass which they will present to the guard in bringing out their
personal property.
f.

All equipment and furniture whether official or personal, must be covered by an appropriate Gate
Pass (Annex 6) duly signed by the Property Officer before they can be brought out of the building.
When bringing these back to the office, the security guard shall likewise check against the data
indicated in the Gate Pass.

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