Civil Service Commission (CSC) President Mohamed Mujuthaz has called for action against civil servants who spend excessive time in cafés during working hours, describing it as a growing concern for public service quality.
Mujuthaz made the remarks in response to a question from Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim during Saturday’s Budget Review Committee meeting. Nazim raised concerns about civil servants frequenting coffee shops during duty hours and questioned whether this violated the employee code of conduct.
Mujuthaz acknowledged the issue, noting that civil servants are the backbone of government operations and that prolonged café breaks during work hours are problematic. He added that the trend is not limited to civil servants, but also observed among staff of government-owned companies.
“This wasn’t something we used to see from civil servants. But with changing times, there’s an undesirable ‘coffee culture’ among today’s workforce,” Mujuthaz said.
Civil servants exiting Velaanaage Building. (Sun Photo / Mohamed Hayyaan)
He emphasized the need for a proper monitoring mechanism and said the commission is already working on solutions. “I’m convinced we can monitor this through a proper system. The Deputy Speaker raised a valid point. We want to monitor and take necessary steps,” he added.
CSC Commissioner Dr. Dheeba Moosa also weighed in, saying the issue highlights the need for ethics training. She noted that while MVR 300,000 is allocated annually for civil servant development, very little goes toward staff training, making it difficult to implement ethics programs.
The remarks come shortly after President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s decision to increase civil servant salaries. Despite the pay raise, public criticism continues over the quality of service delivered by government employees.