CSC President Calls For Action Over Civil Servants Spending Working Hours in Cafés

Civil Service Commission (CSC) President Mohamed Mujuthaz has expressed concern over the growing trend of civil servants spending extended periods in cafés during working hours, urging stronger measures to safeguard the quality of public service.

He raised the issue during Saturday’s Budget Review Committee meeting in response to a question from Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim, who highlighted increasing reports of staff frequenting coffee shops while on duty. Nazim asked whether such behaviour conflicted with the civil service code of conduct.

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Mujuthaz acknowledged that the practice has become a visible concern, noting that civil servants form the core of government operations and that long café breaks during office hours undermine productivity. He added that the behaviour is also seen among employees of government-owned companies, describing it as part of an emerging workplace “coffee culture” that was uncommon in previous years.

He said a proper monitoring mechanism is needed to address the issue and confirmed that the commission is developing a system to track attendance more effectively. He stated that the concerns raised were valid and that the CSC intends to take appropriate action once monitoring measures are in place.

CSC Commissioner Dr Dheeba Moosa said the situation underscored the need for stronger ethics training within the civil service. She noted that, although MVR 300,000 is allocated annually for staff development, only a small portion is used for training, making it difficult to conduct essential programmes on work ethics.

The discussion comes amid renewed scrutiny of civil service performance following President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s recent decision to increase salaries across the sector. Despite the pay rise, public dissatisfaction with the quality of government services has persisted.