Job rotation: Creating opportunities, challenges and practising potential young officials

Leader of General Department of Vietnam Customs handled over rotation decisions to customs officials in the first phase in July 2020. Photo: Thái Bình

Promoting strength

The task of job rotation in the Customs sector has been implemented regularly for many years but there is something new in this job rotation scheme when the General Department of Vietnam Customs decided to rotate simultaneously many customs officials in the General Department to work in local customs departments and vice versa. This is considered a typical example for General Department of Vietnam Customs continue renovation job rotation in the next period.

This objective is deployed in the first phase by rotating 20 customs officials in five units of group of department working in General Department including Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department, Customs Control and Supervision Department, Risk Management Department, Import and Export Duty Department, Customs Modernisation Reform Department and seven provincial customs departments are Hanoi, HCM City, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, Lang Son and Tay Ninh. There are many difficulties and challenges for customs officials rotated when receiving tasks in the new unit and new working environment but with political bravery and qualifications, a team of 20 customs officials is expected to fulfill its tasks in the next three years. That determination is deployed when 20 customs officials have rotated and accepted duties at the new unit starting from July 1.

Accepting the task after finishing her short-term studies abroad, Dao Thi Thu Thuy - Deputy Head of Control and Supervision Import – Export Cargo Division under the Customs Control and Supervision Department (General Department of Vietnam Customs), is assigned to hold the position as Deputy Manager of the Dinh Vu Port Customs Branch (Hai Phong Customs Department). With great experience working at the Customs Control and Supervision Department, Dao Thi Thu Thuy's task is to research, grasp the situation, advise and formulate policies. When receiving duties at a local customs unit, she quickly caught up with her work.

Thuy said that: “Determining the responsibility entrusted by the leader of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, as a customs official when performing a job at any working position, any locality must promote strengths by constantly learning to accomplish assigned tasks. Therefore, after receiving the duties at the new unit, we must quickly adapt to the new working environment, and take advantage of the experience from colleagues in the unit to promote the experience and knowledge in the process of advising, formulating policies and making efforts to accomplish the assigned tasks together with the unit.” According to Thuy, the period of three-year rotation is also a valuable opportunity to directly record how a policy is implemented in practice, while at the same time grasping problems that may arise to serve research and policy formulation to promote efficiency in practice.

Also accepting duties in the same rotation period, Nguyen Duy Hoa, Deputy Head of Technical Division of Bac Ninh Customs Department, was assigned by the leaders of the General Department of Vietnam Customs to hold a position as Deputy Head, Customs Procedures Reform Division under the Customs Reform and Modernisation Board. With a background of a local customs officials performing professional procedures, directly dealing with issues that arise at the unit, Nguyen Duy Hoa is assigned to perform the task at a unit with specific characteristics of researching and developing strategies and long-term, medium-term, annual plans for customs reform and modernisation, and presiding over the coordination of implementing customs reform and modernisation strategies, programmes and plans after approving. According to Nguyen Duy Hoa, that difference required early access to assigned work, especially the process of work at the General Department of Vietnam Customs to research and advise the board's leaders and leaders of the General Department on issues of professional task reform.

Standing firm in task performance

Rotated from local customs to units under the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Doan The Thang - Deputy Manager of Cam Pha Customs Branch (Quang Ninh Customs Department) was assigned to hold the position as Deputy Head of Criminal Investigation Team (Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department). According to Thang, the first problem for customs officials working far from home was to arrange a stable life in the new area. Although there was an initial disturbance in daily life, after determining the responsibility and assigned tasks, after more than a month of accepting the task at the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department, Thang said he quickly approached the job. "My conception was that asking to clear doubts, so I quickly overcame the initial difficulties thanks to the support of leaders of the department and colleagues,"Thang shared and said that the job rotation required quick adaptation.

“Carrying out duties in the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department required me to have a firm grasp and an overview of the issues, and at the same time always ready to participate in investigation, verification and handling of unexpected cases. This requires customs officials to have a reasonable and scientific task arrangement. The initial experience showed the rotation would help customs officials be trained and challenged, also helping the staff to be mature, comprehensively and steadily develop in professional tasks,” Thang said.

The words of customs officials who accepted the rotational tasks showed a spirit of effort, trying to learn, dedicated experience and knowledge to perform assigned tasks, contributing to the overall achievement of the unit and the Customs sector. According to the leader of the Personnel and Organisation Department, this rotation was considered the sample rotation for the next phases. From that, the General Department of Vietnam Customs will learn from experience, improve the rotation process and procedures; to bring rotation and mobilisation of customs officials into order, becoming regular jobs, overcoming outdated views and habits in current work. Customs officials who are rotated are all young, qualified and potential officials; aware rotation is a duty, responsibility and opportunity to be trained and accumulate practical experience for personal development, creating a source of quality leaders and managers for the Customs sector.