Putrajaya: Civil servants must serve the public the same way they would like their family to be treated, said Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Dr Ali Hamsa.

He said that in line with the aims of a people-oriented civil service, government servants must put themselves in the shoes of those at the receiving end of public service.

Dr Ali reminded civil servants to uphold the six work principles outlined by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak efficiency, accuracy, integrity, productivity, innovation and creativity.

"We, too, do not want our parents, siblings or relatives to receive poor service when dealing with government agencies.

"We have to continuously raise the quality of our delivery system to the people because we are also among the rakyat who will reap the benefits," he said at a gathering with Education Ministry staff at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre yesterday.

Dr Ali also told workers in the public sector to be "flexible" whenever there was a need to carry out additional responsibilities.

He said there was enough manpower in the 1.42 million-strong workforce.

"I have asked the JPA (Public Service Department) to be more flexible when it comes to redeployment.

"When we assign additional tasks, some agencies or departments ask for more workers or posts. There is no need for additional posts or people but perhaps we can exchange manpower," he said.

Dr Ali also urged those in management to adopt a habit of going to the ground to better understand the needs of staff at all levels and ensure that services met the people's expectations.