Structure

•  Introduction – define impartiality in simple Explain it with a simple example
• Body – explain the various obstacles to impartiality and solutions in both professional and personal life
• Conclusion- end with significance of impartiality for a civil servant

Content

Impartiality is a norm of justice holding that decisions should be based on objective standards, instead of on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the advantage to one person over another for unsuitable reasons.

Impartiality is acting solely according to the merits of the case and serving equally well governments of different political persuasions.

• Impartiality means that civil bureaucrats in carrying out their official work, including functions like procurement, recruitment, delivery of services , should take decisions based on merit alone.
• Impartiality implies that the behaviour of, and treatment by a bureaucrat to any individual or entity has to be exclusively on the basis of merit
• An administrator has to take numerous major decisions such as recruitment, procurement and To make such decisions effective and efficient, there has to be absolute impartiality.
• Impartiality is the eminence of a person where one is impartial while allocating any goods or services among several people or selecting a person from a set of people based on certain set of abilities.

Impartiality could be defined as a quality of making fair decisions. It includes:

1. Not coming under influence of biases
2. Treating each situation on its merit
3. Taking a fair decision based on facts.

For eg:

• If there are two students , of them one is consistent topper, but the other one an average student. If any complaints regarding breaking of discipline comes for both, we should not allow our biases to influence our current judgements
• Civil servants in carrying out their official work, including functions like procurement, recruitment, delivery of services etc, should take decisions based on merit alone but not the criteria like personal affiliations,belonging to the same caste etc
• A Teacher awarding marks to a student solely based on the merit of the answer. Impartiality in Professional life : Standards of conduct

1.1 Commit to the highest ethical standards

As public service employees we are required to ensure that our conduct meets the highest ethical standards when we are fulfilling our responsibilities.

We will:

• ensure any advice that we provide is objective, independent, apolitical and impartial
• ensure our decision making is ethical
• engage with the community in a manner that is consultative, respectful and fair, and
• meet our obligations to report suspected wrongdoing, including conduct not consistent with this

1.2 Manage conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest involves a conflict between our duty, as public service employees, to serve the public interest and our personal interests. The conflict may arise from a range of factors including our personal relationships, our employment outside the public service, our membership of special interest groups, or our ownership of shares, companies, or property.

As public service employees we may also experience conflicts of interest between our public service ethics and our professional codes of ethics (for example as health care professionals or as lawyers), or with our personal beliefs or opinions.

Having a conflict of interest is not unusual and it is not wrongdoing in itself. However failing to disclose and manage the conflict appropriately is likely to be wrongdoing.

As public service employees we are committed to demonstrating our impartiality and integrity in fulfilling our responsibilities and as such we will:

• always disclose a personal interest that could, now or in the future, be seen as influencing the performance of our duties. This will be done in accordance with our agency policies and procedures
• actively participate with our agency in developing and implementing resolution strategies for any conflict of interest
• ensure that any conflict of interest is resolved in the public interest

1.3 Contribute to public discussion in an appropriate manner

Commenting on government policy is a matter for Ministers, not employees. Unless prior authorisation has been given, we will not comment to the media on government policy.

Where providing factual information to the public on government policy is a part of our official duties and responsibilities, we will ensure that information is appropriately authorised, and that we properly represent government policy and administration in its intended manner and spirit.

Like any other citizen, we have the right to contribute to public discussions on community and social issues in our private capacity.

In doing so, we will:

• take reasonable steps to ensure that any comment we make will be understood as representing our personal views, not those of government
• maintain the confidentiality of information we have access to due to our roles, that is not publicly available
• be aware that personal comments about a public issue may compromise our capacity to perform the duties of our role in an independent, unbiased

1.4 Manage participation in external organisations

Our work as a public service employee does not remove our right to be active privately in a political party, professional organisation or trade union.

As a member of a political party, however, we are aware that participating in activities in the public arena, where we may be identified as a public service employee, can give rise to a perception of conflict of interest (see section 1.2). Where this situation arises, we will declare and manage our activities in accordance with our agency’s policies.

If we are elected as workplace representatives or officials of a trade union or professional association, we are not required to seek permission from our workplace before speaking publicly in that capacity, and we will make it clear that our comments are made only on behalf of that organisation.

In all instances, we will comply with the appropriate laws of privacy, confidentiality and information management.

1.5 Demonstrate a high standard of workplace behaviour and personal conduct

We have a responsibility to always conduct and present ourselves in a professional manner, and demonstrate respect for all persons, whether fellow employees, clients or members of the public.

We will:

• treat co-workers, clients and members of the public with courtesy and respect, be appropriate in our relationships with them, and recognise that others have the right to hold views which may differ from our own
• ensure our conduct reflects our commitment to a workplace that is inclusive and free from harassment
• ensure our fitness for duty, and the safety, health and welfare of ourselves and others in the workplace, whether co-workers or clients
• ensure our private conduct maintains the integrity of the public service and our ability to perform our duties
• comply with legislative and/or policy obligations to report employee criminal charges and

In political Impartiality, person must:

• Serve the government, whatever its political persuasion, to the best of his ability in a way which maintains political impartiality and is in line with the requirements of this code, no matter what your own political beliefs
• Act in a way which deserves and retains the confidence of ministers, while at the same time ensuring that you will be able to establish the same relationship with those whom you may be required to serve in some future
• Comply with any restrictions that have been laid down on your political
• Candidates must not act in a way that is determined by party political considerations, or use official resources for party political purposes and allow their personal political views to determine any advice they give or their actions

Ways to ensure impartiality in personal life

• First you need to acknowledge that your own bias are simply a product of social Your bias are not who you are, but how you perceive others to be at face value. You need to be understanding and accepting of the variety of people and cultures that life has to offer in order to change your perception.
• Be aware that a loved one’s political activity may create a perception of
• Honor impartiality in speaking appearances and outside work
• Our standards of impartiality also apply to social media
• When language is politicized, seek neutral words that foster
• We are not truly secluded individuals. We are a crowd of what we have been given. So whether it is religion, studies, parents, friends, it does not matter, what matters is everything around is feeding us. Don’t program your mind. Let your own intelligence flourish and that is possible only by That is possible only when you get rid of what has been FED INTO you, by the people, situations, institutions, schools, relatives around you.
• DEPROGRAMMING - Deprograming is a process of getting rid of whatever we have accumulated and we keep gaining it on a daily basis, whether we watch an advertisement on tv screen, or whether we gossip with people or whether we read unplanned and unexpected stuff in facebook feed… we are spending our time and intelligence on something that we did not really need to look into, need not consider or were not required to. So the first thing, is start TAKING IT OUT WITHOUT GIVING IT TO any target.