Meet the new Chidambaram: Are you happy? he asks staff

If a popularity contest were to be held for politicians, Palaniappan Chidambaram would not figure anywhere in the top half , one can be sure. Often labeled as arrogant or curt, UPA’s newest finance minister is a hard man to like.

Of course, given that we are in a financial mess, North Block did not need a cute Teddy Bear in the hot seat. Chidambaram’s brief is (presumably) to get the hard decisions implemented, not seek “likes” on Facebook pages.

As Shekhar Gupta argues in his Indian Express column today, a jolly good fellow is not what the ministry needs. He says: “India’s finance ministry is now not a place for mere nice guys. It is a den of vindictive incompetence and lack of imagination as never before since 1991. It needs a tough, unforgiving, sharp, no-nonsense and thick-skinned leader. You will find these features on Chidambaram’s CV.”

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However, finance ministry officials who may be quivering in their jocks wondering what this no-nonsense guy will do to give them ulcers can rest easy. According to Business Standard, Chidambaram has been offering them a one-way ticket out of their job nightmares - assuming they think their current job is a nightmare.

The newspaper reports that soon after taking over, Chidambaram sent a 10-question job satisfaction survey asking them about their happiness quotient. The questionnaire has been send to all babus above director and deputy secretary rank - the ones most likely to interact with him apart from office peons.

Those who say they are happy with their jobs are being asked for further explanations on how their work performance can be improved. Those who think they are miserable in their jobs, are offered three options: “move to another service or cadre, transfer to another ministry, or another post in the finance ministry itself.”

Of course, some questions could be trick ones. One of those questions relates to whether the officer has problems working long hours or taking on more responsibility. Answering yes to these questions can be used against you when it comes to appraisals.

Suspicious babus may well wonder if Chidambaram is trying to show the door to people who don’t like working in his ministry. Or maybe are we reading too much in this simple effort to give Mr No-Nonsense a kinder, gentler face.

We will know soon enough once we see the number of babus facing the exit door.