Loyalty, respect and passion for his job have kept Superintendent Keith Hartnick going for the past 40 years.
Hartnick was one of 57 staff members from the City’s Social Services Directorate that were commended on Friday 24 August for their long-term service at the City of Cape Town.
The award recipients are working in the City’s Health, Library and Information Services; Recreation and Parks; Social Development and Early Childhood Development departments.
Hartnick has served in the Recreation and Parks Department for 40 years.
He says loyalty and passion for his job have kept him going all these years.
He adds that, “of course” balancing his job and family time to make sure everyone he cares about is happy are a priority for him as well.
Hartnick says he has respected the job from the day he started working as an office assistant at the age of 19.
This is a value he says contributed to his achievements thus far.
Hartnick says the award is a bonus to his success as he is close to hanging up his “pitchfork and shovel”, considering he is closing in on retirement age.
“I respected my job and enjoyed working with different people all these years.
“I like the nature of the job and the contribution it has made to the community.
“It involves working with horticulture, dealing with nature and open spaces and keeping recreational areas in shape, which brings joy to children. It is very enjoyable and challenging.”
Hartnick says he tops loyalty and respect with his willingness to learn every day and share his knowledge with others.
“They say knowledge shared is knowledge gained – never say you know everything.”
He advises youth seeking to enter the work industry to be ready to respect their managers and remember that it is through the effort they put into their work that they will prosper.
“I have always known that what I contribute will be equivalent to what I gain in return. I wanted to prosper so I gave my work the best I could at all times and respected my managers. Because of that I have been promoted through different ranks and I have been in this position since 2002. I would advise young people to keep that in mind.”
Hartnick also advises punctuality, saying work time should be work time alone, and the same goes for quality time with family.
The father of three says that over the years, he has maintained a good balance and takes advantage of his annual leave to go on holiday and travel so as to enjoy life with his family away from work.
Mayco member for safety, security and social services, JP Smith, says recognition is an important tool for the City to use to promote employee motivation and organisational success.
“All too often, staff are overlooked for the valuable contribution they bring to the organisation. I thank each and every staff member for their dedication and loyalty to making a difference in the lives of the community and their commitment to the City of Cape Town.”