…say it improves productivity, profitability

By Ebunoluwa Sessou

Stakeholders in the Human Resources Management have called on employers of labour at all levels to cultivate the culture of training and retraining workers as well as create equal access for workers in order to improve productivity and profitability.

They made the call at the just concluded a-2-day summit on human resource management, themed: “The Art of Employee Engagement”, in Lagos recently.

Speaking with WO, the Founder, HR Expo Africa, Mrs. Erefa Coker disclosed that the programme was aimed at bringing international conference to Lagos where global perspective and speakers can highlight issues on Human Resources as well as proferring solutions to them.

According to her, “International conferences are very expensive for average HR person to apply for. Therefore, we decided to bring delegates to attend HR programme with affordable price and at the same time get maximum learning opportunities and this was the first of its kind.

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“HR is a fundamental aspect of any organisation and it has to do with human management. And if you do not know how to manage your HR well, it is bad. People are the most important aspect of organization and if they are not managed properly, it is a problem.

“So we thought, we should teach the HR personels properly so as to know how to manage people. So, when they come for this training, they go back with a renewed mind, thought and insight on how to manage people.

“People need to continue to learn on how to improve on human management which changes with the tides. It is important to know how to engage people further. And with the sections and speakers available, there is no doubt that all the delegates will learn from all the sections. HR is continuous learning for any organisation because no organisation has a peculiar problem.

“Beyond the conference, there will be an open conversation on learning. There are free tools online for people to learn more and go back to their organization to impact what they have learned. It is not just engagement but also performance management across board. Also, Taiwo Ajayi, one of the organisers of HR Expo Africa, noted that, the programme was basically a premium learning for HR professionals across board so as to create a global persepective to HR and bring in issues that are trending.

“The entirety of this program is aimed at helping organisations improve their productivity. HR are personels who make policies that affect workers. Therefore, it is not always about money but also people who do the work.  The issues addressed include how organizations would attract the best talents and how they can engage the best talents.

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In her contribution, Sarah Fitzgerald, Managing Director, Executives in Africa, explained that, “There is hardly an organization in the world that is not having the challenge of keeping the best talent. And that is the reason for human resource management. It is impossible to say that there is one rule in  solving human issues in organisation. Organizations must look for ways to keep the people engaged.

“I have been a recruitment manager for 24 years and I have been doing research for 10 years on human resource and that is my profession. I understand that, as organisation, there is a purpose to impact positively in people and to train the best leaders.

“Some organisations are not fulfilling their potentials because they do not have the right people. So, it does not matter the opportunity or the business you have, what matters is finding the right way to manage your workers. Your people are  the company and the success story and it is important to access the best talent to run your organization”, she said.

In her contribution, Dr. Jummy Okoya, Royal Docks School of Business and Law, University of East, London urged employers  to find ways providing workable environment for workers to be the best.

“It is globally accepted for employees to have their flexible time. We must also make sure that people’s well-being and mental health are looked after.

“I believe, that is the way to show commitment to your employees that you are looking after them. The well-being and the psychology capital of individuals help them  to perform well and flourish in their respective ways”, she explained.

On what business owner stand to gain by motivating their workers, she said, “There are so many research revealing to us that when employees are engaged, they perform better which brings about high productivity and organization become profitable as a  result of that. When people are self motivated, they will be more productive.

“The issue of man know man is outdated and every organization should do away with it. In Nigeria, it should be meritocracy. There must be equal platform on the qualities and attributes required by organisation. People should be allowed to shine based on what they bring to the table and not based on who they are connected to.

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“Organization benefits when it gives individual chance because they have qualities, skills, knowledge and attributes they can bring to the workforce. It should be purely based on credit. It is important to let people know that there is a future on career development and progression. Research has shown that people look for career progression and development in whatever organization they work and so, it is not only about the salary.

“One of the researches done in the UK revealed that one of the reasons, why people stay with a particular employer for a longtime is because, there is  future and hope for them to fulfill their own psychology contract. They should be provided opportunity to develop themselves in future. When employers develop their employees, there will be profitability and productivity will raise”, she said.