By Matthew Johnson

The fourth Employee Assistance Programme, EAP, Summit has called on the government and employers to prioritise the physical, psychological and emotional well-being of workers, saying human capital remains the most valuable asset in any organisation.

Speaking at the event, themed, ‘Employee Wellness: Employees Are Our Greatest Assets.’ Managing Consultant of Sages and Scribes Consultants and founder of the EAP Summit, Mr. Adelowo Adesina, said sustainable productivity could not be achieved when organisations neglected the welfare of their employees.

According to him, the relationship between employers and employees should be symbiotic, with both parties contributing to the achievement of organisational goals.

He described the human person as the most important factor of production, noting that machines, capital and other resources could not function effectively without people.

Adesina urged employers to move away from the traditional “us and them” relationship with workers and instead recognise employees as valuable resources whose well-being directly impacts organisational performance.

He advocated reform of the education system to make learning more practical and functional, saying graduates should be equipped with skills that would enable them to create employment opportunities rather than depend solely on job seeking.

He said: “Employers must begin to see things from the perspective of the employee. Accept that they are valuable resources. The employee must also bring loyalty to the table.”

“The most valuable asset is the human person. Development is not for the sake of development. Development is for the sake of the human person.

“There should be government policies that would promote fairness, equal opportunities and an enabling environment for citizens to thrive.,” Adesina said.

Also speaking, President of EAPA Nigeria, Mr. Daniel Odekunle, said employee wellness was critical to organisational success because human capital could not be replaced as easily as machines and other physical assets.

Odekunle noted that organisations invested substantial resources in recruiting and training workers, making employee wellness essential to protecting such investments.

Odekunle explained the importance of government on policies, legislation and guidelines that would encourage organisations to institutionalise EAPs and other employee-wellness initiatives.

He said that organizations need to regard employee wellness as a business necessity rather than merely a welfare initiative.

Odekunle, however, stressed that workers also had responsibilities, including self-care, personal development and positive conduct, in creating a healthy workplace.

He said such a framework would make workers’ welfare an integral part of organisational operations rather than something left entirely to individual employers.

Odekunle said : “When they are not well, their performance drops and it affects the bottom line of any business. It is not just what the organisation does for you, it’s also what you bring to the table, your own contribution.

“Employees to avoid contributing to toxic workplace cultures and instead promote practices that would enhance the well-being of their colleagues and organizations.”He said.

Chief Executive Officer of the council, Adeyoyin Adesina, said the conversation should move beyond employee wellness to human wellness, particularly in sectors such as education where the well-being of workers, students, parents and other stakeholders was interconnected.

Adeyoyin, who disclosed that her organisation had about 800 employees and more than 3,000 students, said organisations must create environments where people felt valued and could thrive.

She said government had a significant role to play in creating conditions that would enable workers to function effectively, stressing that wellness should be incorporated into government policies and organisational structures rather than treated as a one-off programme.

According to her, the environment, workplace and individual are three critical areas that must be addressed in promoting human wellness. Citing transportation and infrastructure as examples of government policies that could directly affect workers’ well-being and productivity.

She urged organisations to review the work ethics and demands placed on employees and develop workplace cultures that promote, rather than undermine, their well-being.

Adeyoyin explained that workers who wake as early as 3am or 4am and spend several hours battling public transportation could arrive at their workplaces physically and mentally exhausted, thereby affecting their productivity. Stressing the need for workers to have adequate rest and reasonable commuting conditions.

Adeyoyin maintained that wellness should not be seen as a luxury but as an essential condition for people to perform at their best.

She said : “Transportation systems in some developed countries provide quiet sections where commuters can rest during long journeys.
“I don’t see it as employee wellness, I see it as human wellness.
“How can the person give his or her best at work? But when the environment provides for all of that, commuting to work doesn’t require so much of you.
“Employers should provide psychologically and emotionally safe workplaces where employees would not be subjected to unnecessary pressure and unhealthy working conditions.
“We must be mindful of our employees,” she said.

The speakers agreed that treating employees as an organisation’s greatest asset must go beyond rhetoric, stressing that sustainable productivity and economic development depend on deliberate investment in the well-being of the people driving the economy.