Global Courant 2023-05-09 16:57:08
International Labor Day embodies the role and importance of every worker in the workplace.
Today, the world of work has evolved and continues to do so, especially in light of technology. There is a healthy mix of white and blue jobs.
White-collar jobs, similar to blue-collar jobs, require people to work harder, and often longer hours than ever before, to adapt to demanding job demands and/or economic realities. It is no longer exceptional for someone to work outside the official 8am – 5pm, especially with the advent of ever-present communication technology.
In order for the workforce to be productive and thrive in this environment, employers must not only foster a positive, employee-centric work culture, but more importantly, make a conscious effort to simplify work processes through digitization.
More than ever, the digital age has presented employers with a task and an opportunity to automate various processes that support this emergence – from automating both the mundane processes such as employee leave requests, attendance management, performance appraisals and work meetings, to automating more integrated processes . processes, including training & learning, strategy monitoring, business intelligence, analytics, and institutional reporting, among others.
Today we have teleworking arrangements that allow staff to work from home, on the road or from other satellite locations; these arrangements have changed relationships with colleagues and the way we perform our duties.
For this approach to be successful, employers must invest in appropriate technology, work tools and key factors such as providing internet data to their workforce. The employees also have to reinvent their psyche to work! The phenomenon of working from home requires a high level of self-management and personal ethics, often influenced and catalyzed by the work environment and culture of the institution. The employer must trust that the employee achieves his work goals ‘unguarded’!
This year Uganda celebrates Labor Day with the rest of the world under the theme; “Promoting a Positive Work Culture and Ethics: A Prerequisite for Increased Investment, Employment Opportunities and Household Incomes.”
The theme of the day speaks to what is at the heart of an organization’s success. When companies prioritize a positive work culture and ethical behavior, they are more likely to attract and retain like-minded top talent, the anchor for sustainable productivity and innovation.
This, in turn, fuels the company’s continued growth and job retention, while also creating new opportunities; ultimately contributing to improved family incomes and living standards. The quality of the workforce in an organization is therefore a testament to the organizational culture, which is based on the ideals, ethos, norms, rituals and practices of the organization.
I have participated in hundreds of talent identification and selection processes and have devoted the last few years of my professional life to managing organizational talent. with the culture of the institution – usually provides the most value for the institution.
Jim Collins, in his book Good to great approaches culture with the question: who is on the bus? People are the greatest asset for any company. However, it’s not about people. The organization must have the RIGHT people on the bus. It is better to relieve someone if they do not meet company standards, he emphasizes.
‘Look, I don’t really know where to take this bus. But I know this much, if we get the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats, and the wrong people off the bus, we’ll figure out how to take it to a great place.
At the Uganda Development Bank, we are very conscious of nurturing a conducive and productive workplace for the ‘right’ staff to thrive. In all of our talent management processes, be it recruiting and promotion, merit is the most important consideration.
Our diverse value proposition focuses on, among other things, creating opportunities for employee growth and development, facilitating a congenial camaraderie-colleague culture, as well as targeted rewards and recognition, and employee well-being programs; we believe these are all catalysts that boost employee morale within the organization. The benefits of these and other interventions are reflected in the Bank’s performance.
We have made every effort to automate our processes to simplify the way we serve our customers, both internally and externally. Today, our employees can work seamlessly from any part of the world! They can access banking systems and applications wherever they are, whenever it suits them.
It is thanks to this, in combination with many other strong workforce interventions, that UDB remains an employer of choice for many Ugandan professionals.
As we celebrate International Labor Day, I am calling on other organizations to periodically review their HR processes to ensure that what they are implementing is not outdated, but is indeed relevant to the times. In addition, a focus on creating and nurturing a positive work culture will make all the difference on their journey to institutional success.
The author is Joshua Mwesiga, the Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs at the Uganda Development Bank
