Align strategies to meet the needs of employees – Labour Minister to HR Practitioners

Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, has tasked human resource (HR) practitioners to align their organizations’ strategic plans to meet the very needs of their employees.

He said the unproductive micro-managing strategies of most HR practitioners have resulted in high labour turnover for most employers and organisations.

The minister, speaking at the Human Resource in Ghana (HRinGhana) breakfast meeting in Accra last Thursday said HR practitioners must first learn to identify current employees’ knowledge, skills and abilities.

“But you shouldn’t stop there. You should also consider what talents they have beyond their current job descriptions. For example, your employee may also have an ability for building customer relationships. You can pick up on these less obvious talents by getting to know your employees through regular conversations – both formal and informal,” he explained.

An Afrobarometer study in 2017 revealed that 53 percent of Ghanaians will want to migrate to find work opportunities while 19 percent want to escape economic hardship with a further eight percent looking for better business prospects.

The minister said organisations should prioritize the need to keep track of their employees’ talents and encourage them to stay on.

This will make employees feel more valued if it is clear that the organisation is taking note of their strengths and helping to look for ways to challenge them in their current roles.

He advised HR practitioners to have performance reviews to help determine when employees are willing and able to assume additional responsibilities.

Geoffrey France, Chief Executive Officer of Jobberman Ghana, speaking with Goldstreet Business said the new age millennials must take part in internship programmes to increase their chances of gaining employment after school.

France said organisations must create an action plan that will allow millennials apply their new skills in the workplace.

“It is important that your company does not neglect the employees you already have – especially top performers. Even for your high and low achievers, there is always room for improvement, and they still need development-focused attention from the organisation,” he concluded.