Avoid redundancy exercise if possible - HR practitioners advised

A giant in the Human Resource (HR) arena in Ghana, Mr. Kwadwo Asare-Bediako has called on HR Managers and Practitioners in the country to avoid Redundancy exercise if possible and resort to other available options to address employees’ issues.

Mr. Asare-Bediako made this call when he delivered a key note address as the Guest Speaker at the 10th Graduation ceremony of the Institute of Human Resources Management Practitioners, Ghana (IHRMP) held at the Ghana Academy of Arts & Sciences, Accra on Thursday, December 6, 2018.

Speaking on the theme: “Managing Redundancy through Employee Engagement”, the HR luminary said, “managing redundancy exercise is perhaps the most sensitive activity in human resource management. This is because unlike retirement, redundancy is unexpected and unplanned; and causes pain, anguish and hopelessness”.

He admonished that if a redundancy exercise could be avoided, it should. He mentioned some options for avoiding redundancy exercise to include; pay cuts, reduction of benefits and staff reduction through natural attrition.

“But, if a redundancy programme must be carried out, it must be done through planned employee engagement and with the highest standards of objectivity, fairness, transparency and professionalism”, he added.

Mr. Asare-Bediako outlined six reasons why any organization seeking to embark on a redundancy exercise should engage employees in managing the process. It includes: Image of the company; to sustain the morale of those who would be retained; Market effect; attraction of good employees, avoiding protests and media bashing and maintaining professionalism of the HR Managers and the company.

The President of IHRMP, Dr. Edward Kwapong, in a message read on his behalf by his Vice President, Mr. Leonard Quarcoopome, charged the new graduands to be good ambassadors of the Institute as they deliver their mandate and discharge their duties. He advised them to go on to complete the L4 and be fully certified.

He called on them to participate in the Institute’s activities, make it a point to join a chapter and contribute their quota to this noble profession.

In his welcome address, the Executive Director of the Institute, Mr. Ebenezer Agbettor told the gathering that the ceremony was a very significant because it shows that the institute since the inception of the PCP in 2002 is growing at a great pace.

The numbers graduated were 164 Associates and 32 Certified members as compared with last year figures of 136 Associates and 9 Certified, representing a remarkable increase of 35% in the number of students graduating.