HR Melange

HR Column

10 commandments on how to effectively handle conflicts in the workplace
One of the biggest challenges facing many organizations today is the complexity of handling employee discipline in the most effective way. In the 2005 annual report of the National Labour Commission (NLC), about 49% of cases filed with the Commission bother on summarily dismissals and unfair terminations as a result of disciplinary issues at the workplace. It’s very alarming how aggrieved employees are dragging their employers to courts or the Labour Commission for perceived poor handling of discipline. ...more
Leadership Development; Building Essential Forces in an Organization
It is a wonder why most leaders lord their personal leadership traits over their followers without taking steps to develop their skills to suit growing trends. Seminars and training programmes are important in building leadership capacity, but the real work lies in what is being exercised within an environment. ...more
HR, Technology and Emerging Forms of Work
Ray is an employee of Opoku, Zigma & Reindher Agency in Accra. He works five days a week. However, he spends four out of the five days working from home. His tasks are time-bound and monitored by his supervisor. Ray and his supervisor communicate by exchanging information over the internet. ...more
HR, Technology and Emerging Forms of Work
Ray is an employee of Opoku, Zigma & Reindher Agency in Accra. He works five days a week. However, he spends four out of the five days working from home. His tasks are time-bound and monitored by his supervisor. Ray and his supervisor communicate by exchanging information over the internet. ...more
HR; Guard Dog or Change Agent
I walked into a supermarket not too long ago and was thrilled to find displayed in the coolers, very well packaged and appealing bottles of mashed kenkey for sale. This triggered my curiosity, and since then, I have made it a point to scout the shelves of shops to find out what the Ghanaian entrepreneur has been up to; and I have been pleasantly surprised. These days, one can buy almost anything that used to take great efforts to prepare, from bottled “kpakposhito” (a variety of local green pepper) to packaged “koko” (corn meal) to packaged chewing sticks… the list is endless. ...more
Social Media In the Workplace
The Ghanaian worker is often described as laid back, relaxed and tardy- and this is even before lunch time! As someone aptly wrote “work will get done eventually, but it is not a matter of life and death.” ...more
How Well Do You Know Your HR Terms
Test your knowledge of basic HR Terms on this quiz. Good Luck? ...more
8 Keys to Employability – The job seekers’ guide
Have you ever spent a minute or two with job seekers readying for an interview? Well, I have, and the silent cross-checking they do behind the “great door” is like this; “well-ironed and carefully chosen outfit” – check, “detailed CV” - check, “personal confidence and courtesy”- shaky but check, and in some extreme instances, “crisp scented perfume, backed by a good oral refresher” – check. ...more
HR Governance; Striking a Balance between Performance and Conformance
The word governance has several definitions and meanings however, in its simplest term, it is the practices and processes that are put in place to help organizations achieve their goals in the most ethical, efficient and effective way, taking into account the interest of all stakeholders. HR Governance as a process is a relatively new organizational practice. Presently, there is no commonly acknowledged definition although the term "HR governance" may have been conceived in the mid-’90s along with HR’s widespread efforts to transform the function from an administrator into a business. ...more
The Digital Era of Governance
Information Technology is at the heart of the modern economy and at the heart of the modern corporate organization. The mammoth nature of the information and research relating to this contemporary era of what I term ‘digital governance’ cannot all be contained in this piece. However, a summary of how Information technology affects corporate governance would be discussed further to provide a fair knowledge of how this important phenomenon is helping businesses compete fairly and efficiently. ...more
Choosing a new career after retirement- you are still relevant
Retirement age all over the world is decreasing. Many years ago, people retired between the ages of 60-70. However today, people are retiring from active professional lives at the age of 50 or even 40. ...more
FIVE (5) WAYS TO BUILD TRUST IN YOUR WORK FORCE
Many experts agree that trust is perhaps, the most important element of an efficient work environment, and organizations that have trust among employees are usually successful. Trust is a primary attribute associated with leadership; when trust is broken, it can have adverse effects on a group’s performance. ...more
Attaining Competitive Advantage through Human Capital Management
The capacity and abilities of human beings/resources have known no boundaries. Money, buildings, cars, lands, oil, gold, timber, etc., may have their value and importance but they do not come anywhere near the value on human capital. Human beings can make or break societies and organizations and hence, prudently managing them is not a matter of choice but obligatory for every serious organization or nation that wants to gain sustainable competitive advantage. ...more
HR IN GHANA IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS
Irrespective of the industry in which it operates, the Human Resources function (HR) is expected to partner the organization and create value for the business. HR can do this by delivering 5 people outcomes which are competencies, morale, motivation, attitudes, and performance. ...more
The Role of the Board in Ethics and Compliance
Ethics, in its simplest form, could be said to be what one does when no one is watching or when there are no systems and personnel to ensure compliance. Work ethics is a set of values which is primarily based on hard work and diligence, it also has to do with moral character at the workplace and its ability to improve attitude. ...more
How to Handle Employee Complaints
As the saying goes; “We are all different.” Being different could mean having different ideas, preferences, attitudes and tolerance levels. This could also mean stepping on each other’s toes. As HR managers or supervisors, it is not uncommon to receive lots of employee complaints and grievances. How do you handle such workplace issues to ensure that your employees feel confident enough to tell you their problems? ...more
SHARED GOVERNANCE – A creative approach to professional accountability
I was recently with a group of managers from different organizations who had met one Friday evening after work to unwind after a hard week. The conversation ranged from politics to virtually every social topic one could think about. As the evening wore on, we inevitably started talking about the world of work. ...more
Why I Won't Hire You
The job market is becoming more and more competitive. The increasing number of private universities has led to a larger number of graduates on the market searching for jobs. Hence, the job market is now more competitive than ever. So, what does it take to get hired? Or more importantly, what won’t get you hired? In this column, we get the thoughts of four HR Practitioners on why they will not hire a prospective candidate. ...more
Five Dysfunctions Of A Team
Teamwork is inevitable for every business organization; it cannot be compromised as it is very important for colleagues to work well together in order to achieve the organization’s goals and objectives. ...more
Steps to Recovering Reputation
The term “corporate reputation” refers to how an organization is perceived by its key stakeholders; positively or negatively. These stakeholders usually include employees, customers, the media, investors, NGOs, suppliers and financial analysts. Their perceptions are built from an organization’s past actions and it’s improvement on keeping promises that give progressive results. Thus, corporate reputation is built over years and can be painstakingly slow. ...more

Do men face workplace discrimination?

Yes