Cape Coast, Ghana, June 19, 2020//-Economic and human resource experts at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) School of Business at the fourth edition of the school’s e-seminar have called for technology intensive investment as the world struggles to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Speaking at the event on Wednesday 17, June 2020, the Dean of the Business School, Prof. John Gatsi explained that huge investment in ICT could enhance the correction of disruptions to work caused COVID-19 crisis.
He supported his call with data from ILO in which only 10.7% of households in Africa have computers in 2019 and internet use was just about 28% when Europe was 83%.
Unearth other critical challenges
Prof Gatsi asked Human Resource experts to unearth other critical challenges that the pandemic had brought apart from job losses such as health and safety, illnesses related to COVID-19 but not through infections to establish a basis for comprehensive solutions.
Dr Vivian Osei, a senior Lecturer at the Department of Human Resource and Organizational Development, KNUST asked governments in Africa to invest in ICT to enhance inclusion of employees and potential employees in the new workplace.
This is because access to internet and ownership of computers in households is abysmal and that this should attract attention, she said.
Dr Osei noted that the work place for some employees have moved to the home with inappropriate set up for work coupled with destructive surroundings.
She therefore called on organizations and individuals to invest in virtual infrastructure and assets that would make employees deliver in the new work environment because coronavirus pandemic is a strong trigger for reforms to embrace technology intensive work place.
Dr Osei explained that with technology and proper capacity building, everywhere could become the work place.
She also appealed to organizations not to terminate at the least misconduct but to promote negotiations and empathy during the period.
Data protection
Dr Osei advised employees to protect data and information of their organizations with upscale sensitivity saying flexible work place and working hours should not increase the risk of organizational secrets and information.
She added that organizations to place premium on human dignity, pain and empathy to inform any employee who out of extreme consideration and with regards to the law has to be laid off.
More investments into office layouts
Dr Osei explained that one positive observation about the pandemic is the serious attention being paid to health and safety at the workplace but called for more investments into office layouts to sustain the benefits to employees.
One of the discussants, Francis Eduku, the Vice President and Human Resource Director of Goldfields Ghana Limited noted that one of the issues labour unions and leaders are silent about is the effect of the pandemic on psychological contract.
This is about the unwritten contracts which cannot be found in the collective bargaining agreements but have become part of the work culture, motivation and recognition, he said.
According to him, all these things have been eroded such that all the unwritten promises made by management and employers to employees for which performance was good could not be fulfilled.
Mr Eduku explained that with COVID-19 where people work from home and virtually in many cases nobody is providing work place socialization, acknowledging and recognizing as before.
In some cases no employer is interested in whether the home setting provides a conducive environment to work.
Mr Eduku said some workers are isolated and filled with anxiety. He therefore charged the Department of Human Resource Management of the School of Business to conduct a survey into the impact of the pandemic on psychological contracts to provide a balanced perspective of the effect on employees.
Call for collaboration
He also called for collaborative, caring and engaging relationship between employees and employers.
Dr. Nana Yaw Oppong, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Human Resource Management , University of Cape Coast school of Business, discussed the challenges that the pandemic pose to collective bargaining agreements especially post-COVID-19 and call on labour unions to start discussing the issues.
Dr Oppong explained that employers should not treat employees as victims of the pandemic that should be laid off at the will of the employers without following the redundancy process.
African Eye Report
