Institute moves to help organisations embed remote working structure  

Leaders at all levels have been urged to acquire practical insights and working knowledge of how to lead and maximise a multi-generational workforce through skills that establish positioning for long term change.

This call was made during a two-day virtual class, which commenced, yesterday, September 24, 2021, for Human Capital Management professionals in Lagos.

The class was focused on how best to make use of virtual and remote work through continuous education and exposure to evolving frameworks.

Organised by the Pistis Life and Leadership Institute (PLLI), an indigenous education hub, the programme, which wraps up today, is centred on accelerating a smarter workforce through building a close-knit intimate corporate culture with remote workers, as well as dealing with the issues surrounding workplace productivity and employee engagement.

Participants of the executive course were trained on how to develop their leadership and management skills to drive organisational performance, balance diversity and inclusiveness with long-standing organisational culture and values.

In his remark, General Manager PLLI, Peter Eze said: “The vision is to build a community of exceptional leaders who will be equipped with the right values to transform societies and impact Africa. Due to the pandemic, one of the key components of work undergoing a major shift is the question of where we work, should it be from home, in the traditional office or a hybrid, which is a mix of working from home and the office. So, as we navigate through the current situation and keep our eyes towards the horizon of recovery, it is essential to plan for the new normal through equipping managers and leaders for the needed management and leadership that present unique opportunities and challenges by leveraging various work systems to generate the best results for the organisation and employees.”
  
He continued: “In the wake of Millennials and Gen-Z’s colloquially also known as zoomers, many organisations will need to re-examine and adjust existing cultures to embrace the desire of these generations for a more independent and empathy-driven workplace. Hence, to successfully operate in this era, it is critical to focus on the importance of leveraging on technology in today’s multigenerational workforce.”

Eze further noted that while the younger generation of the Millennials and the Gen-Zs are more comfortable with technology and require little training to leverage it for productivity, older generations of workers seem to be struggling with it or rather stuck in their analogue and paper working mode of result delivery.

“So to answer the question of workplace productivity and employee engagement, first, a lot of company policies and culture will need to be restructured to embrace current realities. Then, old and known principles will need to give way to data-driven insights. Attributes like trust, empathy and openness will be practiced at all levels of the organisation with the leadership leading by example. Also, stereotyping must be avoided, and employees must be treated as unique individuals.”