The third edition of the HR Interactive sessions was held on 27th August, 2021 at the L’AINE Office Complex, Adabraka.
The event, themed “HR’s Role in Managing the Third Wave of Covid-19 in the Office”, was organised by HR Focus in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank Ghana.
This virtual event saw over a hundred participants joining in via the Microsoft Teams platform. Speaking at the event were highly esteemed HR and Medical Practitioners in the persons of: Mrs. Gifty Fordwuo, Head, Human Resources, Standard Chartered Bank Ghana, Mrs. Dzifa Romanu Mensah, Senior Manager, HR, Enterprise Life, Ghana & Gambia and Dr. Rex Kwame Bonsu, Internal Medicine Resident, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
In her welcome address, the CE of L’AINE Services, Dr. Mrs. Ellen M. Hagan emphasized the importance of such forums and discussions. She said, “In spite of the dangers the pandemic has presented, we have seen the need for business continuity for the sustenance of economies across the world. To make this possible, HR Practitioners have had to lead in ensuring the health and safety of both the staff and the work environment.” She further emphasized the need for everyone to strictly adhere to the protocols.
Mrs. Gifty Fordwuo, Head of Human Resources at Standard Chartered Bank, admonished listening HR Practitioners to consider some steps in ensuring workers’ productivity remotely. She said, “HR managers have to position themselves strategically to provide ingenious solutions that balance business sustainability and the health and wellbeing of employees”. From her perspective, one of the best ways to manage the workplace amid this COVID-19 pandemic is to consider remote working as part of the norm.
Dr. Rex Kwame Bonsu, answering a participant’s question on the effects of the vaccine said “The best way of stopping the Virus’ spread is by understanding the virus better and putting measures in place to curb the spread. Viruses are very stubborn and since COVID-19 is a relatively new virus, scientists are still working around the clock to learn a lot about it, even as it keeps mutating.”
Mrs. Dzifa Romanu Mensah ended her speech by stating that “the HR’s role in work-life integration is to maintain and enhance employee engagement and to also equip employees working from home with the necessary tools, skills and knowledge through relevant capacity building”.
Some key insights from all interactions at the SCB HR Interactive are: the need to consider remote working as a permanent addition to the working world, the importance of hygiene and social distance protocols, in an effort to stay safe, and organisations providing the necessary tools to ensure a safe working environment to maintain the physical and mental wellbeing of their staff.
This year, HR Focus has organised three HR Interactive session so far, and have one more event ahead of their grand annual conference; The HR Focus Conference and Awards. These HR Interactive events feature distinguished speakers and panelists who discuss relevant issues affecting the world of work.