Ensuring effective workforce

Workers are the main drivers that ensure the growth and sustainability of any organisation. Irrespective of how the organisation is conceptualised and contextualised without workers taking and performing key roles and responsibilities, it would be short lived.

Workers help by giving time and skills to the development of the organisation. The welfare of workers is, therefore, essential and it is incumbent on the employers to contribute to the employee’s benefits for optimal performance and efficiency.

Workers should be motivated in their respective work places.

Some of the notable employee’s welfare facilities include but are not limited to housing facilities, free medical facilities, retirement benefits, children and adult educational benefits, welfare measures for the worker’s families, loan facilities and so on. Worker’s welfare should be paramount at all times in an organisation as that would be an impetus to their efficiency and dedication to the organisation. Undoubtedly, a wellcared for employee would reciprocate by performing to the best of his or her ability.

Furthermore, labour welfare is an area of social welfare conceptually and operationally. It covers a broad field and connotes a state of wellbeing, happiness, satisfaction, conservation and development of human resources.

Welfare schemes are recognised by international labour organisations and they all enjoin each member state to ensure their implementation.

Workers deserve more than only salaries or wages, hence the argument for provision and improvement of existing welfare facilities in the workplaces.

The benefits of welfare are two fold; the workers benefit and at the same time they serve as an impetus for efficiency and effectiveness in the chain of productive activities in the workplaces. It is a win-win situation.

However, nowadays, Nigerian workers are being neglected and uncared for. Their salaries are not paid at the right time in some states of the federation. Those who have retired hardly get their entitlements such as gratuity and pension.

Regarding the implementation of minimum wage, some states have implemented it while others have not.

Sadly enough, workers’ salaries are being deducted unnecessarily without due course. How can you expect effective and positive result to be tirelessly delivered by workers with this maltreatment?

I would, therefore, like to call on both state and federal governments to be very careful in treating their workers in a good way. This is the only way to ensure that every worker discharges his duties effectively.

Musbahu Magayaki, Sabon Fegi, Azare, Bauchi State