Mrs. Dorothy Asante, an HR Generalist with experience in Recruitment, Industrial Relations – including Union Negotiations, Performance Management and Development of HR Policies, Procedures, Compensation, Benefits and Training – with over 20 years work experience, has told HR Professionals that they should align the HR Hybrid working plan with organisational corporate plans.
She made this call when delivering her keynote address at the Conferral Ceremony of Chartered membership of the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management, Ghana (CIHRMG) on Friday, July 8, 2022 at their Tse-Addo HR Centre in Accra.
Speaking on the theme ‘The Role of HR in consolidating the Gains inherent in Hybrid Working – the case of Ghana’, Dorothy Asante said the first step in a Hybrid working project is planning, and before you can plan anything you need the right information, adding: “As HR professionals, you must also note that whatever hybrid working plans you come with for management approval should be in line with your Corporate Strategic Plan (CSP)”. She advised the Chartered HR professionals and all HR Professionals in the country to try and have a copy of their CSP.
She said Hybrid work is where remote work is combined with in-person office work, and explained that the novelty of hybrid work in Ghana was ushered in by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic that taught businesses, and HR in particular, to take advantage of gains inherent in hybrid working plans.
Mrs. Dorothy Asante enumerated the benefits of hybrid work to include flexible work hours, prioritising the employee – and thereby offering better work-life balance and higher productivity; access to a larger pool of talent, as employers are able to hire from anywhere in the world; improved technology and mass communication platforms; offering a more economical workplace and reduced overhead costs associated with large office complexes, because many employees are working from home.
In his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of CIHRMG, Dr. Ebenezer Agbettor said the ceremony was to officially confer Charter status and present certificates to deserving graduates who completed the level 4 project work of the Institute’s Professional Certification programme, and this is the second such ceremony since they obtained Charter status. He explained that with the 61 Chartered members conferred today, the institute has a total number of 255 Chartered members this year as against last year’s figure of 194 Chartered members – an increase of 31%.
He reminded the new Chartered members and all HR Professionals to pay their annual subscriptions and attend Continuous Professional Education CPEs to keep their membership of the Institute intact.
The President of CIHRMG, Dr. Edward Kwapong bemoaned the delays in instituting a Governing Council for the CIHRM Ghana. He said as enshrined in the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management, Ghana ACT 2020 (ACT 1020), the law makes it mandatory for the sector minister to institute a Governing Council to enable the Institute work effectively. The CIHRM President also said the institute hopes that the new LI, which is in the pipeline to be submitted to Parliament, will be passed within the shortest possible time.
Dr. Edward Kwapong led the new Chartered HR graduates in administering the membership declaration to faithfully comply with the Code of Ethics and any other lawful requirement issued by the Institute.
Present at the ceremony were: Mr. Leo Quacoopome, Vice-President of CIHRMG; Mr. Paul Nartey, member of Professional Certification Board; Mr. Isaac Sackey, former Council member; Dr. Kwame Apedzi, former Council member; Mr. Eric Duker, former Council member, and other HR Professionals.
