Peter's Magazine

Welcomneote Dear readers welcome to the maiden edition of Novaturient quarterly newsletter. This newsletter will be published quarterly in the first year and in subse- quent years reduce to every other month and gradually monthly. We aim source and collate relevant business and leadership information from various sources and present it to you for your consumption. We hope it will make you a well-informed and a discerning people leader. A leader equipped to take charge and contribute positively to your devel- opment, the development of the people within your immediate environ- ment and the community as whole. In this maiden edition, we throwing the spotlight on wellbeing, recruit- ment, pension planning, the banking sector, labour law just to mention a few. We are therefore delighted to share with you the infographics of data you shared with us when we conducted the “office wellbeing sur- vey” (Over 200 respondent participated in the survey) in June on how the workplace impacts your health and your health impact on the work- place. We also added some tips and information on ergonomics and oral hygiene. We also have experts and resource persons from Enterprise Trustees, EY, Vodafone, XXXXXtheodore just to mention a few sharing some nuggets of wisdom with us on pension planning, banking, recruitment practices, employment etc. We believe you will enjoy reading and helping us grow and become better through your contribution and feedback, please share with us your thoughts on what more content we can add and improvement we can make to make it fit for purpose. We will also welcome content con- tribution from you. Please enjoy glancing through the pictures of our first breakfast meeting held in June and we invite you to our next one scheduled for 29 Septem- ber. And please participate in the new surveys advertised in the news- letter and as we have demonstrated, we will the findings with you in the next publication. Thank you

1008 JAGON 16 BUSTERMILLENIALS EMPLOYEEAT WORK 13 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 22 PRIMIERE ON EMPLOYMENT THE SIDE EFFECTS CONTRACT OF SELF BELIEVE

Content1. The side effects of Self believe2. Oral Hygiene3. Recruitment4. Millennials at the workplace5. Research—Employee Engagement6. Workplace stress7. Premiers on Employment Contract8. Ergonomics9. Employee Assisted programs10. Bursting the Jargon11. Bullying12. Your work and your health13.Recommended—Watch this space

The Side Effects of Self BelieveI worked for manufacturing company that was into production of gasses for food, pharmaceu- ticals, health etc. Due to the uses of the gases, purity levels needed to be extremely high. This called for high quality control and measures from productions through cylinder cleaning and maintenance to bottling.Sales personnel were employed with priority on science and engineering background and posi-tive attitude towards sales rather than pure sales background and experience. This places thesales team in a good stead to sell the quality, benefit and proper application of the gasses andoffer great after sales service.However, for a period, during my stay in employment of the organization, some representativesresponsible for the northern zone started complaining about the purity levels of the gasses basedon a major customer’s feedback. This was inconsistent with production records. The quality as-surance manager then decided tovisit the site to investigate why highpurity gasses ends up at customersite as low purity gases.On arrival at the customer’s site we(I was part of the team) noticed thatthe customer’s application of thegas was wrong hence poor outputwhich was being blamed on thegases instead of the application.The Quality assurance managerthen took his time to educate thecustomer on the proper applicationprocesses which resulted in highquality output.Lessons1. The sales team focused only on the customers complain and failed pay attention to the quality of the products they were selling and failed to investigate the reasons behind the complaints. so external criticism without corresponding attention to internal strength can lead to self-doubt.2. Self-doubt can lead to anxiety & depression (calling head office with complaints and ex- pressing frustrations with responses)3. Self-doubt generates procrastination (deferring sales opportunities, waiting for improvement in what is already excellent)4. Snow ball effect – you begin to believe every similar pronouncement other that what your- self5. Knowledge & innovation evaporates. You stop to make efforts6. Without self-belief, you will under-cut your value or value of your services.

ORAL Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one’s mouth clean and free of disease/ HEALTH other problems by regular brushing and cleaning between the teeth. For some, oral hygiene is not of concern until there is a toothache, persistent gum bleeding or bad breath. Some also believe bleeding during brushing is normal. However, taking care of your teeth could easily prevent these things. Toothache, holes (cavities) in teeth, tooth sensitivity, bleeding gums, mobile teeth, bad breath should be reported to the dentist as soon as they are detect- ed. These conditions are not likely to get better if not treated by the dentist. CARE: 1. BRUSHING- brushing twice a day is highly important to rid the mouth of left- over food particles. Remember to use a SOFT or MEDIUM brush and use mild strokes when brushing. Vigorous brushing could lead to other problems, re- sulting in sensitive teeth. Change your brush every 3-4 months. 2. FLOSSING- gets rid of particles left between teeth that the bristles of the brush cannot reach. 3. MOUTHRINSES- reduce the bacterial load and plaque activity in the mouth. 4. VISIT your dentist once or twice a year for general mouth checks and regular professional cleaning. Your teeth are supposed to last you your lifetime. So, remember to take very good care of them. When we say we are hiring, what do we mean?ecruitment is the process of finding suitably qualified candidates to fill vacant roles within an organization. The candidates can be already existing employees, re- R ferred to as internal hires, or candidates new to the business altogether. As em- ployees are responsible for managing the resources in an organization and ensuring that they are utilized optimally to attain organizational objectives, it is imperative that the employ- ees hired into the organization have the right background, qualifications and experiences and expo- sure required to enable them drive these goals.

What makes a great recruiter? Skills and competencies neededA great recruiter has the fundamental skills and experiences required to attract and hire[communication, marketing, engaging, negotiation, etc), but is not stuck with them – theyhave a good network, are up-to-date with emerging trends like technology and its implica-tions for their job role, and are able to adapt as required for effective delivery on their roleand business needs. TheyWhat are the steps in the recruitment process?Vacancy Identification | Advertisement | Application | Screening & Assessment | Furtherscreening (depending on role & company) | Offer & acceptance |On-boarding |What do you look out for when recruiting? Right attitude / Cultural Fit Competencies Potential to grow/do moreWhat are some of the indices/KPIs tracked and measured in recruit-ment? Quality of hire Time to hire Cost of hire Diversity targets Internal vs external hires Time to productivity Candidate sources vs qualityWhat are the consideration you need to factor in during the process? Most optimum candidate source per role Line Manager fit AffordabilityHow do you close the process to a successful end?Recruitment is a part of the Talent Management process and so does not really come to anend. HR needs to ensure that the Line Manager/Function has a structured induction plan tointroduce the new starter to the business and all relevant stakeholders, as well set them upfor success. The post 3-months catch-up between the candidate and the HR Business Part-ner or HR Manager is important to track progress and pick up any issues there may be.After about 12 – 18 months the candidate would have settled in the role enough to startmaking meaningful contributions to their team, and probably that can be described as asuccessful end to the recruitment process.



A PRIMER ON EMPLOYMENT CON- TRACTSA contract is an agreement between partiesbased on an exchange of value. Most contractsare verbal and not in writing. A contract of em-ployment is an agreement between an employerand employee and is the basis of the employmentrelationship.Contracts of employments do not need to be inwriting to be legally valid, but it is better if theyare.Remember a contract 'starts' as soon as an offerof employment is accepted. The employeestarting work is confirmation that they accept theterms and conditions offered by the employer.Employees are legally entitled to a Written State-ment of the main terms and conditions of em-ployment within two months of starting work.This should include details of things like role, obli-gations and responsibilities, pay holidays andworking hours. These may be expressed terms orthose required by the law- statutory terms forwhich see the Labour Act 2003.Remember, that some terms and conditions are taken as standard and may not bewritten down. These may be implied terms because they are obvious:for example, you would not expect a contract to say that an employee will not stealfrom an employer;employees should not cause financial harm to the employer;a driver employee should not drive recklessly.It is always best to put a contract in writing as it saves a lot of time, parties are clear asto their duties and responsibility and avoids potential misunderstanding.Considering the dynamic nature of work at some point, the parties – particularly theemployer- may want to change the terms of the contract.

So, for example: an employer may want to reorganize or restructure the business due to economic circumstances. This might mean changing working hours, business units, responsi- bilities or roles; an employee may seek improvements in their pay or holidays, or want to change the hours they work due to domestic responsibilities. If an employer is considering changing or varying a contract they should above all consult. Consult the employees and where there is an existing union consult it also. It is important to note that an existing contract of employment can be varied ONLY with the agreement of both parties. Changes Must Not Be Imposed. Imposition of varied terms may be considered as a breach of contract with attendant conse- quences, of legal action, compensation and reputational damage. Such changes as are required must be agreed on an individual basis or through a collective agree- ment where one is available. It is best to notify the employee of any changes agreed, in writing, before imple- mentation if possible or within a short time of its implementation. Theodore Albright, MicroLex Africa.Jargon Buster!

Employee wellbeing inGhana.In July 2018, we asked you and over 200 Gha-naians other employees across ages, levels andsectors how your work and your workplace areimpacting on your wellbeing, and how yourwellbeing is impacting on your workplace?Below is what you said.*** if you want more about your specific or-ganization, we are ready to work with you tounearth it.New surveysSince its our mandate to help you discovermore about you, your work, your health etc.we have two more surveys underway, pleasedonate a minute or two of your time to com-plete it and we will continue share with you.It will also serve as insight for employers andpolicy makers make informed decisions as theyreview and improve on the work environment.It will also help you make more informed per-sonal decisions to improve on yourself andyour work environment.New survey links to be inserted



The purpose of this write-up is not to exhaust the Subject-Ergonomics however, this presenta-tion will shed significant light on the term ergonomics.The term ergonomics was derived from the Greek word “ergo” which means ‘’Work”. General-ly, ergonomics means fitting the job to the worker. This means that the equipment/tool, task orenvironment must fit to the worker.Statistics have shown that in United States of America, it is the largest category of workplaceinjuries and responsible for 30% of worker’s compensation costs. In the industrial world, 1/3 ofall absents from work are due to pain that are associated with the-Neck, back, joint, head painetc. These are referred to as Musculoskeletal Disorders MSDs. The rest of the 2/3rds is due tochronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, obesity etc. these work related pains which haveadverts can be prevented.There are risk factors that contribute to individual’s susceptibility to suffer work related disor-ders. What are they? Repetitive motions; Poor sitting posture; Reaching overhead; Prolonged posturing; Poor workplace designs; Poor rest/sleeping postures; Pulling or pushing heavy loads; Repetitive/awkward lifting actions; Forceful pressures or exertion on the body etc.

Work related Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) can be prevented through er-gonomics. Examples of MSDs include: Back Pain; Tendinitis; Trigger finger; Disc Herniation's; Carpal tunnel syndrome; Tension Neck Syndrome; Epicondylitis (affects the elbow); Muscle strains and low back injuries; Rotator cuff injuries (affects the shoulder); General joint pain (shoulder, knee, elbow, etc.).Vulnerable workers include, office workers, retail workers, construction work-ers, miners, drivers etc.What are the signs and symptoms of ergonomic injuries? Limited range of motion; Swelling or joint stiffness; Hands and feet feeling unusually cold; Tingling and numbness in hands/fingers; Muscle weakness (clumsiness or loss of coordination); Discomfort/pain in upper, mid or lower back, and shoulders;WATCH OUT FOR PART 2!!!You want to read more on this? Watch out for part 2. In that edition, we shalldiscuss the benefits of good ergonomic practices to individuals and organiza-tions. You can’t afford to miss-out on the strategies employers and workerscan adopt to eliminate or minimise MSDs to employees.Bright BansahHealth, Safety, Wellbeing, Environment and Quality [email protected]+233202009976/+233501554555Bright BANSAH @Bright.BANSAH Bright BANSAH

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (EAP)Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) are structures instituted by employ- ers mostly through third party organizations to provide support systems for employees personal related issues such as counselling, medical, legal. These services are sometimes extended to dependants of employees. EAPs are important because of the following. Productivity and performance relates issues due to personal challenges. It is an open knowledge that when people thus employees are faced with challeng- es related to health, financial, emotional and litigation just to mention a few and it’s not managed well, it impacts performance and productivity. Employees build up stress, becomes easily agitated, attention and focus spans begins to reduce and gradually attendance also becomes as issue. The causes of these challenges maybe self-inflicted or visited upon the employee by the environment or others but the fact still remains, it impacts negatively on perfor- mance. Turnaround time Employee going through challenges most often will recover and occasionally some don’t. EAP ensure that everyone is given a chance and the support to turnaround faster. This helps the employee, the employee family and the employer. Optimal performing employees most often also add value to their families and the commu- nity.

Care & Trust EAPs managed well gives employees the confidence and trust in their employers, the trust that the employer cares not only about the in- put of the employee but also the total wellbeing and the confidence that their privacy is respected.Preventive healthcareEAPs also serve as preventive health care management system. Employees go-ing through challenges without support tend to undergo moderate to severestress conditions and stress mimics all form of diseases which manifest in theprocess. When EAP support kicks in early, the stress build up and it relatedmanifestations are avoided and health care cost is reduced or avoidedGhana situationWhile full EAPs are widespread in other parts of the world, it is practiced in alimited scope in Ghana. What is provided in Ghana is the medical cover. A num-ber of health insurance organization are in place providing health care to em-ployees and paid by employers.What is missing is the legal, psychological, financial advisory support systems.Employers should therefore take the courage and move to the next level byadding them to the medical cover to deliver a full EAP cover. In the long run, itwill pay for itself by reducing the medical insurance cost and increasing produc-tivity.*** for your other EAP support, contact Novaturient.



TURN THE SHIP AROUNDFrom the vantage point of the commander of the USS Santa Fe, read how the crew completely turned the ship around, going from worst to first by questioning many of our basic leadership assumptions and shifting from take-control authority to give- control empowerment. Share the author's insights as the crew gains unprecedented de- cision making authority, the risks of doing so, and the reward of an exponentially more effective and more resilient organization. Learn how to achieve astounding results by applying the au- thor's practical steps, such as - Release proactivity and initiative with 'I intend to...' - Build teamwork and minimize errors with \"deliberate action\" - Enhance responsibility and ownership by eliminating top- down monitoring - Improving morale by focusing on excellence rather than er- rors.GRITthis must-read for anyone seeking to succeed, pioneering psy- chologist Angela Duckworth takes us on an eye-opening journey to discover the true qualities that lead to outstand- ing achievement. Winningly personal, insightful and power- ful, Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down, and how that – not talent or luck – makes all the difference.What is a block chain, how do they Simon Sinek has a simple but work, what problems do they powerful model for inspira- solve, how can they be used? tional leadership Watch here Watch here