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Interview: Esther Akinnukawe; Chief Human Resources Officer MTN Nigeria PLC

HR People Magazine– The Interview – Discover Insights from HR Leaders Welcome to “THE INTERVIEW” – the exclusive destination where HR professionals come to gain valuable insights, strategies, and inspiration from industry leaders. Whether you’re a seasoned HR veteran or just starting your career journey, “THE INTERVIEW” is your go-to resource for staying ahead in the dynamic world of human resources. “The sad truth is that many employees feel their voices don’t matter, that their feedback falls on deaf ears and that they do not influence the direction of their organization.And this isn’t just bad for employeesit’s bad for business”– Ron Thomas Esther Akinnukawe Chief Human Resources Officer MTN Nigeria PLC What role should HR play in the 21st century to support business growth and profitability? High-performing companies understand the importance of Human Resources to the overall success of their organizations. If your view of Human Resources is limited to serving as your company’s back-office support, it’s time to reconsider your partnership because HR is actually a major factor in business growth and competitiveness. Some of the diverse roles of HR towards contributing to business growth and profitability include: Talent Acquisition and Retention: Attracting, hiring, and retaining top talent to ensure a skilled and motivated workforce is essential for a long-term business success. The HR function is essential to this process because it identifies applicants who fit the company’s culture and values in addition to having the necessary training and experience. Organizations can better position themselves to handle the demands of a quickly evolving business environment and retain top talent by developing a robust and diverse employee base. A group of driven and talented workers can result in higher output, happier customers, and a competitive advantage in the market. An Engaging & Positive Workplace Culture: the HR function is right at the centre of creating and sustaining a positive workplace culture which does not only improve employee morale, but has been shown to increase productivity, reduce absenteeism and turnover, and improve customer satisfaction. Businesses are encouraged to establish an environment where employees feel appreciated, respected, and inspired to contribute their best efforts by cultivating a culture of trust, respect, and diversity. This way, the company will be in a position to attract top talent who are key to the long-term success of a business. Promoting employee well-being and mental health is another key component of a positive workplace as this leads to improvement in employee satisfaction, which in turn contributes to an engaging and productive workplace. Strategic Partner: HR functions as a strategic partner to the business, collaborating with leadership to align HR strategies with business goals. The HR function is essential to this process because it determines the competencies and skills the company needs to reach its objectives and creates and implements initiatives to help employees grow and acquire those competencies. This gives the company a clear direction and vision that all employees can work towards, helping it stay competitive in a business environment that is constantly changing. Employee Development: Implementing training and development programs to upskill employees and adapt to changing industry demands is very critical. At MTNN, this is one area that gets a lot of attention as we ensure that our people get access to the relevant developmental trainings that will be beneficial to them and the organisation as well. As focus is shifting from jobs to skills, the HR function can enable a seamless transition towards ensuring skilling, upskilling and reskilling of their people to be adequately prepared with the right skills to accomplish organisational goals and objectives. Compliance (Risk management & Business Continuity) – For businesses to be successful, managing, and mitigating risk is crucial because it safeguards the company’s stability, long-term success, reputation, and continuity. Regretfully, not all businesses use risk management techniques. As HR , we play a vital role in ensuring that HR policies and practices are compliant with laws and regulations; identifying potential risks and putting measures in place to mitigate them. This helps to sustain trust with customers, shareholders, and all stakeholder groups, as well as long-term stability and continuous success. Performance Management: This is implementing data-driven performance evaluations and feedback to improve employee productivity. Organizations can maintain their competitiveness over time by identifying areas for improvement and making the required adjustments with the support of an efficient performance management system. The HR function is essential to promoting this performance because it manages and inspires workers, establishes procedures and systems to evaluate and enhance performance, and offers growth opportunities. Change Management & HR Analytics: Assisting in organizational change initiatives and helping employees adapt to new technologies and processes is so key for the HR function. In addition, using data analytics to make informed decisions and optimize HR processes is relevant to the effectiveness of the decision-making process By focusing on these areas, HR can contribute to business success and profitability in the modern era. What should HR Leaders and professionals be doing to influence decisions in their business and have a seat at the table. I believe that HR already has a seat at the table given the criticality of its role to organisational survival and sustained performance. The HR leaders only need to continually influence decisions in their organizations to justify their seat at the table and maintain credibility by: Understanding Business Goals: Align HR strategies with the overall business objectives to demonstrate a clear connection between HR initiatives and organizational success. Data-Driven Decision-Making: Utilize HR analytics to provide data-driven insights and evidence supporting HR recommendations and strategies. Strategic Thinking: Develop a deep understanding of the industry, market, and competition to contribute valuable insights and foresight. Effective Communication: Clearly articulate the value HR brings to the organization and its impact on key business metrics. Building Meaningful Relationships: Foster strong relationships with senior leadership and department heads to gain their trust and support. Change Management: Be proactive in helping the organization adapt to change, whether it’s related to technology, processes, or culture. Talent Development: Implement talent development and

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The Future of Work: Enter at your own risk

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– Ron Thomas As the world of work evolves, some organizations navigate gracefully, while others stumble. The post-COVID era has been a litmus test for adaptability and empathy. Work has changed; some have adapted, and some have not. Some have been tone-deaf. Some were brutal in their communication. Some thought their reasoning would be understood and agreed upon. Organizations are at a pivotal crossroads in trying to redesign this work of new work. We have all witnessed the post-COVID transition and all the calamities that have come as a result. While for the most part, organizations adjusted to COVID-19. We worked from home; we figured out how to make this transition. While this was a totally new experience in, we were now in our homes, with no commute, working at our own pace and schedule, and in a lot of cases, being a lot more productive. How did we get here? While there were challenges for the most part, it was a cool experience in that we were exposed to a way of working that we had never experienced before. The history of work has undergone a metamorphosis of changes since the beginning of work. • Pre-Industrial Era: Agriculture-based, seasonal, sunrise to sunset• Industrial Revolution: Factory workers, urban centers, Long hours, 12-16 hours per day, 6 Days a week• Trade Unions/Labor Movement: Unionization, which demanded better working conditions, higher wages, and shorter workweek.• 8-hour day movement brought to you by unions. The mantra of this initiative was Eight Hours of Labor, Eight Hours of recreation, and eight hours of rest.• Fair Labor Standards Act, the 40-hour work week was established with a minimum wage.• Henry Ford is said to have invented the “weekend” when they adopted a five-day, 40-hour work week for his workers.• Paid vacation post WWII, which started in Europe.• Body of work changes. Manufacturing declined, and the service and knowledge sectors grew. Rise in office jobs, remote work, flexible hours, etc.• Digital Revolutions known as the 24/7 Economy: Internet, smartphones, and other digital technologies.• 4-day workweek exploration All of this brings us to where we are today: the rise of “remote work”. Now, COVID has added another seismic shift to this history. So, think for a minute about all the transitions that the body of “work” has gone through, and then COVID hits and disrupts mightily everything that we have witnessed or heard about. Why are organizations so afraid of entering this new arena? • We are more productive when we are all in one place. Based on what?• You must come back full-time at the end of the month, and it will be back to normal. Who’s normal?• Come back, and we will pay for your commute, food, new workspace, etc.…[THE BRIBE]• We want to get back to normal. Who defines normal We are entering an era that is more transformational than all the transitions we have witnessed in our history of the world of work. We are in unchartered territory. There is no perfect solution. No best practice will solve this. Every organization is a “patient,” and the winning prescription will return to listening to that patient. That patient comprises possibly global locations, Workforce DNA, C-Suite DNA, regional, industry, and most importantly competitive analysis. Enter at your own risk. So, where do we go from here? If your customers were to approach you and ask/demand a different work product or way to do work, what would be your reaction? Would you demand that they do it with your constraints? Would you make demands and say that if you don’t do it my way, we will stop doing business with you? The answer to these hypothetical situations would probably be, “of course not.” Adult to Adult vs. Adult to Child? Well, I want to let you in on a new organizational dynamic…your employees are your new partners/customers. The days of the organization making structural changes will require that we listen to our “new customers.” The relationship has, for the most part, been Adult to Child relationship. We, as organizations, know what is better. We make all the rules; we determine how things are to be run. We make organizations with the adults in the room. We do this because we KNOW what is best. The new dynamic says that the relationship going forward is now Adult to Adult. Adult to Adult relationships a bit more, like fostering innovation, collaboration, and holistic growth. We listen to each other. We collaborate on providing solutions. We move away from decisions by conference room by the selected few. We get out of the offices and manage by walking around. We get to know our people. We spend time trying to build a culture of trust and belonging so that our partners feel that they are in the right place. Organizational Greenhouse Think of the org as a greenhouse. We bring in new seeds; we make sure the soil is correct for growth. We fertilize, we offer sunshine, and we grow our own. If we try and maintain that old relationship as you have all the power and you make all the decisions, you will lose. It is that simple. Employees are speaking out and coming up with their own ideas of this clouded future. If your competitors listen to that new customer, your employees will walk. At the beginning of this article, I mentioned all of the drastic changes that have impacted the workplace. At one point in the future, this Post Covid experiment will be a footnote and bullet point. Listen more/Communicate better. Be creative in your approach; ask your employees what they are feeling. We as organizations, have two significant strategies that we have to address. We must listen more and communicate better. What is your listening strategy? “Are our leaders equipped to listen?”: e.g., feedback tools, open-door policies, regular check-ins, etc. Can we focus group more? Can we design better town halls to pulse our most important clients? Are our leaders equipped to listen? Do our

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