EAP Summit: How to turn nightmare workplaces into great ones – Ajomale on Employee wellness

ARINZE NWAFOR

Olumide Ajomale, a certified trainer, shared tips on how leaders can turn nightmare workplaces into great ones during a professional development talk on Wednesday.

Ajomale stated that workplace culture has a direct impact on business performance as he discussed the topic: Great Place to Work at the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) Summit 2023.

Ajomale spoke on the theme ‘Employee Wellness for Productivity and Performance’ at the EAP 2023 Summit, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria and held in Lagos state.

The trainer outlined respect for the human rights of employees and the importance of employers to consider the array of commitments their employees bring to work beyond their qualifications and skills.

Ajomale tasked employers of labour with recognising employee engagement, which he defined as the “emotional commitment, dedication and the discretionary effort that employees bring to work.”

“Employees should appreciate employees’ character, initiative, commitment and even punctuality,” Ajomale said.

He asked employers to allow employees to take initiative as it helps to grow a great workplace.

The trainer said a great workplace can be viewed through the perspectives of both an employee and their employer.

For the employee, Ajomale said a great workplace is one where “employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do and enjoy the people they work with.”

While for the employer, “a great workplace is one where managers achieve organisational objectives with employees who give their personal best and work together as a team/ family in an environment of trust.

Ajomale went ahead to term teams or workplaces where the factors of a great workplace are absent as a nightmare place of work.

He placed the burden of creating a great workplace on the leader of either a team or a company/ organisation and in reverse, the failure to do so

Ajomale denounced the reality of employees in Nigeria getting disillusioned after three to six months in a job that they initially began with excitement.

“Nightmare workplaces are always caused by leaders,” Ajomale said.

Ajomale asked employers to start integrating employee engagement tips into their workplace, including a focus on work-life balance, holding wellness programmes and conducting employee surveys to get feedback.

He added that great workplaces are not accidents, but are consciously created.