Managers told to improve work habitat for young staff

Standard Group sales lady Abigael Achieng gives a copy of The Standard newspaper to National Chairman Institute of Human Resource Management Elijah Sitimah. [Omondi Onyango, Standard]

Human resource managers have been urged to prepare the work environment for the young generation to raise productivity.

Julius Kipng’etich, a Standard Group director, said managers should strive to embrace technology in the workplace that is influenced by the young generation to maximise revenues.

“Many workers were born in the age of mobile phones and we must bring that excitement to the workplace to raise productivity,” he urged.

Dr Kipng’etich, who is also the regional chief executive officer of Jubilee Holdings Limited, was speaking yesterday at the fifth annual congress of the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort in Mombasa.

The congress that brings together 700 human resource professionals is being attended by senior managers from the Standard Group, including Group Head of Human Resources Nicholas Siwatom.

“We should look at the employee with emotion and not as mere statistics to increase productivity. Technology should be the vehicle to achieve efficiency and should not be viewed as a hindrance,” said Mr Siwatom.

IHRM Chief Executive Officer Dorcas Wainaina said the institute was registering all human resource professionals to raise governance and integrity in organisations.

She said the institute had issued guidelines on the practice of human resource management and introduced the trainer of trainers’ programme with a view to raising the level of professionalism.

“We want to change the perception in organisations that automation comes with retrenchment. We have to know how to make it work with the number of employees,” she said.