Prime
Technology and culture at the work place
Author: Joshua Mwesiga. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- We are very deliberate about nurturing a conducive and productive workplace for the ‘right’ staff to thrive.
Today, the world of work has evolved and continues to do so, particularly in the face of technology.
More than ever, the digital age has presented employers with a task, and opportunity, to automate various processes that support this advent - automating both the mundane processes like staff leave applications, attendance management, performance appraisals, and work meetings, to automating more integral processes including training & learning, strategy monitoring, business intelligence, analytics, and institutional reporting, among others.
Today, we have in place telecommuting arrangements that allow staff to work from home, on the road, or from other satellite locations; these arrangements have altered colleague relations as well as how we execute our duties. For this approach to be successful, employers must invest in appropriate technology, tools of work, and key enablers like the provision of internet data to their staff.
The employees too must reinvent their psyche towards work! The work-from-home phenomenon requires a high level of self-management and personal ethics, many a time influenced and catalyzed by the institution’s work environment and culture.
This year, Uganda joined the rest of the world in celebrating Labor Day under the theme; “Promoting positive work culture and Ethics: A prerequisite for increased investment, employment opportunities and household incomes.”
The theme of the day spoke to what lies at the core of organizational success. When companies prioritize a positive work culture and ethical behaviour, they are more likely to attract and retain like-minded top talent, the anchor of sustained productivity and innovation.
This, in turn, drives continued business growth and maintains jobs whilst also creating new opportunities; ultimately contributing to improved household incomes and the standards of living. The quality of staff in an organization, therefore, is a testament to the organizational culture, as is grounded in the organisation’s ideals, ethos, norms, rituals, and practices.
Having participated in hundreds of talent identification and selection processes and having devoted the last couple of years of my professional life to managing organizational talent, it is my conviction that culturally fit employees - those that typify the values, traits, and motivation desirable to and aligned with the institution’s culture - usually end up delivering the most value to the institution.
At Uganda Development Bank, we are very deliberate about nurturing a conducive and productive workplace for the ‘right’ staff to thrive. Across all our talent management processes, be it recruitment, and through to promotions, the key consideration is merit. Our diverse value proposition focuses on among others, creating opportunities for staff growth and development, facilitating a congenial-camaraderie colleague culture as well as focused rewards and recognition, and employee wellness programs; we believe these are all catalysts that boost employee morale within the organization.
The benefits from these and other interventions are reflected in the performance of the Bank.
We have made every effort to automate our processes so as to ease the way we serve our customers, both internal and external. My call to other organizations is for them to periodically review their people processes to ensure that what they are implementing is not obsolete but is indeed relevant for the times.
Joshua Mwesiga, is the director strategy and corporate affairs at Uganda Development Bank.
