Jobs/Appointments
Exploring the Disconnected Employee and COVID-19
About 97% of organisations are not addressing employees’ psychological stress. As global supply chains are disrupted, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted the worst Nigerian recession in 30 years.
Studies suggest, that areas most topical for Nigerian businesses are liquidity and lay-offs. Board rooms up and down the country are desperately trying to figure out how long the recovery will take and the impact on their cash flow.
However, a recent pcl. study indicates that the well-being of employees must also feature highly on the executive agenda.
From our experience, negative impacts on employee well-being can be protracted and long-lasting, often leading to a psychological disconnection between the employee and the organisation.
With a recession looming, if this disconnection is not tackled head-on, organisations will witness low employee productivity, resulting in a slower-than-expected business recovery in a COVID-19 new normal.
Most Business Continuity Plans (BCP) appeared to place a premium on the provision of hard infrastructure to guarantee business operations.
Therefore, even though 65% of organisations in Nigeria implemented work from home policies during the lockdown, 94% of employees were not provided with Working From Home (WFH) guidelines and best practices.
Nevertheless, WFH was a welcome development, as 65% of employees in Nigeria aimed to use the lockdown as an opportunity to enjoy time with family and pursue personal development objectives.
The question is, should organisations place more emphasis on developing the softer components of the recovery, in a bid to reinforce the psychological contract between the employer and employee?
Our experience suggests that such contracts are critical for developing employee well-being, a consequence of which is improved organisational performance through deeper business connectivity.
For example, despite the organisational focus on hard infrastructure, 60% of employees on average are experiencing electricity and internet challenges while working remotely.
Whilst higher than expected usage by employees was foreseeable, many organisations did not make financial provisions for the additional data that was consumed or provide power banks to cope with electricity fluctuations. This small but meaningful oversight was a common source of an anecdotal employee complaint.
The numbers suggest a broader challenge of organisations failing to align modern digital technologies to firm business commitments pertaining to personal development, continuous learning, cross-functional collaboration and innovation.
With 65% of employees aiming to pursue personal development objectives during the lockdown, merely 7% of organisations prioritised staff training during the lockdown, and only 16% of companies were open to virtual learning.
Furthermore, 64% of employees are still using WhatsApp as the primary business tool while WFH. However, along with standard cybersecurity concerns, as a tool for managing business communications and driving high performing teams, WhatsApp still has several limitations.
But, do the numbers identify a failure to use technology effectively or do they harbour a more profound concern which suggests that organisations are failing to grapple with anticipated seismic shifts in the ‘future of work’?
With the long-term possibility of business uncertainty and disruption in ways of working, technology aligned business objectives are critical for providing employees with the tools essential for empowerment, self-management and personal accountability.
A focus on employee well-being, i.e. team engagement, personal development, social support, and work motivation, is critical at the best of times.
But more so in a time of employee isolation, social distancing, home schooling, financial strain, housing and food insecurity, job anxiety and most importantly, the potential loss of family and loved ones.
Such pressures acutely align with the physiological needs identified by the psychologist Abraham Maslow in his paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”. If an employee is hungry, it will be hard to focus on anything other than food. Predictably, the brunt of the discomfort will fall on those in the medium to low-income bands. According to the National General Household Survey that was conducted in 2019; 32% of Nigerian households experienced food shortages.
This might explain why 41% of employees are admitting to low work motivation, and 75% are struggling with home confinement. Consequently, even though 51% of organisations claimed to possess senior management channels for employee engagement, going forward, we must consider the frequency and commitment to using those channels for discussing issues of well-being.
There are several early warning signs for identifying disconnected employees. Key performance indicators include increased absenteeism, increased number of sick days, lateness to the office, higher staff turnover, low employee engagement, and reduced productivity.
However, a considered approach to driving employee intimacy can shift corporate culture to ensure human capital remains a key lever for performance.
With the uncertainty and complexity of things to come, employee well-being must be front and centre of the recovery process for Nigerian organisations. 57% of employees are expecting wage cuts in the next 1-3 months, so, it would be foolhardy to infer that tough, unpopular decisions do not lie ahead.
But it is also worth noting that decisions that impact employee well-being will have socio-economic outcomes that extend far beyond the organisation and into the broader realms of society (The unintended consequence of change).
The ability of an organisation to remain connected with employees, strengthen the psychological contract and prioritise areas of well-being, are critical to ensuring superior performance and accelerated COVID-19 recovery. Not just for organisations, but the country as a whole.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has clarified that the viral report suggesting that it is currently employing new staff is the “handiwork of fake recruitment syndicates established to mastermind fraudulent activities.”
In a Monday statement posted on its official X handle, NMDPRA expressed that it was compelled to publish the disclaimer to alert the public against such activities due to what it described as “exploiting young economically vulnerable and unsuspecting Nigerians perhaps into parting with huge sums of money for purported employment opportunities into the authority.”
“They do this by issuing bogus “Letters of Employment” and empty promises, as well as offering non-existent positions. These may well be the handiwork of fake recruitment syndicates established to mastermind these fraudulent activities.
“We wish to use this opportunity to state categorically that the NMDPRA is NOT conducting any recruitment exercise currently. Neither is the Agency undertaking any kind of employment in its services at any level. For the avoidance of doubt, any future recruitment exercise would be undertaken in accordance with extant rules guiding such exercises in the Nigerian Public Service,” the organisation emphasised.
The agency further advised the public to disregard these fake employment advertisements and urged them to visit its official website and social media pages to verify any recruitment claims.
The statement added, “In this regard therefore, we would like to advise the public and all Nigerians to ignore these spurious claims by unscrupulous people whose only objective is to defraud Nigerians and cast aspersion on the authority.
“We further advise that for current and up to date information regarding all our activities, kindly refer to our official corporate website: www.nmdpra.gov.ng as well as all our verified online social media outlets (i.e. Facebook, Linkedln and Instagram) for authentic information.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
Aradel Holdings Plc has appointed Ms Nnoli Akpedeye as an Independent Non-Executive Director, effective February 2, 2026, following a resolution passed at the company’s board meeting held on January 28, 2026.
In a notice to shareholders, Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, and the investing public, the company disclosed that the appointment is subject to ratification by shareholders at its next Annual General Meeting (AGM). The board also authorised the Company Secretary, Mrs Titiola Omisore, to notify relevant regulators and take all necessary steps to give effect to the decision.
Ms Akpedeye brings more than 36 years of multi-disciplinary experience spanning oil and gas, engineering, legal and arbitration services, and management consulting. Her career reflects a strong blend of technical expertise and strategic leadership, with competencies in management and strategy, business process engineering, organisational development and change management, as well as entrepreneurship development.
Until 2014, she served as Technical Planning Manager for Shell Exploration and Production Companies in Nigeria, where she led the execution of high-impact, mission-critical projects. Over the course of her career at Shell, she held roles across civil engineering design, planning and construction, project management, facility management, technical audit, and business planning and strategy, gaining extensive local and international exposure.
Beyond her corporate career, Ms Akpedeye is an entrepreneur and advocate for capacity building in engineering and energy. She runs Contego Servo Limited and Perfectus Laundi Limited, and in 2013, she launched the “Introduce a Girl to Engineering” programme aimed at encouraging secondary school girls in Nigeria to pursue careers in engineering and related STEM fields.
She is a Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN)-registered engineer, a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE), and a past President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN). She is also a founding member of the Women in Energy Network (WIEN) and serves as a passionate ambassador for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.
In addition, Ms Akpedeye is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Compos Mentis Legal Practitioners and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Compos Mentis Foundation.
Her appointment further strengthens Aradel Holdings’ board with deep industry knowledge, governance experience, and a strong track record in leadership and institutional development, as the company continues to pursue its strategic objectives within Nigeria’s energy landscape.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An interim chief executive has been appointed by Geregu Power Plc and he is Mr Sean Manley, with his appointment to take effect from Monday, February 2, 2026.
A statement from the power generating firm disclosed that his appointment is subject to the approval of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the shareholders of the company at the next general meeting.
In the notice, the organisation expressed confidence that the appointee would use his wealth of experience and leadership to “add significant value to the company.”
Mr Manley is said to be “a seasoned power-sector professional with a proven track record in delivering complex energy projects in developing markets.”
He is armed with more than 30 years’ experience spanning sales, business development, project implementation, supply-chain management, and OEM-led delivery within the power sector.
Over the course of his career with Siemens, Mr Manley has developed deep technical and operational expertise in thermal power generation, covering plant construction, commissioning, major overhauls, and long-term operational support.
He is widely regarded as a practical problem-solver, with a demonstrated ability to close projects in challenging operating environments and brings extensive international experience and strong intercultural skills acquired across multi-jurisdictional engagements.
His areas of expertise include the delivery of large, complex infrastructure projects, management of multi-million-dollar business units, client and stakeholder relationship management, business and market development, as well as logistics and procurement analysis critical to successful project execution.
The appointment of Mr Manley comes after Mr Femi Otedola divested his stake in the energy firm last month to support the recapitalisation of First Bank of Nigeria, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc, which he chairs.
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