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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 Aduragbemi Omiyale
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Anthony Ikemefuna Idigbe, has been appointed to the board of PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc as an independent non-executive director.
A regulatory notice to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited by the company disclosed that the appointment of Mr Idigbe took effect from Thursday, March 27, 2025.
However, this appointment, according to the statement signed by the company secretary, ALSEC Nominees Limited, is subject to ratification at the next Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the organisation.
The appointee, a Senior Partner at PUNUKA Attorneys and Solicitors, has over 40 years of experience in corporate governance, insolvency, business restructuring, arbitration, dispute resolution, privatization, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and oil and gas.
The graduate of Law from the University of Ife in 1982, was elevated to SAN in July 2000.
He is a member of the Board of Directors (Trustees) of the Canadian Association of Nigerian Lawyers (CANL); Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dominican University, Ibadan; Fellow of the Institute of Directors Nigeria (IOD), INSOL International, the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London, the Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BRIPAN) and the International Bar Association (IBA).
In addition, he is a member of the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA); Lagos Court of Arbitration (LCA), International Chamber of Commerce, Nigeria (ICCN), American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) and International Insolvency Institute (III).
Mr Idigbe chaired Capital Hotel Plc from 2017 to 2022 and currently chairs Ikeja Hotel Plc and The Tourist Company of Nigeria Plc, all listed on the NGX, until two were delisted, according to business strategy.
He is a director of Royal Exchange Plc, listed on NGX and chaired the Statutory Audit Committee of Seplat Energy Plc from 2015 to 2023, which is listed on NGX and the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
The new board member was elected the President of the Asaba Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ASACCIMA) in 2022, and President of the Delta Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (DACCIMA) on 12 December 2022.
He was appointed the National Legal Adviser for the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) in May 2023.
He established the Capital Market Solicitors Association (CMSA) and chaired the 2017 Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Legal Profession Regulation Review Committee, which reviewed the regulation of the legal profession in Nigeria.
In 2013, he was appointed the National Coordinator for Nigeria, World Bank Global Forum of Law, Justice, and Development Project on Treatment of Shareholders’ Rights in Insolvency of Companies (2013 to 2014); and in 2012 a Member of the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force set up by President Goodluck Jonathan.
In addition, he chaired the Technical Drafting Committee for the Bill that became the Investment and Securities Act 2007. He recently chaired the review committee for the same law, resulting in the Investment and Securities Bill now Act. As a consultant to the Bureau of Public Enterprises, he and the now Hon Justice Nnamdi Dimgba drafted the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Bill now Act relating to anti-trust and competition law in Nigeria.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Mr Nasir Naeem Abdulsalam as the Managing Director of the Ajaokuta Steel Company, Kogi State.
A statement from Mr Segun Imohiosen, the Director of Information and Public Relations on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr George Akume, disclosed the appointment took effect from Thursday, April 3, 2025, and is in accordance with the provisions of the Certain Political and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Act 2008 as amended.
Mr Abdulsalam, according to statement, has been tasked by Mr Tinubu to leverage his wealth of experience in the steel industry in his new assignment in revolutionising the company to generate important upstream and downstream industrial and economic activities that will position the nation as the industrial hub of Africa in line with the diversification drive of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Until his appointment, the appointee served as the Technical Adviser to the Minister of Steel Development, Mr Dele Alake, as well as the Special Assistant on Academics to Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of SAO Group, Mr Ayo Sotirin, has been appointed by President Bola Tinubu as the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA).
A statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that the appointment is with immediate effect.
In the notice released on Friday, Mr Onanuga said the new BoA chief brings a diverse and extensive background in the private and public sectors to his new role.
He disclosed that Mr Sotinrin’s appointment aligns with the strategy of the administration of Presient Tinubu to revitalise Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
“Mr Sotinrin’s proven ability to mobilise capital, innovate in agribusiness, and collaborate across sectors will be instrumental in repositioning the Bank of Agriculture as a catalyst for food security, sovereignty and rural prosperity,” Mr Tinubu was quoted to have said.
While at SAO Group, an agribusiness company, the appointee’s leadership was marked by groundbreaking agricultural initiatives, including developing a 20,000-hectare oil palm plantation and large-scale poultry, aquaculture, maize, and cassava operations in Ondo State.
He also led SAO Capital, raising over $750 million in infrastructure and development finance, including the landmark $200 million Akure Water Supply Project.
In the public sector, he served as Special Adviser on Environment and Urban Development to the Minister of State FCT from 2011 to 2015.
He had consulted extensively for global development partners such as the World Bank, AfDB, DFID, and USAID and played key advisory roles on federal and state-level projects. His international background includes roles at the Royal Bank of Scotland International, Deutsche Bank, and the UK Environment Agency.
Mr Sotinrin holds an Executive MBA from Said Business School, Oxford University; an Advanced Diploma in Environmental Conservation; and a Master’s in Engineering Business Management from Warwick University.
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