Jobs/Appointments
How Businesses Can Focus on Employees to Avoid The Great Resignation
By Hyther Nizam
Across the globe, The Great Resignation has become a source of concern among businesses. It refers to the unprecedented number of workers quitting their jobs in the Covid-19 and post-pandemic eras.
In Nigeria, businesses have recently seen their fair share of voluntary employee resignations. Most notable was the “big quit,” an exodus of top tech talents from Nigerian Banks. Nigerian millennials and Gen Zers, who comprise a large percentage of job-hoppers, also account for the majority of the young workforce population in the country. Now, they are re-evaluating their working experiences after the hard hit of the pandemic. The Deloitte Global 2022 Gen Z and Millennial Survey reveals that the youngest generations in the workplace are now seeking balance, prioritising happiness, and expressing higher expectations for compensation.
With an unemployment rate of just over 33%, you may think few employed Nigerians can really afford to leave their jobs. But the truth is, even here, employers aren’t immune to The Great Resignation. Thanks to the rise of remote work, Nigerian workers (especially those with in-demand skills) can truly compete in the global job market, and not limit themselves to regional roles. They have faced many of the same pressures as other workers around the world as a result of the pandemic, meaning they have the same temptations to start their own businesses or enter the freelance market.
What can businesses do to avoid losing employees to the Great Resignation? While the answer may vary depending on industry and market, the one universally key solution is to earn employee support.
The importance of employee loyalty
Before digging into how organisations can earn employee support, it’s important to remember why it matters. Losing an employee can take a big toll on your company (with the effect magnified for smaller organisations). On average, it takes 41 days to fill a position. That’s 41 days other people in the business have to do all of a former employee’s duties in addition to their own.
Further, replacing an employee can be incredibly expensive. According to the analytics and advisory company, Gallup, it can cost one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary to replace them. Whichever way you cut it, you could give that employee a substantial salary increase and it would still be more financially viable than replacing them.
It’s also worth pointing out that there’s a positive correlation between good employee experiences and good customer experiences. That makes sense—a single positive interaction with an employee can dramatically alter how a customer perceives and experiences the company. The chances of a positive interaction taking place are much slimmer in companies that have high levels of employee turnover and a lack of institutional experience.
Building employee support
With that in mind, how should companies go about building the employee experiences they need to ensure they have the full support of their workers?
The HR team can leverage cloud technology and implement a comprehensive human resource management system (HRMS) in order to automate most of their mundane manual tasks. Through HRMS, an organisation can also create a self-service model so employees have a single portal for various activities, such as applying for leave and adding medical claims. By creating workflows, the company can ensure that when a request is raised, the appropriate approver is automatically notified. Automating processes will free up the HR team to focus on employee engagement activities.
Rethinking talent acquisition
The rise of remote work as a result of the pandemic saw many people leave big cities for smaller towns and villages. For some, the move was inspired by the prospect of a better quality of life; for others, it was about being closer to family.
Rather than lament the loss of centralised offices in big cities, smart organisations should see this as an opportunity. Instead of fighting over the same pool of talent available in metro cities, they can create opportunities for those living in non-urban centres or rural areas, and invest in skill development.
At Zoho, for instance, we have always believed that talent is everywhere, though opportunities are not. We have traditionally hired people from all backgrounds and opened offices away from city centres in order to tap under-utilised talent in smaller towns and rural areas. We expanded this approach during the pandemic by opening smaller, satellite offices wherever we had enough employees residing, instead of prompting them to come back to the office. We have been hiring locally in these satellite offices. By creating opportunities in the sought-after tech sector in non-urban and rural areas, we help communities retain talent and flourish. This adds a sense of purpose to the job, which also helps in retaining talent.
The right (virtual) environment
Even if an organisation meets its employees’ needs when it comes to working location, it’s still important for it to provide the best possible working environment (even if it’s a virtual one).
One of the most effective ways of doing this is to take a considered approach to the software solutions your employees work with on a daily basis. Rather than a patchwork of software solutions, for example, organisations can benefit from a unified enterprise software suite that meets all their needs—from documentation to meetings, to CRM. In an increasingly hybrid work environment, keeping data and processes on a unified system leads to better visibility and fosters cross-functional collaboration.
A holistic approach
Employers looking to ensure that their businesses do not fall prey to The Great Resignation need to have an understanding of the concerns Gen Z and millennial employees have with respect to the workplace and their career paths. They should be deliberate in creating a flexible working experience where the employee can thrive in a globally competitive environment.
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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