Jobs/Appointments
Report Advises Employers to Adopt Flexible Workforce Management
By Dipo Olowookere
A new report from Ericsson has recommended the adoption of digitalisation and flexible workforce management to get the best out of their employees.
In the report titled Future of Work Life and obtained by Business Post, the firm disclosed that about 48 per cent of “the employees in the study say that they enjoy increased flexibility at work,” while 52 per cent consider flexible work hours or locations as key requirements, with 25 per cent saying that flexibility remains the top priority if they would start to look for a new job.
The survey concluded that it observed that employees consider doing work as more important than “going to work.”
The workplace was disrupted in 2020 by COVID-19, which forced many organisations to close their physical offices, with employees working remotely because of the lockdown imposed by governments across the globe.
The report by Ericsson Consumer & IndustryLab examined how employees and employers navigate the current work environment and their views on the future of work shaped by the pandemic, digitalization and the fluctuating labour market.
It was discovered that for effectiveness, employers need to embrace digitalization and flexible workforce management by creating a workplace of the future that supports human collaboration, simplifies work and values employee input in decision-making.
“Based on our research, it is quite clear that the future of work is going to be increasingly dependent on ICT solutions such as high-speed, globally available mobile connectivity.
“We felt the pandemic could finally be seen in the rear-view mirror, and therefore wanted to take a closer look at what changes in people’s work life had stuck and what was only a temporary adjustment!
“My favourite takeaway is that remote work is clearly here to stay – maybe not exactly at the level as was measured during the pandemic, but still at significantly higher levels than before the pandemic,” the Head of Ericsson IndustryLab, Anders Erlandsson, stated.
Also, the Head of Ericsson ConsumerLab, Jasmeet Singh Sethi, while commenting on the report, said, “Amidst the rapid digitalization brought on by the pandemic, our research highlights a concerning gap between the technology available in the workplace and the needs of employees for flexible working.
“With 6 in 10 companies lacking relevant technology for their staff and just 2 in 10 employees feeling they have relevant tools at the workplace, there is a pressing need for organizations to invest in digital tools and robust connectivity that enable remote collaboration and flexibility, not only to attract and retain top talent but also to stay competitive in the post-pandemic world.”
Business Post gathered that the research was carried out during 2022 within 30 markets globally; 38,000 online surveys of employees plus 3,600 online surveys of decision-makers and 11 in-depth interviews with decision-makers from selected industries within three markets; China, Spain and the US.
The key findings were flexibility is the new work-life currency, digital technologies renew employee confidence, decision-makers and employees are increasingly at odds over technology, flexible workplaces may come at the cost of increased surveillance, and globalized labour markets bring talent and concerns to employers.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has been appointed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
Mr Gbajabiamila won his re-election into the lower chamber of the National Assembly on February 25, 2023, but with this appointment, he will have to lose his seat in the parliament to coordinate the activities of his new boss.
Also, Mr Tinubu has picked the former Governor of Benue State, Mr George Akume, as the new Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF).
He is take over from the former occupier of the position, Mr Boss Mustapha, who served under the administration of the immediate past President, Mr Muhammadu Buhari.
Similarly, the former Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Mr Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, has been chosen by Mr Tinubu as his Deputy Chief of Staff.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Mr Roshan Dharia has been appointed as the interim chief executive of Paxful, a leading global peer-to-peer Bitcoin platform.
In a statement issued by the company’s press team, it was disclosed that the appointment of Mr Dharia became effective on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
Recall that Paxful returned to business some weeks ago after it shut down its operations due to internal issues.
Mr Dharia would be expected to reposition the firm “with the objectives of strengthening operations and exploring strategic alternatives.”
He was most recently a senior executive at TrustToken (now known as Archblock) where he led the DeFi institutional lending business, successfully deploying over $1.5 billion in stablecoin loans to crypto-native companies.
Prior to TrustToken, Roshan founded and built the investment platform PTHL Affiliates, which specialized in the acquisition and turnaround of distressed private companies across multiple industries.
As a seasoned executive, he has held various positions as an investor and investment banker with transactional experience totalling over $30 billion across mergers and acquisitions, financial restructurings, and financings.
The interim CEO, who is highly adept in navigating special situations with complex risk profiles and significant intrinsic value, said he was greatly honoured “to become CEO of Paxful.”
“Over the last eight years, Paxful has been a pioneer in establishing the real use cases of Bitcoin and helping millions of people in the process.
“I look forward to hitting the ground running and building on the innovative technology developed by the Paxful team,” he added.
The Custodian of Paxful, Srinivas Raju, while commenting on the appointment, said, “I’m delighted that Roshan has joined Paxful and will take over day-to-day management of the company. I’m confident under his leadership; the business will keep building a financial system that truly serves the 100 per cent.”
Since its inception in 2015, Paxful has grown to a community of over 12 million users around the world, with billions of dollars traded on the platform over the last eight years.
By Dipo Olowookere
An Executive Director of Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mrs Abidemi Ademola, has resigned from the board of the conglomerate.
In a notice to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Tuesday, it was disclosed that she would officially exit the board of the organisation on May 31, 2023.
In the statement signed by the Senior Legal Counsel and Company Secretary of Unilever Nigeria, Mrs Afolasade Olowe, the board thanked Mrs Ademola for her service to the firm, wishing her well in her future endeavours.
“This is to notify Nigerian Exchange Limited and the investing public that the Board of Directors of Unilever Nigeria Plc has considered and approved the resignation of Mrs Abidemi Ademola as an Executive Director with effect from May 31, 2023.
The Board of Directors wishes Mrs Ademola all the very best in her future career and would like to express their sincere gratitude to her for the many valuable contributions and legal expertise she brought to the company over a distinguished 27-year career at Unilever.
“Mrs Ademola’s replacement on the Board of Directors of Unilever Nigeria will be announced in due course,” the disclosure said.
