To give meaning to the role of Human Resource (HR) management in ensuring industrial peace, HR practitioners have been asked to be more assertive in the organizational structure.
“We must be bold and assert ourselves, and make top management understand that without HR they the organization cannot succeed,” says Mr. Daniel Baidoo, Director of HR at the University of Ghana.
In an interview with ADR Daily in Accra, he said the HR practice in Ghana faces many challenges, including interference from management, but these can be addressed by being assertive on issues pertaining to HR and industrial relations.
The assertiveness, he said, must be grounded on the Labour laws and regulations that guide operations of organizations, as well as best professional practice.
According to Mr. Beidu “some mistakes that HR practitioners often make are that most do not fully understand issues in HR.”
Some do not make reference to the Labour Act which is available to protect both workers and management, resulting in breaches of the provisions of the labour law, which lead to labour unrest, he said.
“The way forward for Human Resources is for HR practitioners to subject themselves to further training and development. Through this we would be doing ourselves some justice,” he said.
On how to enhance worker-management relations, he urged HR managers to respect the rights of workers, and encourage management to effectively cooperate and address the concerns of workers.
“We need to open up communication from the low ranking members in the company to those in the middle and at the top,” he said, explaining that effective communication and transparency highly contributes to industrial harmony.
By: Lizian Kwagbedzi/adrdaily.com
