An organization’s workforce must place itself in the shoes of its employer to be able to appreciate their challenges and contributions.
That, according to Mr. Patrick Fares, Chief Executive Officer of Holiday Inn, would enable the workers to value their organisation and contribute more towards its advancement.
“When workers understand the vision of the business, they will commit more towards the business growth and sustainability”, he said.
In an interaction with ADR Daily on the factors that promote Labour-Management-Cooperation for increased productivity in businesses, Mr. Fares noted that the power of trust is critical in every business relationship and both workers and management must work towards establishing and maintaining an acceptable level of trust to ensure a healthy and productive work environment.
According to the CEO, although trust remains crucial, it should form the foundation for creating a viable work environment as there are other factors which when ignored can adversely influence cooperation. Hence both management and workers upon establishing some level of trust must now build their relationship on the principles of mutual respect for each other’s opinion, sharing of relevant information and building a good rapport for a peaceful and productive co-existence.
Another important issue that also affects the working relationship is the manner in which the beliefs and expectations of both management and workers are managed.
Mr. Fares explained that both unions and management have their expectations, and trust alone cannot sustain the relationship.
Therefore, both parties must consciously work to understand themselves and have a common goal that will benefit their interest and at the same time sustain the business.
Speaking on the role of unions, he noted that it was very necessary that unions in Ghana educate their members on attitudes and best practices at the work place to create a thriving environment for businesses.
Mr. Fares expressed concern about the negative attitude of the Ghanaian society towards entrepreneurs, indicating that rather than respecting and adoring them for promoting socio-economic growth in the society as it is done in Japan and Nigeria, “we in Ghana are hostile and jealous, seeing entrepreneurs as a threat to our survival.”
That, he stressed, was a misnomer as every business established has the potential to contribute to the growth and benefit of society.
“We must encourage and respect entrepreneurs to foster businesses which will not only provide jobs for our children but also contribute to the growth of the national economy through taxes,” he said.
He noted that both government and workers must create a pro-business environment that is attractive to investors because when the business community feels threatened, the country will end up with capital migration, losing viable businesses to more receptive countries.
By Lizzy-Ann Kwagbedzi/adrdaily.com
