This Week: Embracing Employees’ welfare
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Kelvin ESIASA
By Kelvin Esiasa
“Go back, go and reflect. Improve on your workers’ conditions of service. All the employers; go and look after your workers. They don’t need to ask for a new pay, just behave as if it was you in the worker’s position and move into it; just ensure people get paid.
They should not go on strike for pay and when I say wage freeze, its wage freeze for government, but stop talking about wage freeze. We have not stopped any employer to say, ‘there is a wage freeze’, so if you are talking of a wage freeze, we shall freeze you,” These were the words of President Micheal Chilufya Sata at the just ended Labour Day.
The Zambian President said this after complaining to the public many speeches has been said but little had been achieved in the labour. He complained that every year government and its partner made speeches at the Labour Day little was realized from the speeches.
Abraham Lincoln said “if any man tells you he loves America, yet hates labour, he is a liar. If any man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool. Labour is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration”
Borrowing the words of two Union Leaders Joyce Nonde Simukoko and Mr. Leonard Hikuamba indeed Zambian employees have suffered a lot and this call for urgent measure to address this case. There are a lot areas that Zambian employers needed to address. One of the areas that need great improvement is employee welfare.
Employee welfare is a major concern of employers. Employee welfare defines as “efforts to make life worth living for workmen”. These efforts have their origin either in some statute formed by the state or in some local custom or in collective agreement or in the employer’s own initiative.
Employee welfare includes anything that is done for the comfort and improvement of employees and is provided over and above the wages. Welfare helps in keeping the morale and motivation of the employees high so as to retain the employees for longer duration.
The very logic behind providing welfare schemes is to create efficient, healthy, loyal and satisfied labor force for the organization. The purpose of providing such facilities is to make their work life better and also to raise their standard of living.
The importance of Employee Welfare are great and can enable an organization achieve significant results. Firstly as a business, you need to provide various benefits to ensure employees’ welfare. While this may increase business expense and negatively affect bottom line, looking after employees will benefit the business in other ways.
The benefits an employee receives from his employer for his welfare are often a significant reason why he decides to accept a job offer. As such, providing employee benefits allow you compete with other businesses to recruit and retain qualify employees. If other employers offer better benefits, good employees may choose to go there.
Secondly, by providing a plan that’s good for employees’ welfare, the business show them that it value employees. This can help make employees feel welcome and happy, motivating them to work harder.
Thirdly providing a good employee welfare plan reflects well on business, building a good company image. It may even earn the organization some press coverage, giving the company free publicity to improve awareness among potential customers. This may boost sales and increase profits.
The objective of employee welfare is to improve life for a worker both in and outside of work. This increase employee satisfaction and ensure that workers are healthy and not distracted by personal issues that may affect their productivity.
Employee welfare benefits can help organizational leaders attract efficient employees that raise overall productivity. In addition, according to Luthens, these benefits can remove the burden of worrying about healthcare and other issues, freeing employees to concentrate on productive tasks.
Therefore, Zambian employers and the government should accept the President directive to accept to go and revisit the employee welfare so that employees can enjoy their works.
Our Union movement in Zambia should also devise ways on how best they could assist the public to fight the poor employee welfare among Zambian companies. One of the ways the Union can assist the public to fight poor work conditions are by ranking Zambian companies.
The union should team together and report annually or quarterly on the best companies with best condition of service and rank also companies with worst condition of services. Learning from Great Place to Work, Fortune and Forbes magazine, it will be nice to know Zambian Companies that are doing very well in employee welfare as well as promoting best work practices.
This Week: Embracing Employees’ welfare
Kelvin ESIASA
By Kelvin Esiasa
“Go back, go and reflect. Improve on your workers’ conditions of service. All the employers; go and look after your workers. They don’t need to ask for a new pay, just behave as if it was you in the worker’s position and move into it; just ensure people get paid.
They should not go on strike for pay and when I say wage freeze, its wage freeze for government, but stop talking about wage freeze. We have not stopped any employer to say, ‘there is a wage freeze’, so if you are talking of a wage freeze, we shall freeze you,” These were the words of President Micheal Chilufya Sata at the just ended Labour Day.
The Zambian President said this after complaining to the public many speeches has been said but little had been achieved in the labour. He complained that every year government and its partner made speeches at the Labour Day little was realized from the speeches.
Abraham Lincoln said “if any man tells you he loves America, yet hates labour, he is a liar. If any man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool. Labour is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration”
Borrowing the words of two Union Leaders Joyce Nonde Simukoko and Mr. Leonard Hikuamba indeed Zambian employees have suffered a lot and this call for urgent measure to address this case. There are a lot areas that Zambian employers needed to address. One of the areas that need great improvement is employee welfare.
Employee welfare is a major concern of employers. Employee welfare defines as “efforts to make life worth living for workmen”. These efforts have their origin either in some statute formed by the state or in some local custom or in collective agreement or in the employer’s own initiative.
Employee welfare includes anything that is done for the comfort and improvement of employees and is provided over and above the wages. Welfare helps in keeping the morale and motivation of the employees high so as to retain the employees for longer duration.
The very logic behind providing welfare schemes is to create efficient, healthy, loyal and satisfied labor force for the organization. The purpose of providing such facilities is to make their work life better and also to raise their standard of living.
The importance of Employee Welfare are great and can enable an organization achieve significant results. Firstly as a business, you need to provide various benefits to ensure employees’ welfare. While this may increase business expense and negatively affect bottom line, looking after employees will benefit the business in other ways.
The benefits an employee receives from his employer for his welfare are often a significant reason why he decides to accept a job offer. As such, providing employee benefits allow you compete with other businesses to recruit and retain qualify employees. If other employers offer better benefits, good employees may choose to go there.
Secondly, by providing a plan that’s good for employees’ welfare, the business show them that it value employees. This can help make employees feel welcome and happy, motivating them to work harder.
Thirdly providing a good employee welfare plan reflects well on business, building a good company image. It may even earn the organization some press coverage, giving the company free publicity to improve awareness among potential customers. This may boost sales and increase profits.
The objective of employee welfare is to improve life for a worker both in and outside of work. This increase employee satisfaction and ensure that workers are healthy and not distracted by personal issues that may affect their productivity.
Employee welfare benefits can help organizational leaders attract efficient employees that raise overall productivity. In addition, according to Luthens, these benefits can remove the burden of worrying about healthcare and other issues, freeing employees to concentrate on productive tasks.
Therefore, Zambian employers and the government should accept the President directive to accept to go and revisit the employee welfare so that employees can enjoy their works.
Our Union movement in Zambia should also devise ways on how best they could assist the public to fight the poor employee welfare among Zambian companies. One of the ways the Union can assist the public to fight poor work conditions are by ranking Zambian companies.
The union should team together and report annually or quarterly on the best companies with best condition of service and rank also companies with worst condition of services. Learning from Great Place to Work, Fortune and Forbes magazine, it will be nice to know Zambian Companies that are doing very well in employee welfare as well as promoting best work practices.
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