HR Focus Conference 2012

On the 7^th of September, 2012,HR Focus, the first and only human resource magazine in Ghana, once again claimed its status as a trendsetter by organizing the first ever HR Forum in the country. Dubbed the ‘SAGE VIP HR Forum,’withthe theme, ‘Strategic HR; the Key to Achieving Competitive Advantage,’ the forum aimed at bringing human resource practitioners from all over the country together to discuss the challenges, the rewards and the way forward for their beloved profession.

In his presentation, the first speaker, Mr. Gerthard Hartman, Business Manager, SAGE VIP of South Africa, explained the impact of HR software on HR strategy. He stated emphatically that employees, as part of every organizations biggest asset, must be made top priority. He said that staff costs must be properly managed to prevent them from eating into their bottom line. He added, “Organizations need to manage their salary expenses and make sure employees perform at their maximum in order to give them an advantage in the competitive business environment.”

Also at the forum was Ms. FafaliDzobo, HR Manager of Airtel Ghana, who spoke about the different ways of attracting and retaining top talents in today’s competitive Ghanaian market. She stated that there are challenges involved when companies want to gettop talents but once they get them, they are not able to keep them happy.The top talents get frustrated because of the bad HR structure which exists in some organizations. She also said that top talent will leave the organization if their good work isn’t being recognized because they cannot bear to fail.

Mr. Benjamin Dabrah, Managing Director of Barclays Bank Ghana was the final speaker at the forum. During his presentation, he spoke about building the capacity of an organization through performance management. He stated that some human resource personnel are generally more fascinated with degrees and training certificates as opposed to skills, adding that this mindset must be changed. He also reiterated that no system can fully manage performance management because it is a relationship and an ongoing conversation. He concluded by saying that what gets measured, gets done.

After his presentation, there was an interactive session of questions and answers where invited guests shared their varying views on questions asked. Moderating this event was Mrs. Ellen Hagan, Chief Executive of L’AINE Services Ltd.

Among companies that were present at the event are; Vodafone Ghana, Barclays Bank, Cal Bank, Eaton Towers, DHL, Unilever, La Palm, Fiesta Royale Robert & Sons Ltd and Allied Oil. There was a large turnout, which in part, contributed to the overall success of the forum.

HR Focus hopes to hold this event again in 2013; a bigger, better event.