A friend of mine recently shared a story of a nasty experience she had on her way from work few weeks ago. Her office had been working on a project and as the deadline to deliver on the project approached, everyone had to work double time and often times way beyond closing hours. On that fateful day, she left the office at about past 9pm and shortly after the bus she boarded took off, they were ambushed by armed robbers who dispossessed most of the passengers including her of most of their belongings. That night, she lost her laptop, her phone and got hit twice in the face by these criminals. She has not been the same since that incident as the trauma remains fresh in her memory almost two weeks after.
The security situation in the country in recent times has become really worrisome with the onslaught of terror assuming scary dimensions. Incidences of robberies, kidnappings and even killings have become the norm, and no one can really say for sure that they are safe anymore. However, in the midst of all these, people have to still work to earn a living. The lurking fear of probably becoming the next victim of these unfortunate incidents can impact negatively on productivity in the workplace. For instance, my friend says she could not go to work for about one week after the incident and even now that she has resumed, she is still very much shaken by the event and in some funny way, that fear seems to have also spread to some of her colleagues.
In times like this, some extra level of sensitivity on the part of the management of such organizations might be very much required. For instance, steps could be taken for the safety of the staff by ensuring work closes early enough for people to be on their way home before dark. This does not exactly take away the fact that there are security threats even during broad daylight as well, but this is quite minimal. Also, where such organizations have the wherewithal, they could provide alternative group transportation for their employees and save them the pressure of having to put their lives at risk by jumping buses at late hours where they are prone to cases of armed robbery or kidnappings.
Additionally, remote working could be encouraged. Since the advent of Covid-19 pandemic, the world has adjusted to the idea of remote working and with the security challenges currently bedeviling the country, this would be a good time to further revisit this work style. We should be reminded that it is only those who are alive and safe that can work. Nonetheless, it is also imperative for the security operatives and the government to put in all relevant measures to address the security challenges before things escalate beyond the current situation.
That said, I would like to remind you of our upcoming training on Audited Financial Statement for Non-Accounting Executives. If you haven’t registered yet, please register at www.afs4nae.21search.ng.
Love,
Lizzy.