OPS tasked on family-friendly workplace policies for productivity, profitability

The Organised Private Sector (OPS) have been charged to implement family-friendly workplace policies for employees to enhance productivity, profitability and the economy.

The charge was given yesterday at a private sector commemoration of world breastfeeding week organised by NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) and Alive & Thrive, held in Lagos.

The Wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, as a guest speaker, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, revealing half a billion working women not given essential maternity protections in national laws, is worrisome.

She called for stakeholders’ urgent intervention towards implementing policies and finding solutions that provide opportunities for nursing mothers to have access to a minimum of 18 weeks maternity leave or extending beyond six months for both private and public institutions.

The Project Director, Alive & Thrive, Dr. Victor Ogbodo, said having friendlier corporate workplace breastfeeding policies not only benefit the well-being of employees, but also contribute to enhanced employee satisfaction, productivity and retention.

He said empowering key corporate leaders across society would foster positive changes that support the well-being of working parents and promote the health and development of their children.

Ogbodo said for many working mothers, balancing the demands of work with breastfeeding can be a daunting challenge because of unsupportive breastfeeding policies.

Also speaking, the Director-General, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, challenged more organisations to join the movement towards a more inclusive and nurturing work environment for nursing female employees.

He said creating a nurturing work environment for nursing mothers and their families is not only a social responsibility, but also a key driver of employee well-being and productivity.

The Chief Executive Officer, FSDH Merchant Bank, Mrs. Bukola Smith, said there is a lot of work needed in promoting advocacy on breastfeeding in the corporate environment, adding that many banks do not have policies to support female workers in this category. She said due to lack of family friendly policies and systems at workplaces, a number of women are lost to death in the banking sector.

Smith said the private sector has a role to play in improving nutrition of infants by providing an enabling environment for breastfeeding at workplaces, while also retaining its female workforce.

The DG, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadri, emphasised the importance of establishing a conducive workplace culture and facilities for nursing mothers and their infants to enhance productivity and profitability.

Ajayi-Kadri, who was represented by the General Manager, Human Resource, Admin, Emmanuel Okonmah, expressed the association’s commitment to collaborate with groups promoting female workers welfare in companies and factories.

He commended Alive&Thrive for assisting organisations to build creches and utilising lactation Tool Kit within the office environment to bring the breastfeeding female workers close to their babies.