Top 11 Gbamsolute HR trends in Nigeria

Nigeria – the heartbeat of Africa. It is the country of diverse geographies and a multinational state with exponentially diverse ethnic groups, predominantly the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Home to over 200 million inhabitants - making it the 7th most populous country in the world - the nation is an incubator of the largest population of bright and innovative youth.  

Primarily based in the petroleum industry since the late 1960s, the country produced rapid economic growth in transportation, construction, manufacturing, and communication services. Companies now have access to construction time tracking software, task management tools, and other technological solutions.But Nigeria is not without its fair share of political instability and economic mismanagement holding back its developmental progress. Not to mention the toll of COVID-19 pandemic measures that hit oil and cocoa exports – the country’s economic backbone – in 2020. 

Despite it all, Nigeria is nothing less than the true pulse of the African continent. It’s vibrant energy and unrivalled cultural magnificence makes it a creative melting pot of artistic expression. It is one of the largest economies of Africa, and is projected to rank among the world’s top ten economies by 2050. Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, plays host to a multitude of increasingly successful tech start-ups, thus dubbing it the “Silicon Valley of Nigeria”. Here are some top HR trends in Nigeria.

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Also Read: 13 young entrepreneurs in Nigeria to look out for in 2023

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Top HR trends in Nigeria 

With a pandemic running amok and its ever-present dangers threatening to throw a wrench into human and economic development, are organizations well-equipped to face the challenges posed towards their most critical assets – their Human Capital?  

Gbamsolutely! And the HR in Nigeria is game for it. 

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Here are the current top Human resource trends in Nigeria that are going to uplift employees and organizations in the new normal: 

1. Organizational redesign  

Organizations have been functioning within traditional, siloed business models for far too long. With every team member focused on their own area of expertise, it has become crucial that they are made aware that the sum is bigger than the parts. Leaders of HR in Nigeria have identified organizational redesign as a priority, and are moving towards building a cross-functional network of teams to become more agile, efficient, and successfully execute organizational strategy.   

2. Building a cloud workspace 

Collection and management of data have always been a big part of HR’s function. That meant piles of paper, need for hard drive space, filing cabinets, which, as a consequence, led to inefficiencies, data loss, zombie assets and security issues.  

All that changed when Cloud entered the picture. With cloud-based hrm software in Nigeria, pertinent employee information could be stored and easily accessed online, and data could be collected through simplified forms and automated processes. Through its certification of security, the days of data losses and inefficient tracking systems have become like foregone friends.  

3. Being remote-ready 

Nigeria’s remote scene is thriving. With rapid growth of enterprises, and small to medium businesses in the region, the demand for tools like video conferencing is increasing. This, coupled with resilience and ambition of Nigeria’s working youth, are breaking the traditional norms of the workplace. 

Third amongst the top HR trends in Nigeria - Remote work has provided avenues for flexibility and fostering creativity in different ways. With collaboration, communication, and a good enough internet connection, almost any task is surmountable.  

4. Productivity on-the-go 

One of the hr trends in Nigeria is increase in productivity. The workplace is no longer restricted within four walls. Employees can be productive wherever they are over Android or iOS, and experience the very same functionalities present in their cloud workplace.   

Employees have their communication, task management, storage facilities, and a host of tools consolidated on their smartphone.   

5. Training and development 

The profusion of e-learning apps has evidenced the need was a modern approach towards learning designed for the business environment. The demands of today’s business environments and fickleness of change now requires a different approach towards skills assessment and learning needs.  

As one of the recent HR trends in Nigeria, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of skills-based training and development in the workplace, with a focus towards learning between the human-computer interface.  

6. Leadership development 

It is evident that the role of managers and leaders are changing dramatically. Managers were previously expected to plan, direct, staff and control. Now, however, they must learn to govern, coach, empower and lead.  

7. Employee self-service 

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Employees are now involved in the Human resource management process! No more barriers to bureaucracy; with Employee Self Service in HR software, employees can update their personal data, request for time-off, reduce monotonous tasks for HR professionals and additionally make way for efficient communication and increased engagement, thus overcoming the HR challenges in Nigeria.

8. Getting smarter with big data  

People analytics fills the gaps in executive decision and organizational performance. Through AI technology and cloud data collection, Nigeria human resources professionals have access to the power of big data, thus providing a tremendous amount of insight and allowing them to make decisions backed by concrete information and efficient processes.  

9. HR as an agent for innovation 

We get it, change begets resistance towards it. But as agents of transformation, HR professionals in Nigeria are focussed on converting resistance to excitement towards change through the application of change models. By implementing technology that aids in strategy execution and creating high performance teams, HR in Nigeria has become the herald of continuous transformation, shaping culture and processes.  

10. Enhancing employee experience 

In the quest of discovering, hiring and retaining top talent, the focus towards employee experiences has become essential. A burgeoning Millennial and Gen-Z workforce brings with it high expectations for a rewarding and purposeful work experience, constant learning and development opportunities, and dynamic career progression. Thus making it one of the top HR trends in Nigeria.

11. Focus on well-being 

The emerging Nigeria Human resources practice focuses towards employee well-being. Even prior to the pandemic a culture of silence across workplaces was widely recurring, where not less than 35% of employees would approach anyone for support during times of difficulty. Factors including stress, poor communication, inflexible work hours, decline in work performance were among the predominant mental health challenges in the workplace.  

Organizations have increasingly outsourced employee wellness to specialised wellness programs as quick heal balms to cultivate mental resilience and personal growth. Collaboration and communication are always key tools, but, as one of the top HR trends in Nigeria, more focus will be required towards developing strategic employee wellness measures.  

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