CRY TO THE GOVERNMENT - PLEASE PAY PENSIONS

Disturbed by the delay in the payment of the 53 per cent of 2010 pension arrears to them by the Federal Government, the military pensioners under the aegis of the Nigerian Military Pensioners Association yesterday made a passionate plea to President Goodluck Jonathan for the immediate payment of their entitlements.

In a statement signed by South-South chapter chairman of the group, Comrade Gabriel Oaikhena, and made available to LEADERSHIP in Ibadan, the military pensioners lamented that life has been very hard for them in the last few years.

"With deep sorrow in our heart, we are appealing to President Jonathan as our father to see reason with us as to why we should not be allowed to die uncared for, going by our past contributions while in active service as soldiers, especially during the 30-month Nigeria/Biafra civil war between 1967 and 1970 in which over 500,000 of our colleagues either lost their lives or became disabled," the pensioners said.

"The supreme sacrifice is enough evidence for every right thinking Nigerians, especially those at the corridor of power, to have sympathy for us by supporting our passionate plea for the payment of the 53 person pension arrears by the Federal Government.

"President Jonathan should endeavour to see that we are paid the arrears because we are tired of that language - 'very soon' as we see it as a language of deceit , neglect and marginalisation," the statement read.

They also pleaded with Jonathan to intervene in the payment of the monthly pension which in the last three months has been paid in arreas without any cogent reason by officials in charge.

Culled from the Nigerian Leadership Newspaper

HEALTH WORKERS SUSPEND PLANNED STRIKE ACTION

Ibadan — The national strike embarked upon by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) was on Monday suspended till July 31, with the National Executive Council of the union asking its members across the country to report at their duty posts.

Members of JOHESU include, the Medical and Health Workers Union, Nurses and Midwives Association of Nigeria, as well as NUPTAN comprising pharmacists, radiographers, physiotherapists, among others.

Addressing journalists at the end of a meeting of JOHESU national leaders in Ibadan, the president of the body, Comrade Felix Faniran said the suspension of the eight-day-old strike followed a thorough review of reports of the negotiating committee with the Federal Ministries of Health and that of Labour and Productivity, which showed signs of commitment from the Federal Government to the demands of the workers.

"In a bid to minimize the sufferings of Nigerians, the strike has been suspended till the end of July, when the Federal Ministry of Health and other Federal Government agencies concerned are expected to have met the workers demands," he said.

Culled from the Nigerian Daily Trust Newspaper

435 TEACHERS SACKED IN KADUNA REHIRED

The Kaduna State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) yesterday said the state government would reinstate the 435 teachers recently disengaged from service.

The teachers were disengaged for non-participation in the teachers' verification exercise carried out by the government and irregularities in their appointments.

Chairman of the union, Mr Audu Amba told newsmen in Kaduna that efforts were on to recall the affected teachers. He said already, the teachers have submitted their complaints to the state government as directed by the Head of Service. "The Head of Service has assured the union and the affected persons that the state government will soon release names of those cleared for reinstatement.

Culled from the Nigerian Daily Trust Newspaper

WHEN ARE YOU MOST PRODUCTIVE?

In an ideal world, we would always be motivated to work hard, be a good friend, be the perfect brother/ sister/ wife/ husband/mother/father and give our best to everyone and everything around us. In a perfect world, we would have all the food we need to keep us satisfied (in the right way) right at our fingertips, we'd exercise everyday and have so much energy we'd be jumping off the rooftops, and the world would work together to make your life more peaceful, tranquil, and happy. However, we don't live in a dream world or utopia but in the real world where so many factors, people, and things need our attention. Sometimes, we may yourself free, happy, and willing to do all we need to do, other times our energy levels may be low or we find ourselves being distracted or just not in the mood to do anything but stare into space.

Studies show that we all have peak productive times and that's absolutely fine.  Most times depending on how much sleep, rest, and nutrition we have, we will be energetic some time in the morning, slump after lunch and then get another energy boost sometime after lunch and before you go to bed. While it is important that if you are working for an employer or yourself, you remain productive during your work hours, it is important to note each one of has our own unique internal clock. For me (and this took me a very long time to accept) I am most productive at 12-2am...that's midnight to 2am!!! Although i know what to eat and do  if I need to work between 8am abd 12am, I am rest assured that if I need to work on something new, pending, or just need to get my creative juices flowing, I need to relax around midnight with my laptop and good music and i'll be good to go!!

Can I aks readers, do you know YOUR productive hours? Is it between 8am and 10am when its early in the day? Do you enjoy working right before lunch on an empty stomach that helps clear you eyes or do you love relaxing in the office around closing hour when the office is emptying out in order to take you time and get your work done?  if your answer to this question is, I dont know, it's perfectly okay but knowing your most productive period will help you achieve both personal official goals; carry out even the most difficult duties and responsibilities; and find time to get things done no matter how much work you have and how little free time you have. Just ask yourself the following:

• Think back to a time when you were achieving everything you set out to do for the day, what factors contributed to you being so productive?
• Can you remember the time this happened?
• Where you even in the office? or at home? or in a resturaunt? or on twitter? or chatting online?
• When do you normally get sleepy or bored?
• What factors cause you to become bored or sleepy besides hunger or fatigue? 

Take the rest of this week to figure out your most productive periods and time. When you find out, carry out some experiments and during those hours, tackle things you have been putting off or work on some goals you have but are yet to start. Do you find you are more productive? happier? better able to handle the things on your plate?


It is my sincere hope and belief that you will find your peak productive period and use this time to achieve your goals and accomplish your work in a more effective way.

have a great day!!

LOL CORNER

LOL CORNER

MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK

MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK
Do you want to be more effective at work? Get more done on the job? Learn new skills? One of the ways to do this is by developing positive, supportive, effective, and mutually beneficial interpersonal relationships at work. We've said it in a previous article that it is rare for an employee to work in complete isolation and even when there is limited contact with other members of staff, some form of interaction will take place with other people from time to time. The act of having positive relationships cannot be overemphasized because rather than having something to lose, you then have only everything to gain. In the workplace, managing relationships assumes significance due to the myriad relationships - your peers, superiors, subordinates, partners, clients, customers, etc - and for everyone there's a different code of conduct.

But why manage relationships? Why can't they just happen and evolve? The answer is very simple: if you allow a relationship to just grow, it can grow into something either positive or negative. naturally over time both good and bad things will happen in the office and it will not always be smooth sailing. Disagreements and differences in opinions will occur and they will also have to be managed. Good working relationship(s) are therefore dynamic; and must take into account a number of things including - social setting; level of the person(s) within the organization; and circumstances happening outside the office that may affect your relationship while at work. Here are some simple rules for managing relationships at work

Set clear Boundaries and standards.

Misunderstandings crop when things are fuzzy. Everyone should be aware of the parameters of the relationship and you remain clear and direct. Also have standards for yourself. your watchwords should always be "I will remain courteous and polite at all times"
Develop your communication skills

Be a good listener. Respond and deal conflict and learn how to say 'no' and 'yes' when appropriate.

See other people's point of view

This is a key communication skill. If you seethings from your side, you provide solutions from that perspective and waste precious time. So, see and accept others point of view too.
Gauge others expectations

This is simple but is often overlooked. It's easy to assume what other people want without checking it out. Understanding people’s temperaments & personalities goes a long way in understanding their reaction to what you are communicating.
Initiate solutions as problems come

Miscommunication can and will occur. Don't hope problems go away, wait till they get bigger and out of control, or sulk/become defensive. Remember, when building a relationship, you must understand who you are dealing with. Face the problem head on in a manner that the other person will understanding & appreciate while respecting both your position & the position of the other person within the organization. You cannot face a problem with your boss the same way you would a colleague or subordinate, so act appropriately.

Give more

Keep your relationships dynamic by offering insight, ideas andsupport. Recognize and acknowledge their contributions. This creates valuable loyalty points.

Remember, when managing work relationships, there is no 'if only'.. You can't control what others do or say but you can manage your relationships following the above simple guidelines . Once you assess what's really going on, you can then start to manage the situation either by initiating changes to the relationship or review what's already working. Agreed, it's difficult to master the art of managing relationships but try and learn the skill as it is a major key to your success at work!

LOL CORNER

IT'S MONDAY AND I HAVE BIG PLANS FOR THIS WEEK! HOW ABOUT YOU?



It's monday!!!!!

Good morning every one!! I hope you had a fantastic weekend? For those of us that needed to rest, I hope you caught up on your much needed zzzzzs? And for those of us who worked through out, I hope you completed you entire to do lists and you have started this week feeling very pleased with yourselves, as you should :-)

I’m so happy that I was able to update my blog with lots of articles for you to read and I look forward to blogging throughout the week. I’ll be confirming if any events and networking opportunities are available this week.

This Monday, I’m armed with my to do list that I prepared last night. I plan to finish up once and for all with my new business cards, revamp proposals and catch up with some  clients by way of meetings that for one reason or the other keep getting postponed. I also hope to finish an articles that I’ve been privileged to write for a Nigerian based womens magazine.

How about you? Have you wandered into work today with full knowledge of what you want to do or are you too tired and are just hoping for the best? Happiness at work is not a myth, it can be done and it starts with the right mindset. My goal this week is to take at least one work goal that has been pending (but not “urgent” per say) and take one goal off my dream list and start them and for me, its building my business website template and starting on my first book.  I’ve decided to let those be what I do on my down time rather than mindlessly tuning out in front of my TV.  Why not pick your own two goals for this week. Write out you to-do lists for both work and at home and store them on you phone or notebook. Consult it each morning and twice during the day. Add to your list when you need to and cross out what has been completed.  Make yourself accountable - I've already shared my goals with everyone who cares to listen and I have people sending me BBs and texts reminding me i must have drafts ready of what I've said I'll do so they can help me review. You take your goals to a trusted friend, mentor, or loved one who will pester you and ensure you do what you said you will do. Commit to performing at least 2 actions this week besides your usual commitments. Nothing can compare to the satisfaction of taking ownership of your dreams and starting to fulfil them, whether it is to write poetry, apply for those dream jobs,  register for that skills class, read the e-books you downloaded on your laptop all those months ago, starting those cooking classes you promised yourself...the possibilities are endless!!!. I promise you, the satisfaction you will feel when you see the realization of your goals cannot be measured. 

have a great week every one!! 

MY ARTICLE ON BECOMING A STAR PERFORMER IN AN SME POSTED ON WWW.JOBBERMAN.COM CAREER BLOG

Hi Everyone,

Please take out some time and read and comment on my article posted at the below link:

http://t.co/REZZ76ot

According to an article I posted earlier, over 75% of the working population is currently employed with a small or medium size enterprise. Quite a number of us that work with SMEs have previously never worked at an SME and may be struggling with problems, fears, and issues we haven't encountered before. My article offers further  insight to SMEs and how to become a proactive star performer.

So please grab paper & a pen and get reading!!

Have a great weekend!

MAKING A FORMAL CASE FOR THE PROTECTION OF EMPLOYEES IN THE WORK PLACE

The chairman House of Representatives' Committee on Human Rights, Beni Lar, has called on corporate organisations and employers to ensure that the rights of the employees are respected at work places.

Speaking during a National Dialogue, titled: Human Rights and Business: Applying Human Rights Standards to Corporate Actors in Nigeria, organised by the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC), Lar said that employers must respect the right of their employees by giving them good benefit, paying them on time and making the workplace conducive and safe place for them .

"Some companies transport Nigerians in vehicles not fit for human beings. For example, Julius Berger pack Nigerians like animals in long vehicle that you can hardly get ventilation. Some foreign companies come to Nigeria and just paid peanuts; that is bad and must stop."

While pledging the National Assembly's commitment in helping the commission, the Rep said that it would continue to pass bills that would help protect t lives of Nigerians in and outside their places of work.

Also speaking, the former Attorney General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi ( SAN) stated that most Nigerians value money more than life which he said was one of the issues that have brought about poverty in the nation.

"We have been told to live by our own sweat but modern man is bent to eat his bread with the sweat of others. They used inferior method so that they would gather too much by infringing on the lives of people. We regard human right as the responsibility of government; it is the responsibility of everyone."

In his opening address, the executive director of NHRC, Bem Angwem stated that the commission organised the dialogue because of the need for a balance between business and human right and to ensure that corporate organisations were sensitised on the need to comply and recognise their obligation.

(Culled from the Leadership)

We look forward to seeing systems and practices set up to safeguard the rights of Nigerian employees.