Experts canvass elimination of workplace entitlement syndrome

Human Resources practitioners have called for the withdrawal of entitlement syndrome exhibited by employers and employees in the workplace.

According to them, it continues to contribute to Africa’s underdevelopment.

This and many more are some of the issues surrounding the emergence of entitlement syndrome that took the front burner at the maiden Africa HR Roundtable, which was held recently.

Speaking at the event, Managing Director of Greensage, Efe Ihegie, emphasised the crucial role the HR sector plays in maximising the growth of organisations noting that the entitlement attitude being exhibited by some employees could further impede the continent’s overall growth.

“Human Resources Management is considered as one of the most important elements of any organisation. Where all other resources are in place, without the right HR, the organisation’s chances of success are slim. However, it is not enough to have the right HR, it is equally important that the proper mindset is exhibited by the workforce. “In Africa, a lot of employees have unrealistic expectations and exhibit lackadaisical attitude towards work; hence, the outputs do not match the inputs as expected by the employers,” she said.  Other HR experts who spoke on the issue said running an open door policy where hard work is rewarded was key to addressing the challenge. Tunde Olagunju, HR Manager at Greensprings School,, emphasised the significance of running an open-book business and system where hard work and dedication are rewarded. He asserted that some businesses misinterpret the duration of an employee’s employment with them as a sign of loyalty, and he advocated knowledge-based employee training. He added, “A system where performance and hardwork are not rewarded results in entitled employees. Transparency is important to organisational growth, competency framework and skill.” Management consultant at Blue Advisory, Joshua Popoola, stated that the people are the foundation and framework of every society.

According to him, if a society is functioning well, its members are responsible for it, and if it is not, its members are also accountable.

“There are ideas and people behind every company we see today standing or thriving,” he said.

Poopola kicked against the trend of people going into organisations without the intention of adding value. “Whether or not you were pushed into the organisation, you must be willing to add value,” he added.

On her part, Shola Oshogwemoh said, “Being entitled goes both ways; it’s just overestimating your worth.”

She noted that employers could also exhibit traits of entitlement, which could also be a problem.

“If somebody wants a remote job, it does not mean the person is bad. Entitlement syndrome is more prevalent with senior managers, who may get to a particular stage and begin to feel that, at their level, they have done a lot,” she added.

Oshogwemoh had earlier stated that the Africa HR Roundtable had been able to help address some of the problems of entitlement syndrome and how to handle them.  The Principal Consultant at Plexus, Ozioma Ubabukoh, who moderated the session, said effective leadership was important and pivotal in carrying out projects and achieving overall growth.  Plexus is a media, marketing and branding consortium, while Greensage is a business performance management firm that provides services in process redesigning, restructuring, among others.