KAMPALA – The Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) has Friday urged employers not to rush terminating their employees from the job but instead subject them to a fair hearing because statistics show that the youth’s unemployment in Uganda is higher than any other age group as conducted.

The plea and announcements have been made by one of the consultants of the employer of the year award survey, Dr. Joyce Nansamba Kikambi from Makerere University, at Sheraton hotel in Kampala during the engagement with employers as they launch two of their activities. The Employer of the Year Awards (EYA) for this year, running under the theme, “Investing in Uganda’s Future Employers Fostering Job Creation,” and the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Report.

The (EYA) survey is a home ground or indigenous model that has been developed throughout the years since 2001, as a learning experience, where employers learn from employers. This means it is employer focused but with a high potential to align with national priorities in the context of global realities, Dr. Nansamba addressed according to her detailed presentation.

To effectively engage employers in Uganda to prioritize job creation and fair treatment of employees, she said that conducting the SURE survey questionnaire with both managers and employees at participating organizations is crucial. This will help gather insights on the current practices and challenges around job creation and employee treatment.

Performing in-depth verification interviews with HR managers or other relevant personnel to validate the information provided in the questionnaires. This will ensure the data is accurate and representative of the organization’s actual practices. Analysing the survey data, including any discrepancies between manager and employee responses, to identify areas for improvement. This will help pinpoint specific issues that need to be addressed, she noted.

Dr. Nansamba also highlighted that providing feedback and recommendations to the employers based on the survey findings. Mark best practices and encourage them to implement strategies that foster job creation, such as public-private partnerships, embracing technology, and supporting women in the workforce. Recognizing and celebrating employers who demonstrate a strong commitment to job creation and fair treatment of employees. This can be done through the Employer of the Year Award, which can inspire other organizations to follow suit.

Engaging with policymakers and industry associations to advocate for policies and initiatives that support job creation and employee well-being. This can help create an enabling environment for employers to prioritize these areas.

She, however, described that the awards to winners shall be given out in three categories, the gold, silver, and the bronze. Followed by the special awards that include, the best SME or indigenous winner (1 award), the talent management winner, the sexual reproductive health and gender equity winner, government ministries, department and agencies, disability inclusion winner, elimination of child labour winner, refugee employer of the year winner and the business and human rights winner.

The last category shall include agriculture with 3 awards, the tourism and hospitality with 3 awards, the service industry with 1 award and the NGO with 1 award.

Mr. Douglas Opio, Executive Director, The Federation of Uganda Employers, explaining about the newly launched Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Report pointed out that governance issues locally, there are regulations coming up in this space, and that means doing business will require companies to conform to ESG standards.

In some countries, it has already been domesticated, he said. There are local legislations in some regional groupings, like the EU regional where regulations have been put in place. So what they are trying to do with the report is to see how they position the Federation of Uganda employers in a manner that they can support employers to comply with ESG regulations.

Therefore, the report gives an insight of what is the awareness level like which they have established extremely low, what are the concerns the ESG is concerned, how can they support that. Because it is the is the first step they are taking, but hopefully moving forward, they will be able to come up with ESG quality guidance workplaces and then support employers, the government scheme drive export promotion as they increasingly target export markets like the EU, for instance, with their company, Mr. Opio indicated.

This implies that the companies should understand global regulation things that might affect them. To the international market. So, they have established but there’s a very low level of awareness as far as ESG is concerned. And yet the regulations coming up, like within the EU the issue of due diligence, for example where they trace where the coffee is coming from, including where it is.

Among the employer participants present, was Mr. David Kabengule, the CEO of G-TECH LTD, manufacturers of gas, oxygen and nitrogen who commended the federation for being helpful and functional to employers appealed to leverage the insights from the Federation of Uganda Employers survey to improve your practices like Carefully reviewing the survey findings and identify areas where their practices can be improved. The survey likely provides valuable data and recommendations from industry experts and other employers, he said.

Engaging with the Federation to understand the key takeaways from the survey. They may be able to provide additional context and guidance on how to implement the survey insights. Convening internal discussions with their management team to discuss the survey findings and develop an action plan for enhancing the employment practices. Identify specific areas they can focus on improving, noted Mr. Kabengule.

Implementing changes based on the survey insights, such as updating HR policies, providing additional training for managers, or enhancing employee engagement initiatives. Monitor the impact of these changes over time. And also continue participating in the Federation’s surveys on an ongoing basis. This will allow them to track progress, identify new areas for improvement, and benchmark the practices against industry standards.

The key is to actively leverage the expertise and data provided by the Federation to drive meaningful improvements in your employment practices. Let me know if you have any other questions!