Technological innovation to augment the lifecycle of blue-collar workers, especially those who earn N100,000 and below has been developed towards impacting their welfare and subsequently enhancing their productivity for their respective companies.
The solution was introduced to the Nigerian market by Africa’s HR technology company, SeamlessHR, in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at the “Optimising employee welfare & Productivity’’ conference in Lagos.
The application named Breeze Payer for employers will enable them to drive talent retention through solutions such as Earned Wage Access, EWA for employees. EWA means that employees can request to be paid for the number of days they have worked which enable them to attend to socio-economic issues instead of waiting for the end of the month.
Speaking in Lagos at the unveiling of the product, Emmanuel Okeleji, CEO of SeamlessHR, said the platform enables employers of blue-collar workers to efficiently manage their payroll, facilitate salary and wage disbursements, and connect their workforce to the market of financial value-adding services.
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“The top-of-the-table solution allows employees to access their salaries before payday and manage financial emergencies without paperwork and at a lower cost. Additionally, the platform helps wage earners build their credit history, which can facilitate access to larger loans with longer tenors and improve their overall financial well-being”.
Lynn Eisenhart, Deputy Director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who also spoke on how employee welfare impacts productivity, said, “Employees are our most valuable asset. People stay because of how organisations treat them and the benefits they enjoy during their stay”.
She said Blue-collar workers deserve to be empowered by financial services and empowered by their organisations so they can be more productive. “We want to give them access to financial resources at their fingertips through the Earned Wage Access platform. This is why we have partnered with SeamlessHR and employers, to leverage employee data and create sustainable solutions.”
Dapo Adeleye, Faculty Director of Human Resources Management at Georgetown University, said “We need to shift our perspective and re-evaluate the employee value proposition. Instead of solely focusing on top talent, we must recognise that a significant portion of the workforce comprises blue-collar workers at the bottom of the ladder.
He said research has demonstrated the impact of earned wage access and financial inclusion on employees’ productivity. By prioritising their well-being and providing them with the right tools, we can unlock the true potential of the workforce and drive sustainable growth for our organisations.”, he said.
