By Seun Adams
The Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoSF), Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, has urged civil servants to optimise the use of the Health and Employee Wellness Centre established in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) for improved productivity.
Yemi-Esan, made the call during a One-day Sensitization Seminar for Directors of Human Resources Management (HRM) on “Optimising Health and Wellness for Improved Productivity.”
The seminar seeks to promote healthy living and wellness amongst the workforce, in line with Pillar 6 of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025 (FCSSIP – 25), enhancing the value proposition of Civil Servants.
The HoSF, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office (SWO) in the Office, Mr. Mahmud Adam Kambari, expressed the need to address preventable, non-communicable diseases and sudden deaths amongst the workforce.
She explained that non-communicable diseases have become a global public health challenge, nothing that it is a dark shadow on the health and efficiency of the workforce.
She added that this challenge is further compounded by stress and sedentary nature of Civil Service work.
According to her, the commitment of the OHCSF to the physical fitness of its workforce is not a mere policy statement but also a moral obligation, stressing that the establishment of the Employee Wellness Centre, amongst other initiatives, are dedicated to enhancing the health and wellbeing of Civil Servants.
The Employee Wellness Centre provides a wide range of services, including health education talks, counseling, health screening, as well as stress management.
Earlier, the Director, Occupational Health Safety and Environment (OHSE) in the OHCSF, Dr. Comfort Adeosun, stressed that the importance of optimising health and wellness for improved productivity cannot be over emphasized in Public Service Offices because employees’ well-being is critical to the success of every organization.
Adeosun, stated that the performance of an organisation is driven by human resources and if it is not well with your soul, mind and body, productivity cannot be achieved. She stated further that this is why the Office deemed it important to drive the enhancement of value proposition for all Civil Servants.
Presentations were made on Optimising Employee Wellness, Health and Safety in the Workplace, Addressing Mental Health in the Workplace: The role of HR Executives, Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Resilience and Mental Health for Senior Executives.
