Employers in Rwanda have been encouraged to learn how to balance technology and innovation with social interaction in a world of work that’s increasingly being shaped by technology. This was observed during a conference on the future of work in a technology-driven world held in Kigali earlier in the week. The first of its kind to be held in Rwanda, the forum brought together human resource managers, chief executives and other managers with a view to discuss recent trends in the workplace, resilient leadership, among others. It was organised by Rwanda-based Eagles Capacity Building Centre and Doheney Services, a human resource consulting firm based in Nigeria. John Opute, Associate Professor of International Human Resource Management, said it was critical that both the employers and employees used technology to be more effective and efficient. “Technology is our friend and not our enemy… it makes life much easier, more interesting and creates an opportunity to do several things.” He also said that managers need to put on the leadership cap in order to promote technology because a leader embraces creativity and is always ready for change. Faustin Karasira, the chief operations officer at the Private Sector Federation, urged employers and human resource managers to embrace soft skills. He also called for deliberate efforts to re-skill the existing workforce. Several speakers also pointed at the lessons learned from the Covid pandemic, which forced employees to work from home due to travel restrictions and lockdowns. A session on speed networking was also held with the aim of helping participants to grow their network, meet and interact with peers, explore the latest innovations that could help improve the workplace, and learn from people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Francine Uwera Havugimana, the founder and chief executive of Eagles Capacity Building Centre, told The New Times that they had come up with tools that could help improve the wellbeing and productivity of employees in the modern workplace. She said the tools could help improve performance appraisals and determine whether the deliverables of individual employees matched the mission and strategic objectives of the company.
