Staff of the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) have been called upon to play their part to ensure that the college’s strategic objectives are achieved. The call was made by the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration DVC (F&A), Assoc. Prof. Josephine Nabukenya, during the orientation of new members of staff on 2nd November, 2021.
Assoc. Prof. Nabukenya commended the College management, led by the Principal, Assoc. Prof. Elia Hisali, on holding an orientation for new staff, saying other colleges needed to emulate this. “It is a good endeavor to familiarize the new members with the college plans, culture and work ethic. It also helps them feel welcome and secure. CoBAMS is moving to great heights,” she said.
The DVC (F&A) also trained staff on the use of the Electronic Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS), which the university is implementing. The system, the first of its kind will see the elimination of paper files. It allows for staff to request for promotions and leave online, enter their work plans for a week, as well as conduct staff appraisals. The platform is a bank for all staff biodata. It is a one-stop centre for all Human Resources needs. The Research and Development of the e-HRMS was fully funded by the Government of Uganda through Makerere University’s Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF).
Assoc. Prof. Nakukenya said the university was developing a student records system which will soon be rolled out. It is hoped that the system will address the challenges of issuance of transcripts.
Assoc. Prof. Hisali on his part shared with the members, some of whom recently joined university service while others were recently transferred to CoBAMS, the mission of the college; “Service to society through provision of effective practice-oriented learning and research”. The college, he said, aspires to be the best at the university and eventually on the continent. He encouraged all staff to play a role in contributing to the realization of the college’s ambitions. He warned the staff against cliques and called for hard work, saying, “Hard work will be incentivized while there will be sanctions for non-performers.”
He shared with the new members the college’s strategic direction which includes; strengthening quality assurance, enhancing staff capacity, establishing foundations for financial sustainability, getting new linkages, infrastructure expansion, improving the work and learning environment and strengthening the research and dissemination infrastructure system.
Assoc. Prof. Hisali informed the new members that decision making at the colleges is done by committees. The college has got the Administrative Board, Academic Board, Quality Assurance Committee, Establishments and Appointments Board. The committees are mainly comprised of Deans and Heads of Departments.
The staff were also trained on Managing time and work load. The Deputy Principal, Assoc. Prof. Bruno Lule Yawe, shared with the team that we cannot manage time but rather manage ourselves so that we utilize the time we have effectively. He shared some skills to help staff manage themselves, which include; being organized, prioritizing, setting goals, strong communication skills, effective planning, delegating and handling stress in a positive way.
The team was also privileged to hear from the Director of the Directorate of Human Resources, Dr. Davis Malowa, who oriented the staff on the employment policies and systems such as confirmation of employment, promotions, staff development and what benefits accrue from each of these steps. Members learnt that the new employment regulations require an employee who has worked for an organization for more than 10 years to give his employer 3-months’ notice of resignation, failure of which will lead to penalties.
The area of research and publications was handled by Prof. Bbaale Edward, the Dean of the School of Economics. He emphasized that for one to create new knowledge through research, they must know the existing knowledge. Research, he said, is used to create new knowledge, visibility for the university and academic growth. He encouraged the staff to create a balance between teaching, research and supervision.
The Dean of the School of Business, Dr. Akileng Godfrey, shared the work ethic and values staff should have.
Employees with a strong work ethic exhibit a particular set of values and behaviors, he said. These characteristics make them standout as highly coveted team members and praise-worthy employees. Some of these qualities include; Reliability, Dedication, Discipline, Productivity, Cooperation, Integrity, Responsibility and Professionalism. He called on staff to practice good customer care, saying “A person can forget the words you said and the help you offered to them but they will never forget how you made them feel.” While concluding his submission, Dr. Akileng emphasized that “customer care is not a department, it is the attitude.” He called on all staff to ensure they offer the best customer experiences to our clients the students.