Friday 8 March 2019

KADUNA ELECTRIC NEWSLETTER , MARCH EDITION


Management, Union Are Partners in Progress - Capt. Kaushik, CCSO 

Captain Sanjeev Kaushik, Chief Corporate Services Officer (CCSO) 



By Halima Shuaibu
 Relationship with Union is key to success of any organization, as it does not only serve the interest of staff members but that of the organization, the Chief Corporate Services Officer (CCSO), Captain Sanjeev Kaushik has said. 
The CCSO, who said this during an interview with our Kaduna Electric Newsletter, stated that the role of Associations and Unions is both constitutional and moral.
According to him, the right to association is enshrined in the constitution of the country thereby making such formations legal, adding that it is also to create balance in the corporate world.
Explaining further, Kaushik argued that when power is vested in one place, it is prone to abuse hence the need for Employee Union, which he said serves as checks and balance to the activities of the management.
He dismissed the notion that Unions exist to antagonize or disrupt business operations.  He rather sees them as partners in progress.
A major success, which was recorded recently in the cordial relationship between Kaduna Electric and the Union, according to the Captain, is the signing of the Conditions of Service, which has reduced the incidences of picketing.
“The relationship hitherto was more like a tussle but now we have been able to build cordial relationship through constant communication and mutual respect. This has made the preparation and signing of the Conditions Of Service possible.
Also, he noted, the incidence of picketing has stopped compared to some “big Discos” who are  still  being picketed because they are yet to see their Union members as partners in progress”.

Improved Collection Is Possible with Change in Attitude 
By Halima Shuaibu

 Head, Collection Channel and Management, Hajia Hafsat Sambo has said the fortunes of the company can improve drastically if members of staff can take ownership of their responsibilities by going the extra mile.
Mrs. Sambo expressed this view in a chat with our correspondent recently.
She maintained that what appears to be an impasse with regards to cash collection, could take a positive turn with willingness and commitment on the part of employees to change the situation.
According to her, staff must see collection as everyone’s business and avoid passing the buck but rather “make conscious effort to achieve the task at hand”.
“The responsibility of the Security man at the gate affects our collection and if he fails in his responsibility it will affect every other person negatively.
The key point is that every staff should be willing to go the extra mile; even with the current resources available to us we should exceed 2Billion Naira monthly. But we have to change our attitude”.
Speaking on other strategies that will shore up revenue, Sambo said some customers have to be compelled by either threat of disconnection or actual disconnection. She also noted that efforts need to be made to monitor Prepaid Meters because metering staff are not enough to cover the number of PPM customers.  


 Leisure...

Coping With the Heat This Season


During extreme heat, whether it’s one hot day or a heatwave, remember: 
  • Drink plenty of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty (if your doctor normally limits your fluids, check how much to drink during hot weather).
  • Keep yourself cool by using wet towels, putting your feet in cool water and taking cool (not cold) showers.
  • Spend as much time as possible in cool or air-conditioned buildings (shopping centres, libraries, cinemas or community centres).
  • Block out the sun at home during the day by closing curtains and blinds.
  • Open the windows when there is a cool breeze.
  • Stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. If you do have to go outside, wear a hat and sunscreen, and seek shade.
  • Cancel or postpone outings. If you absolutely must go out, stay in the shade and take plenty of water with you. 
  • Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing made from natural fibres like cotton and linen.
  • Eat smaller meals more often and cold meals such as salads.
  • Make sure food that needs refrigeration is properly stored.
  • Avoid heavy activity like sport, renovating and gardening.
  • Watch or listen to news reports to find out more information during extreme heat.

Thursday 7 March 2019

MEET THE STAFF SERIES


To Improve Collection Is Collective Effort 
CCD: Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?
AM: My name is Alfred Monday Balami. I am the Analytics and Coordination Officer, Makera Regional Office.  I have held the position since April 2018.

CCD: What are your responsibilities, specifically?
AM: Basically, what I do is to analyze the data of Makera Regional Office.  Such data include: Sales Reps information, Collection Analysis and Customers' Information on issues relating to payment, DTs DSS code.

Others are: number of PPMs, number of Bills, customers who have paid, disconnected customers, Active Customer and Non-Active Tariff. 
I look at how much collection we have made for a given month and compare that to the previous month, and also take into consideration the projected target and what we need to do to meet our target. 
For instance, recently we started isolating transformers based on nonpayment, to identify the transformers that we have to collect the AR bill from.
We sift out their Current Charges and see if they have paid the current charge; if not, the BDRO may decide to disconnect them. This data will be sent to me to analyze based on request from my BDRO.

CCD: Challenges ...
AM: Of course in any business there are challenges but once we can reduce our losses, collection will improve. This is a task that must be done by everyone by ensuring that they carry out their duties diligently.
For instance, if I am given Ten Clusters, I should make sure all the customers on that cluster pay their bills and it should not be anything less than their current charge.

CCD: Appeal/suggestion to the Management or staff?
AM: My appeal to Management is to intensify staff training, because no matter how intelligent a staff maybe, if they are not adequately trained, they are not likely to perform optimally. Look at enumeration for instance, some staff are not trained well and therefore do not know how to start. Then there is the issue of computer literacy; staff not being conversant with the use of computer. Staff should be encouraged to check their emails, that is a good starting point. 
To staff, everybody should take ownership of the job and make sure you put in your best. Staff should cultivate the habit of acknowledging emails when they receive them.

Wednesday 6 March 2019

KADUNA ELECTRIC FRONTLINE MARCH EDITION 2019


We Are Changing Our Work Culture, One Step at A Time
…Meet Mr. Change Management

His name is synonymous with the term Change Management because of how impassioned he is about it. According to him, his ultimate aim is to re-orientate employees with a new set of values that makes leaving their comfort zone easy. 
He wants to, among many other things, erase the formalities in workplace that make work cumbersome. “Work relationship should be easy enough for quick results”.
Meet Captain Sanjeev Kaushik, the Capacity Building & Change Management Expert cum Chief Corporate Services Officer of Kaduna Electric, a Motivational Speaker and adept in the areas of Change Management, Leadership and other behavioural skills. He speaks with our correspondent about his passion and many other issues concerning his work. 

Tell us a bit about yourself. 
My name is Captain Sanjeev Kaushik. I am an Indian from Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited. I am a Military man, an Ex-Infantry Officer of Indian Army.  I have donned the olive green Army uniform for 10 years and soon after the completion of my Army tenure, I joined Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited. I am a Management Graduate from Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi which is one of the leading Business Schools in India and I am also equipped with a Bachelors and a Master degree in Law from the same university.
I joined Kaduna Electric at the capacity of Expert, Change Management and Capacity building and I am presently officiating the office of Chief Corporate Service Officer. My task in Kaduna Electric is to equip the organisation with the all the relevant knowledge and wisdom that I gathered while working under various assignments in Indian Army and TATA Power apart from the knowledge that I   have acquired while pursuing education which I pursued parallel with my employment. I work with two fundamental propositions, ‘A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step’ and ‘good workman never blames his tools’. 

There has been a lot of talk about restructuring the company, tell us about it.
Today’s world is of quick decision-making for which, we require horizontal organizational structures. The lesser hierarchy in the organization, the lesser the difference between Managers and workers. In such an arrangement, workers will feel more close to the management which will result into development of more understanding and cohesiveness. Horizontal configurations removes excess layers of management and improves the coordination and speed of communication which leads to easier and quick decision-making. It cannot be said that hierarchical organizations are not good but Kaduna Electric is such a huge organisation where there are several divisions that require quick decision making.
We must not live in a bureaucratic environment where there is a huge gap between the decision maker and the employee who is executing the decision on the ground. Today’s world is about working together, collaboration, work cohesiveness and understanding or in other words you can say that it’s just like living in family where there is close understanding and affection between the family members. 
What is likely to be the impact of restructuring on staff productivity?
After privatization, Kaduna Electric has seen several structures, when we joined here as technical partners we perceive those structures to be complex and consequently, a decision was taken to overhaul the system by simplifying it.
The impact is going to be evident in two ways, firstly, it has been observed that in multiple layers, shape of original communication changes its form during its flow till it reaches the ground worker. This possibility can be minimized the if the structure is other way around, secondly the worker by working in close association with management is going to feel himself more empowered and elevated apart the feeling of working in close association.
Actual leadership is not by the virtue of the position that one is holding. It is the respect that one commands when people see him as a leader in their hearts, it is something when people speak good about you at your back. Our endeavour here is to put in efforts to minimize the gap of superior and inferior. The first step towards it is elimination of bureaucratic mindset by minimizing hierarchical difference.
We have a policy in TATA Power – DDL named ‘Meet the MD’, where any employee can request to see the MD in person which would not amount to bypassing because we believe that prior to being adorned with designations, we all are humans and deserve respect and dignity. This is the kind of the culture we have in TATA.  

The Conditions of Service was recently signed, what is its significance?
Can you imagine a country without Constitution? Imagine a situation where there is no law. Conditions of Service document is also like a ‘Constitution of Employees’ which governs their terms of employment. Prior of manifestation of Conditions of Service, decisions were being made either by referring the vintage PHCN CoS or on the basis of assumptions, impulse or gut feeling. Employees were also confused and doubtful in regard to their various entitlements, benefits and facilities i.e. career path, performance management, disciplinary process, exit token etc. Now, everything has been clarified. Now, there is no confusion and doubt, everything has been defined and mentioned in the document. If in any case there exist some doubt, employees are free to communicate and visit our offices.
Let’s take an example, for instance, when a misconduct has been reported, the accused must be extended with the opportunity of fair hearing which is also imperative as per the Principles of Natural Justice. This provision has explicitly been incorporated in Conditions of Service.
The document has been finalized by collaboration with both the in-house Unions who were the part of discussions. The discussions were held in very cordial and harmonious environment and finally on 30th of Jan 2019 we gave life to this document. It is a milestone that has been achieved by Kaduna Electric and welcome by both i.e. the Management as the Union(s). By signing this document, we became the 04th DISCO in Nigeria who achieved this breakthrough. It also indicates that Management of Kaduna Electric is committed towards the well being of workers.
Challenges…

The challenge is known to anyone. Good things never come easily. Performance is not going to come of its own automatically. There are numerous factors that are contributing towards the under-performance and out of many, the prime factor is the non-engagement of employees. Till the time the employees of the organisation feel associated with the organization and have a sense of belonging, the challenges will continue.

Solutions…
Employee Engagement is the solution. Employees needs to contribute not as an employee of the organisation but as a member of the Kaduna Electric family. Here comes the role of leaders, they need to make people feel that they are not mere staff. They need make them feel that Kaduna Electric is not an organisation but a family and each and every member of the family is important and an integral part of it.
Secondly, we must be quick in decision making and must adhere to timelines.  It is the right of every employee to know how they are performing. Good performers are required to be recognised and for average/ below average we need to have a good performance improvement plans in place. We are also trying to revamp the existing PMS system to ensure that every employee of the organisation is aligned with company’s Vison & Mission and objectives.
Resources are always scarce and are going to be scarce only. It is the fundamental law of Economics. Moreover, this scarcity becomes more challenging when it is associated with poor performance. It has already been said above that a good workman never blames his tools. We have to operate within the existing resources and constraints. We know where our money is, the only requirement is to push ourselves to extract it. It may be painful in the beginning but the result is going to be very sweet.
It is high time that we all must take ourselves out of our comfort zone. Leaders here have a very vital role to play. They need to lead by personal examples and the people work and perform.  

My task…
What is expected has already been said, however, our task is to fine tune the minds of people to work their hearts and soul for the organisation, to minimize the superior subordinate gap, make people feel important and engaged, and working within the existing resources and constraints. Now, you are going to ask ‘How?’, it is simple, ‘Communication and taking lead’ is the key, keep on talking, interacting people formally as well as informally, by training, re-training and de-training, by taking the lead to initiate work and to re-orientate people to work without fuss; although it is easy to say but is the most challenging task.

How do you relax? Have you found Indian places where you can socialize in Kaduna?
During my time as an ex-military officer, various hobbies were developed which is aimed at keeping the mind creative and alive. Books are my favorites- I brought about 25 books from India which is my favorite pastime. Another is Chess (here there is no other option but to play online). Writing and listening to Urdu Poetry is the another favorite pastime apart from talking to the family and the cute Puppy ‘Jack’, watching of war documentaries to learn good leadership, motivation and decision making skills from military leaders and last but not the least, interaction with employees with an open heart.