In this exclusive interview with The News Chronicle, CEO of Tempkers, a HR and Business Solutions provider based in Abuja, Mrs Grace Ikechukwu, bears her mind on trends in the HR industry among other things
TNC: Thank you for sharing your time with us. We will like to know about your company, Tempkers, what it does and the idea behind it.
Tempkers: Tempkers is an HR and Business Solutions provider. Incorporated in 2017, we are a team of skillful and well-versed HR professionals with cutting edge industry leading solutions and HR service delivery techniques drawn from our wealth of our experience and familiarity with running and managing several businesses across Africa.
It was born out of the desire to help businesses, organisations and individuals who otherwise could not afford the high consultancy costs for services such as human resources, staffing, training of workforce and so on. We observed that there was this unvoiced demand for services like these in the industry because as has been said they were beyond the financial reach of those who needed them, also accessibility was another issue and then creating an awareness of the availability of the services.
TNC: In the process of serving as a staffing agency among other things you do, how do you manage the challenge of bad employees?
Tempkers: Actually our selection process is quite rigorous so that we are able to give our clients the best and also ensure that employees coming through our agency are well equipped for intended positions. We also give bespoke up-to-date training, so it is a win-win situation for everybody; for organizations needing human resource service and for individuals looking to be employed.
Because we put great care into the process of selecting people for jobs we almost never have cases of disastrous employees, except for minor discrepancies once or twice; it is common knowledge that human imperfections come to play at times no matter steps taken to avoid them.
TNC: What are some general issues in the industry, like the relationship flow between clients, agencies like yours and those in search of jobs and trainings?
Tempkers: We have had pleasant experiences with clients and employees, most probably because of our optimal service delivery. Yet on a general level, there are instances where clients are not clear or sure of what they want, this can create an uphill task for any human resource agency. Also, clients could have over bloated expectations of employees, coupled with the fact that they may want to make prerequisite financial commitments to attract the kind of workforce they are looking for.
For example; a company may want to employ people with a high level of expertise and experience, but the job description and condition from the company is not in tandem with what is obtainable. What then happens is that if there are people in search of jobs desperately, they may falsify their CVs just to get the job, you can imagine what this will lead to after a period of time.
TNC: How have you been able to wade through the difficult terrain of managing a business in Nigeria and thus establishing Tempkers as a growing voice in the HR and Business industry? What do you do to stand out?
Tempkers: The answer lies in innovative service delivery. We work round the clock to ensure that we are able to provide answers to the demands in the industry, whether voiced out demands or those just imagined. This makes us a reputable service provider who can be relied upon by businesses and people to meet their needs.
Secondly we place huge emphasis on customer service, it is not just about making profit but about being there for our clients, pre and after deals, for us service doesn’t end after we receive money for services. This also helps us in getting referrals as those who have worked with us tell others who are in search of services like ours.
We will not also neglect the element of grace in all that we do because one can work hard and yet without much results as we have witnessed.
TNC: Let’s have your take on entrepreneurship. Can anyone be an entrepreneur and what advice do you have for intending entrepreneurs?
Tempkers: In context I like to look at the idea of entrepreneurship from two angles; the solopreneur and the entrepreneur. The solopreneur is where the business and its running is centered around one individual, while the entrepreneur has developed a system which involves others in its operation and yield money from it.
For me, a solopreneur is still an employee in a sense as he or she almost has no ample free time to focus on other things apart from the business. An entrepreneur should have even had experience from working for others in the area where he or she intends to start his or her own business.
An entrepreneur should not be afraid to start small and students should also ensure that they don’t just graduate without having any skills to offer. We cannot over emphasize the need to create multiple streams of income.
