TAMS Summit Ties Time Management to Increased Productivity

By Raheem Akingbolu

Speakers at the inaugural Time Attendance Management System (TAMS) Summit have said individuals, organisations and countries that pay attention to time management usually experience increased productivity when compared with those who pay little attention to time management.

Organized by SB Telecoms in Lagos recently under the theme: From ‘African Time’ to ‘On Time’: A Paradigm Shift, the time management summit aimed to draw attention to the economic impact of ‘African Time’ on productivity in the progress of individuals, organisations and nations of the world.

In his welcome address at the TAMS Summit, Mr. Afolabi Abiodun, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SB Telecoms, said findings from a research conducted by the company recently showed that almost 12 percent of annual labour cost is lost to lateness, tardiness, time theft and absenteeism in the private and public sectors of the economy.

Abiodun said: “For some time now, various Nigerian governments have touted Vision 2020 as the panacea that will take the country to the promised land of development. Four years to expected delivery date, we have yet to scratch the surface of this laudable target. Why? Although it is easy to blame lack of political will and socio-economic factor, the real culprit is a lack of interest in doing things in a timely manner and a readiness to give excuses.”

He express his concern over how poor time management has robbed many African economies of progress and turned the people into victims of its manifestations which he said are evident in rampant corruption, infrastructure decay, apathy and poverty, among others.

“But it would be difficult to have any meaningful development if we hesitate to demand accountability, not only of resources and budgets but also of time in the private sector and at all levels of government,” he said.

To solve the challenge, he said SB Telecoms developed a Time Attendance Management System (TAMS) which from 2013 to the present has been deployed by over 1,000 organizations, including multinationals.

Declaring the Summit open, founder/CEO of HealthPlus Limited, Mrs. Bukky George, who was also the Summit’s chairperson said time is wealth which should be efficiently managed. She added that poor time management is the bane of development in African economies.

George said although poor time management is a global phenomenon, Africans must embark on an attitudinal change and adapt to the 21st Century work environment. She added that in spite of the enormous infrastructural deficits in the country, proper time management can be maintained.