Telecel Ghana’s Chief Executive Officer, Patricia Obo-Nai, has called on HR leaders to prioritise wellness, resilience and data as core drivers of long-term organisational success.

Speaking at the HR Connect Conference 2025, themed "Empowering HR Excellence: Leveraging Data, Resilience and Wellness for a Thriving Workplace", she delivered a stirring keynote that challenged traditional views of HR as merely a support function.

“We spend more than 60,000 hours of our lives at work. If the workplace doesn’t nourish you, it will drain you,” she said, urging leaders to design cultures where people are seen, heard, and supported.

Ing. Obo-Nai revealed Telecel Ghana’s progressive wellness framework, which extends beyond physical health to cover emotional and financial well-being.

Among its standout initiatives is an equal four-month fully paid parental leave for both men and women, an initiative that is rare in corporate Ghana.

The organisation also offers mental health hotlines, confidential peer support through trained Wellbeing Ambassadors, onsite aerobics, wellness months, health screenings, and quarterly social events ranging from karaoke to salsa nights.

“Remember, wellness is not a perk. It is a performance multiplier,” she stressed, emphasising that healthy, engaged employees are the foundation of business growth.

The HR Connect Conference 2025, held on August 8 at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, brought together HR practitioners, thought leaders, and business leaders from across the continent.

Organised by HR Network Africa, the event featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, masterclasses, and artistic performances, all designed to equip organisations with the tools to build thriving, future-ready workplaces.

It served as a dynamic platform for sharing innovative ideas, practical strategies, and success stories that are redefining the HR profession in Africa.

On resilience, she reflected on the organisation’s smooth transition to Telecel Ghana, emphasising HR’s pivotal role in fostering trust, cultural stability, and adaptability during the major organisational change.

“It was more than a rebrand. It was asking thousands of people to trust in a future they couldn’t yet see,” she said.

The key to success, she explained, lay in building trust and maintaining cultural stability. “When culture leads, strategy follows, and resilience wins.”

Turning to data-driven HR, Madam Obo-Nai urged HR leaders to go beyond surveys and metrics to uncover the real stories behind employee sentiment.

Telecel Ghana now uses advanced analytics to identify early signs of disengagement, enabling proactive interventions.

“Data tells us where to act. Resilience gives us the strength to act. Wellness gives us the capacity to keep acting,” she concluded.

Her message to HR professionals was clear: align these three pillars and you will not only withstand disruption but rather shape the future of work.