UNVOICED PERSPECTIVE: INSUBORDINATION
There has been an over told story of bossy employers who make the work place unpleasant for their employees. While often times there is another side of the story that is not told – dealing with insubordination.
Many times employers are faced with the daunting task of handling employees who seem difficult to handle. This has always been a problem but such pictures are rarely painted, leaving some employers helplessly silent for the fear of not communicating the wrong message.
In organizations where some employees express a deep form of insubordination, it weakens the effectiveness of other team members and most times leave the management wobbling in thoughts. These stiff-necked employees could be likened to horses forced to the stream but refusing to drink.
Insubordination could be in different ways; there are times when employees fail to carry out tasks demanded of them by their employers or superior due to some factors, or question the management’s authority, or bluntly refuse to obey company policies. Chike’s story is the perfect display of insubordination.
Chike got fired two months ago at the office, this got almost everyone talking about it and wondering why it had to be Chike. He was so composed and effective at some point he was considered efficient. He earned the manager’s trust with his ability to complete a task with less supervision. Almost everyone at the office maintained the expected degree of their KPI’s but he will always go beyond the expectation. His effort to the company’s growth was commendable. Seeing his level of commitment, the management seemed it right that more responsibilities were assigned to him.
With a new project at hand, the management sought diligently for a perfect person who will show great deal of commitment, to produce the project’s desired result, so Chike came to mind (“to whom much is given, much is expected”).
The project’s estimated lifespan was 6 months, which required tendering of a weekly report to the department head. After three months of the project’s commencement, Chike had not tendered any report concerning the progress of the project. Gradually, he began to question most of the management’s decisions and would not carry out any duty he did not feel up to. At certain occasions, he was asked about it and there was nothing tangible that he could offer. The management considered this as an insubordinate behaviour.
Measures were taken and it was decided that most relevant responsibilities should be taken off Chike’s desk. This was not a way of silencing his voice, but rather creating an open door policy to make other employees learn.
Do you think the management’s decision was too harsh? How would handle such behaviour in your organisation?
Written by Jennifer Chioma Amadi
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EMPLOYEE INSIGHT: “NO STRAIGHT FORWARD APPROACH IN RELATING WITH COLLEAGUES”–ANONYMOUS
EMPLOYEE INSIGHT: “THERE IS NO FORMULA OR STRAIGHT FORWARD APPROACH WHEN IT COMES TO RELATING WITH PEOPLE IN THE WORKPLACE”–ANONYMOUS
A paramount skill every employee, irrespective of their positions, should acquire is the ability to work excellently with others in the work place. They must be willing to start the learning process of establishing good work relationships with fellow colleagues. With willingness, any employee can be trained and taught this vital skill.
Our interviewee, a maintenance planner and scheduler in a bottling company, argues the opinion that one human relationship approach can work for everyone in the work environment. He stood on the fact that human beings have different features and each person is unique in their own way. Find out more about his work ideologies…
JOB SPECIALIZATION
Giving an insight to his job specification, our interviewee, shared in details, “My role is to ensure machine availability and reliability are achieved through planning and scheduling or coordinating maintenance activities. This means that I try to ensure that all the machines needed for production are available and are in good condition at all times especially when needed. This is to keep all machines in check so they don’t breakdown abruptly when they are in use and that they also perform at their best”
For a clearer understanding, he enlightened us some more about the dynamics of his work. He took us through the different procedures he undergoes to achieve success in his daily job.
Expatiating he said, “Planning involves assessment of the job to be done, assess the resource availability, and ensure the right tools are available and spare parts. If skill set is needed, you try to inform those responsible for the job. I practically provide both intellectual and physical resources and also schedule them as need be; fix a time duration and issue out a work order which is basically a permit to work”
CAREER TRAJECTORY
Our interviewee has had a slight career change which most would refer to as a promotion. Having started as a technical engineer for a company that served as a supply chain for his present company, our interviewee was found worthy and was retained when the time came. “I started as a technical operator for a company that supplies for my present company and then was promoted to a maintenance planner”
He specified that his chosen career path, maintenance planning and scheduling, is in line with his course of study, mechanical engineering. This has given him some level of advantage in his field.
“I studied mechanical engineering in school and maintenance is a major aspect of it. Although there are some electrical aspects too, but it is mostly a mechanical work. Mechanical engineering, however, is a broad course with many areas of specialty and that includes what I am currently doing, maintenance.”
Speaking on his work experience so far, our interviewee shared some impactful insights about his work life. He highlighted that he has developed a deep sense of responsibility, an eye for details and diligence.
“I personally think working is an avenue for each person to learn. By learning, I do not just mean learning a profession or career but I mean the discipline work teaches one, that sense of responsibility. There is a whole lot of training working gives to every man. Therefore, for me, working has helped my sense of responsibility, diligence and has taught me how to pay attention to details. It has also helped my thought pattern because I get to work with a team of intellectual people. It has expanded my thinking capacity, broaden my horizon, increased my exposure level and has built my confidence level as regards facing challenges.”
While sharing some lessons he has learnt over the years as an employee, he identified one major factor in any workplace, which is people. Our interviewee believes there is no precise method for handling different people with different backgrounds and orientation.
“One major lesson I have learnt in the course of working is that you have to know how to deal with different people. There is no formula or straightforward approach when it comes to the workplace because you are interacting with several people with different characters, different likes and dislikes and different temperaments. One just has to learn how to relate with different people and maintain a good relationship with everyone. Adaptability is another lesson I have learnt while working.”
Our interviewee regards regular income from the workplace as a benefit that should enhance one’s ability to plan their financial life better.
“Having a regular salary helps me to plan and I believe that is one benefit of working. So I am able to plan my expenses a little bit better and hope to improve even more.”
Like a coin, a job has two sides – advantage and disadvantage – to it. These two are common traits in any work life, which virtually every worker faces. Our respondent enumerated some of the disadvantages that accompanied his job; they ranged from stress, down to the daily demands and problems he has to solve.
“A disadvantage with my job would be the stress. It can also be time consuming, energy draining and really demanding. If something goes wrong, you are trying to think of how to fix it, trying different ways. Even after the close of work, your mind keeps running from one machine that is down to the other in search for a solution.”
Laying more emphasizes on his challenges at work, he added, “Some days I leave work and I am so stressed out. Also, sometimes some people can be very difficult to work with”
With how demanding his work is, our interviewee indicated he could not consider having a side hustle due to the time constraints.
“No I don’t have a side hustle,” he said. “I’m very much involved in church. Therefore, when I am not at work, I am in church. In the end I don’t have time to include any other demanding activity, like side hustles.”
Concluding his interview, our interviewee shared an unusual advice for those planning to travel the career journey. He advised young career beginners to follow the leading of the supernatural being, God, rather than hurryingly follow public opinions.
“Advising on a career path, I wouldn’t come from the area of ‘be diligent, pursue your dreams, know your area of strength etc.’ I believe most people have heard that speech before. What I would say is whoever you are; follow the Lord and the need of God for your life. Do not rush, because we are not competing with anybody. Do not take decisions because every other person is doing it. Wait, take your time, ensure this is what the Lord will have you do, and follow the leading of His spirit. I have found out that that is the best way to live. Simply trust God and everything will fall in place.”
Written by Jennifer Chioma Amadi
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UNVOICED PERSPECTIVE: DIFFERENCES IN AGE
Age is often considered as just a number and one of the common assumptions about it in the corporate world is that people concern themselves with work goals and never who is older. Like we know, the workplace comprises of different age generations of people who are expected to work together with mutual respect. However, at some point, there is set to be a clash between colleagues in different generations and even those in the same age bracket. This could affect communication thereby stifling work efficiency.
Most times age diversity in the workplace is considered the best recruiting strategy despite the strife it causes. It remains an inevitable fact that the corporate world is made up of a mixed multitude who will never have the same features. Due to this, people, whether young or old, would constantly find ways to deal with work relationships.
In every organisation, there are different demands each age generation makes to another but one thing they all seek from each other, is respect. Both old and young colleagues desire to be respected by their team members. Often times, the older generations tend to seek more respect and usually detest being answerable to a younger colleague whose attitude they find unpleasant. Most of them consider taking orders from a younger person very insulting and could even resign if their boss is younger than they are.
On the other hand, the younger generation most likely would prefer if the age constraint is removed from the picture and everyone considered as equals. They would prefer to express themselves and relate with everyone on the same level without age being a barrier. With this mentality, when they are promoted to higher positions, they often do not give preference to age and could easily be seen as rude. Either ways, people in the workplace are left to deal with this dilemma every working day.
Here is a short story to drive home the point.
Kachi watched her supervisor, Miss Ibinabo, walk in majestically in that her noticeable Christian Louboutin heels that always announced her arrival. She grimaced as she heard her lashing out at everyone who seemed to be slacking on their task. Whenever she yelled at one person, her voice echoed over the entire place as though she was addressing everyone. When she spoke she expected a rapt attention which most of them gave subconsciously because of her commanding voice.
Though Miss Ibinabo was promoted to the supervisory position on the basis of her exposure and her creativity at work, she remained one of the youngest in the firm. She was barely twenty-eight and didn’t have as much experience as Kachi and the rest of the employees. Kachi who was ten years older than her always felt degraded whenever she had to sit and listen to Miss Ibinabo speak or assess her work. It wasn’t the things she said that pissed Kachi and other workers but her poor approach towards handling crises and the disrespect in her voice.
Outside the work environment Kachi could bet on her life that she would never succumb to taking orders from anyone younger than she is. She was certain Miss Ibinabo would never dare to speak to any older staff the manner she did if they had met outside the work environment. Everyone one knew her authority ended around the four walls of the company. Once Mr Fred in Kachi’s department, who was in his early fifties, had threatened to slap the madness out of her and termed her childish when she talked down on his work.
Severally Kachi had felt the urge to confront Miss Ibinabo and talk some sense into her but she feared she might be misinterpreted as being envious of the younger lady. So each day, while Miss Ibinabo strolled from desk to desk with those her silence breaking heels, and begin to prove to everyone that she was the one in charge, Kachi would bite her tongue, swallow her words and let things slide. Today was one of those days, she would let peace reign.
***
Can you work for an employer or work under a supervisor who you are older than? Would the case be different if the supervisor was older? Let’s know your thoughts in the comment session.
Written by Jennifer Chioma Amadi
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EMPLOYEE INSIGHT: “WORKING HAS SHAPED MY SAVING CULTURE”- AFONYA DAVIES
Survival is a common instinct among mankind. For this singular reason, man strives daily to fight against all odds, desperately in search for better means of earning some comfort during his lifetime. For most people, getting a job or starting an enterprise, has become a familiar means for making a livelihood.
Our interviewee for the week, Afonya Davies, is one who has taken no chances in ensuring that he utilizes and makes the best out of his earning power, further ensuring his survival. Now after imparting knowledge to his students in the classroom, Afonya rolls up his sleeves to push for the success of his business, Hectofons Ideal Concept, which deals with supplying of granite, sand and leasing equipment.
We were curious to know how Afonya manages to joggle two huge responsibilities – being a teacher and an established businessperson – and still maintain a healthy work life. Here is what we found out.
WORK EXPERIENCE
For over five years, Afonya Davies has been working in the educational sector. Though an alien to this field, since it wasn’t his course of study, Afonya saw it as an opportunity to keep himself busy after school rather than stay idle. “I studied Petroleum Engineering as my first degree but took up the teaching job at that time because I needed to be occupied.”
Regardless of the rigid structure in his profession, in terms of career trajectory, Afonya has remained open minded and has allowed his job influence him positively. “Working has given me experience and training on how to manage people.”
Afonya didn’t also see his job as an escape route from boredom, he has picked up pieces of lessons that are essential to having a better life. “In the course of working, I have learnt patience, integrity, and transparency,” he said.
Nevertheless, he could not help but mention a major disadvantage of his job, “You don’t get incentive from the government like housing close to the school, official car, etc.” He believes these provisions should be made in order to make work easier for teachers.
He highlighted distance as his challenge, stating that he finds it tiring having to drive the long distance and has noticed it affects his efficiency. “I usually get really tired after such a long drive,” he admitted.
Turning around what would have been perceived to be another disadvantage, Afonya didn’t let his spirit get dampened by the size of his salary, he trained himself to spend less and save more in a bid to manage his finances. “In my financial life, working has shaped my saving culture. Since I knew the salary was small I enrolled in a mutual fund to enable me save.”
Speaking of having a side hustle, Afonya admitted he had one, his very own business called, “Hectofons Ideal Concept”. He stated that his reason for setting up this business was to be stable and independent financially knowing he has a family to cater for. “I need to be financially stable to take care of the needs of my family,” he said.
Based on his after-school experience, Afonya advised young people to get a clear direction on their desired choice of career and begin the pursuit before exiting the university in order to overcome unpleasant outcomes afterwards. “They should build a career pathway before leaving school so they are not faced with unemployment,” he advised.
There you go! Handling a day job and personal business simultaneously is Afonya Davies’ means of survival. What’s yours?
Written by Jennifer Chioma Amadi
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EMPLOYEE INSIGHT: “DEDICATION IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE JOB THAT SPEAKS FOR YOU”- ANONYMOUS EMPLOYEE
Depending on how you perceive the workplace, it can be a learning platform for those willing and patient enough to be trained. One of the many things you learn while working is human relations and as we all know, humans could be quite dynamic and different in their ways. This has since been a major challenge for most persons in the corporate world since they have to constantly interact with colleagues in order to achieve the common goal of the company.
Now this task becomes more arduous when you are directly responsible for others within the workspace. You would realise that some people are easier to connect and work with than others. This week we interviewed a HSE Specialist who works at one of the reputable oil and gas companies in Nigeria and whose job specification entails supervision of workers in a bid to ensure they abide by safety rules, in order to maintain a safe working environment.
Even though this is a huge responsibility, our interviewee continues to learn better human relationship approaches with the aim to make the most out of his job. Let us take a glimpse of his work life…
Our interviewee when describing the impact of his work in his life indicated its enormous influence on him so far, “Working has given me a sense of responsibility. It teaches endurance especially with the fact that I meet different people with background and training different from mine. It increases my knowledge about life especially when I communicate with colleagues and those I supervise. The push to be better is also there,” he said.
Amazingly, he had studied a different course while in school and only developed interest for HSE along the line, “I studied Industrial Chemistry but during my Industrial Attachment in the HSE department, I picked interest in the field and equipped myself by undergoing a safety training during my NYSC,” he stated.
As regards his career trajectory, our respondent pointed out that he has been opportune to start with a higher position unlike his counterparts, “Compared to where most persons start from in building their HSE career, I started with a better position,” he indicated.
Though he seem to have had a smooth ride in his field, his experience came with many lessons to be learnt as regards relating with people in his workplace. He said, “I have learnt patience when building safety culture in people and realised that not everyone you are working with has your best interest at heart. At some point, you will get to understand that real life experiences are usually different from what you study in books. Also, dedication is an integral part of the job that speaks for you.”
Concerning his finances, he attested the positive impact working has made in his financial life thus far. “Really my financial life has improved tremendously. However the bad part is that you have to wait till month end to get that joy that good amount of money is entering your account.”
As we know, everything that has advantages also have a downside to it. Our respondent candidly expressed the disadvantages that accompanied his job, “You don’t get to rest as much as you would like. You are cut-off from what happens out there in the world because most times you are at work. There is also the aspect of someone talking to you as they please because they are above you. Blackmail is another thing that goes on around the worksite because certain persons want favours from their bosses,” he said.
Expressing his daily work struggles further, our interviewee said, “Some days you just want to sleep and not go to work but you have to show up anyway.”
When asked if he had a side hustle, he indicated he did and added it is simply based on the love he has for it and not necessarily for extra cash, “I teach in a foundation because I really love to teach,” he said
For his closing remark, our interviewee said, “Being a HSE Specialist is an interesting career that would teach you how to treat your own workers especially if you have it in mind one day to own your company.”
Written by Jennifer Chioma Amadi
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UNVOICED PERSPECTIVE: JOBS FOR SALE
One of the scarcest and presumably the hardest things to find these days in Nigeria is the ‘right’ job. In fact the concept of a right job have far been erased from the minds of many and overtime people apply for any available job. Every now and then thousands of unemployed people steadily cast their net broad and wide hoping to catch a job from the deep blue sea of companies. Asides from being open to any type of job, some people would do anything to get the job.
Due to this high desperation in job search, some recruiting agencies consider it to be a money making venture thereby exploiting many job seekers. Often times, some job opportunities these recruiter present are fake and just a deceptive means of enriching themselves. So while they present irresistible job opportunities to the desperate unemployed crowd, they enlarge their pockets.
In most occasions some job seekers are left indecisive, dangling between missing out and grabbing the seemingly life changing job offer. Several cases have been reported by victim who had the unpleasant experiences. From our research, we spotted a list of companies from the Ngcareer platform who have exploited many job seekers.
Shifting our focus away from exploiting recruiters, job seekers are also part of this as most are usually the first to strike a deal. They literally lure either the recruiting agency or the HR personnel in order to buy their favour.
With this development, it seems as though the job sector is slightly turning into a market where people trade, continuously buying and selling jobs. If things continue to play out this way we then ask the question, do the qualified ever get the jobs right for them or are the spaces sold out?
Let’s know your thoughts.
Written by Jennifer Chioma Amadi
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EMPLOYEE INSIGHT: “THINK LONG, THINK HARD, BE OBJECTIVE AND LOGICAL WITH YOUR CHOICES”- NNEDIMMA IKEME
Teaching, especially when it comes to children, is one of the toughest responsibilities one could handle owing to the fact that much patience and energy is required. Nevertheless, this imperative task cannot be shoved aside and just like the great Whitney Houston sang, “I believe in the children of our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way,” emphasizing the need to properly educate the little ones.
While most parents and guardians don’t have the time and patience to live out these words, there are those who have dedicated their lives to teaching and grooming these children. This set of people whom we often call teachers continuously bear the
Today our spotlight is on Nnedimma Ikeme, a tutor in a lesson centre who uses both formal and informal methods to teach children. She is undoubtedly one of the few special hands chosen to nurture little ones and without exaggeration, one could perceive Nnedimma’s impact distance away.
CAREER TRAJECTORY
For one who had no prior knowledge about her current career path, Nnedimma has opened herself up and has developed deep passion for the new world in front of her. Nnedimma stated the tremendous impact working has made in her personal and career life, “working has greatly helped me prioritise my life better and has given me a clearer career path,” she said.
From what started as a casual voluntary work, Nnedimma admitted that she has grown to love her profession even though it was not her course of study in school. However, she has consciously equipped herself by exploring most of the learning opportunities available to her and has acquired necessary skills over the past three years.
“Working as a volunteer at first, helped me realize I loved teaching and with time, I worked intentionally to hone that skill; garnering experience as I worked.”
Nnedimma has experienced significant advancement in her chosen field since she commenced work. Her rapid career growth has proven that an amateur in any field can eventually become a master with diligence and dedication. “There has been growth with regard to promotion; from a volunteer, Assistant Tutor to a full-time Tutor that also doubles as an Interim Administrator when the need arises. The financial benefits have not been as good as I would like them to be, but it’s all ‘work in progress’”.
One way to check our progress most times is through feedback. Nnedimma narrated her most remarkable experience which highlights her initial struggles with a particular child and the results she had afterwards. Her narrative;
“My first one-on-one child, Jose Maria is someone I can never forget. He taught me patience and made me imbibe virtues that I thought alien to my personality, while I explored and stretched myself beyond what was expected from me as a teacher. Working with the older kids and still maintaining a wonderful rapport has also helped shape up my work life for the better. Feedback from parents and children alike, make all the stress worth it.”
Concerning her challenges at work, Nnedimma highlighted two major familiar key points which is usually the case for most people in her profession. “The exhausting long hours and the remuneration are major challenges.”
Due to the nature of her job, its demands and tight schedule, Nnedimma admitted that she barely has time to include other activities that would improve her financial life. “I earn better than I did five years ago, but considering the changing times, it’s not enough. The constrictive nature of my job does not give room for an extra source of income, hence my earnings are not enough for all I need to do within a stipulated time.”
Like most workers, Nnedimma identified low payment as a major disadvantage. She stated, “I work for long hours, but I don’t get enough remuneration. The hours do not give room for anything else,” she said. However as regards having a side hustle, “I would love to have one,” she confessed.
Wrapping up her interview session, Nnedimma had some deep words for young career climbers. “Think long, think hard, be objective, and logical with your choices. Money is a good incentive/motivator, but if you are green, ensure that experience comes first, then higher remuneration befitting one’s experience will surely follow,” she advised.
Written by Jennifer Chioma Amadi
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UNVOICED PERSPECTIVE: BREAK OR BUILD WITH WORDS
“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”- Benjamin Franklin
An unknown tool instrumental to the growth of a business, which most employers and employees fail to recognise, is spoken words. Many times, the words we speak might seem inconsequential to us to the point we fail to pay attention to what we say. We frequently underestimate the power of our words both to ourselves and to our colleagues at work.
In some corporate firms, a boss or senior staff uses the name-calling approach towards a junior staff to address an offense or a mistake. In addition, colleagues exchange hurtful words. “You must be blind not to have seen this mistake!” “Only idiots make lame moves like this,” “fool, leave my office”, there are endless examples that could be cited to show the unpleasant attitude displayed in the workplace. All these are termed ways of expressing oneself, in the process ignoring the other person’s feelings.
Some people brag about being vocal and therefore believe they have the right to lash out irrespective of who is involved. Never does it cross their minds to examine the weight of their words and the aftermath. In the end, there are a lot of many bruised emotions and disconnected people in the work environment.
When people are disconnected, there is a nosedive in productivity. It is important to note that words can either make or mar and even destroy professional relationships. No client would appreciate having abusive workers execute their job. This makes the work toxic and less efficient.
The opening quote made by one of the founding fathers of America, Benjamin Franklin, explicitly suggest how best to speak at every point in time regardless of how we feel. Benjamin Franklin obviously must have worked with all types of people with different characters. Yet in the midst of them, he learned a better way to handle human relationship. This is what we often refer as emotional intelligence.
Unlike Franklin, in our present time, many leaders of organisations have not quite understood how to relate excellently which has been a major flaw on their part. Knowing that the words you say to your team could either encourage or discourage them, more of them may become cautious with their choice of words.
Employees are not exempted. They too must learn to control their words and speak right. The organisation functions better when everyone has a knowledge of what is acceptable and what is not. Proper communication between people within the workspace should be included as part of the work ethics of any organisation. This way everyone shares the responsibility of building the company.
Written by Jennifer Chioma Amadi
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When we understand that words could either
- Published in Team
EMPLOYEE INSIGHT: “WORKING HAS TAUGHT ME HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE,” – RACHAEL
The financial management world is a broad and tasking one where concentration and discipline are the key to unlocking success as a practitioner. Handling of finances, no matter how small especially in the area of loans, is probably one of the most risky jobs. Despite the risk involved, more persons continue to find their footing in that line of career. Let us peek into the work life of Ahayedo Rachael Osarugue, a Credit Officer.
Rachael summarises her job description simply, “I give out loans and also help people save.” This may sound simple but certainly entails a great deal of financial expertise in order to deal with the different financial situations of clients.
CAREER IMPACT
From her educational background, Rachael was lucky to have had a little foundation in her chosen career, “I studied business administration in school and right now I’m presently managing my branch though my career is based more on accounting now.”
Racheal has gleaned some vital life lessons during the course of work, she stated the sense of responsibility it has given her and her ability to adequately make futuristic plans.
“Working has really made me understand what my parents went through to settle my needs while I was much younger. It has also taught me how important it is to plan for the future as working is not forever.”
From her experience, Rachael concluded, “there is no good or bad client.” With this non-judgmental attitude towards her clients, she continues to keep an open mind about her job. This way she ensures all clients are served without any bias or disrespect.
Notwithstanding her open mindedness, Racheal acknowledged a major disadvantage that more often than not causes a setback in the organisation. “It’s possible you give out loans and you don’t get a payback or your payback is delayed,” she said.
The first step to solving a problem is to first identify it. After Rachael identified what challenged her most, she ensured it never hinders her from executing her job excellently. “I’m not too good with computers so I have to go extra length to do a perfect job,” she admitted.
Unlike most employees whose reason for having other opportunities asides their main job is basically to make more money. However, Rachael, driven by her passion for teaching, added it as a side hustle. She rightly stated, “I teach sometimes because I enjoy it.”
Based on her work experience so far, Rachael specifically advised those that would like to venture into the same career, “just don’t trust any client, not even the one that seems best at the moment.”
From the lessons Ahayedo Rachael Osarugue has shared with us, you can tell the work of a credit officers isn’t easy but with the right attitude, one can continuously improve and become better.
Written by Jennifer Chioma Amadi
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- Published in Team
UNVOICED PERSPECTIVE: THE DANGER OF NEPOTISM
The effects of nepotism on the growth of a business can never be overemphasized. Actually, it has been a clog on the wheel of most businesses. It is painful and discouraging when a loyal employee, due for promotion, is relegated in favour of another who is not qualified for that particular position but is accepted because he or she is the Boss’s relative.
Unfortunately, most business owners are not aware of the far-reaching consequences nepotism has on their business growth. Indirectly, this scenario encourages what we call ‘eye-service’ in the workplace. Every employee wants to be in ‘Oga’s good books’ by behaving a certain way in his presence – to get his favour – and in his absence, act in a certain way which on the long run affects the business negatively. They do this not because they hate the organization but because of the insecurity they feel with regards to their being promoted based on their efforts in growing the business and not the bias that comes from their Boss’s nepotistic tendencies.
Nepotism affects employee’s psychology making them feel that since they don’t stand a chance of being promoted or their efforts being recognized, they shouldn’t bother working hard or putting in their best; having it at the back of their minds that their Boss’s relative will always be preferred over them. Over time, employees’ passion for the job declines and everyone tends towards ‘eye-servicing’ because they feel that no matter how good they are and what values they have added to the company, their efforts will go unrecognized.
When employees do not give their best to the organization, it negatively affects the quality of the service rendered and in time, customers complaints starts soaring and subsequently a withdrawal in patronage occurs and this causes the business revenue to decline because income is generated when money is exchanged for products or services offered by the business to their customers. When there are no customers or a few customers, you know what that implies.
In addition, most business owners should take the bull by the horn to put an end to this workplace mayhem since this problem largely stems from them. Employees love to work in an environment where their career advancement prospects is certain against an atmosphere that stifles their potentials. As much as we love our relatives, if they aren’t best fit for a position and you have a loyal staff who is due for that position, why not allow him or her occupy that position?
Although we have looked at nepotism as it concerns promotions, it also plays out in other areas at the workplace like when taking disciplinary action to staff for unruly behavior. Everyone should be subject to same rules and principles, and not selective administration of penalties.
Written by Rejoice Emmanuel
Do you desire a better organizational structure for your business? We are well equipped and experienced to meet your needs. Send us an email at wecare@mapemond.com.
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