JOBDANCY: EMPLOYMENT AND RESIGNATION

Earlier in the week I wrote about how I had very little to do at work and my fear that I would soon be made redundant (a state which I am now calling jobdancy). I also started to write about how it all began.

As I said earlier this week that I wish that "I can turn back the hands of time", why? it might be asked, what is in that employment letter that is so bad? ....nothing at all, everybody has the write to protect their own interest,(at least that is what I now believe). The only bad thing there is that I naively signed a letter, while I had reservations about the contents and did not give myself a chance to digest the content properly.....

So what was in this letter ........that is making me write this long Epistle..............., well Ego limited told me in the letter that (this are the things that i would advise anybody who has gotten an employment offer to watch out for and ensure that they have clarity on before signing on the dotted lines ..and believe me the lines are dotted...):

A) I would be earning a gross salary of 100,000 per month (tax inclusive) ..... so that was the meaning of the Base (for further clarification on the difference between Basic and Base please follow this link http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/69070-multi-part-verbs-base-basic-salary.html or google it) imagine a dreamer's suprise, me that I was already dreaming of something in the region of 300,000.....;

B) I am only entitled to two weeks leave, ..... as opposed to the four weeks that i was getting where i was before..,

C) I would be on probation for 1 whole year before confirmation, ......imagine my shock who has ever heard of 1 year of probation before enh?.......

D) My closing time although slated for 5pm, would be solely determined by the volume of work given to me ..... as explained by the other admin officer, that means if I am about closing at quarter past 5 and a senior colleague wants me to do an assignment no matter how irrelevant I am to sit my ass down and get to it until I finish and then wait for a response, ( digressing: I never Knew that it was a crime to go home at you closing time even if you were not doing anything until Igot to Ego Limited)..... I of course asked the admin person when they normally closed for the they and I was told that they closed "pretty early".

E) Yes!, less I forget I was to work as a graduate trainee ... No comment...

F) Benefits include: one gets to attend lots of training ....practically every week (i was told ooo!!!)...., both in house and outside ....... I never knew that weekly lecture in the office taken by senior colleagues with whole lot of delays and cancellation, was what was termed "training"........; a health insurance; and traveling ........ if you can call attending a conference where you are used as secretary to book rooms and flights, carry banners and fliers, take notes, delivering messages and sending reminders to the MD; and going for compulsory retreat in Ajah, while you had a family function where you are needed, traveling then i guess that pat of the contract is being fulfilled...........

As you all know by now, I signed the contract, .......... before you all say that I should have known better, I would have you all know that at that particular time Ihadn't reviewed the contract up to a thousand times in my head so was unable to break it down like I am doing now...... Although (I would have you know that), I was hesitant and I even asked the admin officer if I could take the contract with me to review and the bring back a signed copy, the answer was a capital NO. ........ I should have guessed that the admin officer would turn out to be a serious "thorn" in mu flesh later on (a story for another day)........

Besides I was very excited about the prospect of starting a new job in my field, in a place where I could get a chance to grow, apply what I have spent my whole life learning and learn new things. Also I thought once I got confirmed the annual leave period would be increased, ....this was my major concern at the time, (that the leave period was too short can you just imagine ... didn't know I had more fishes to fry) not the fact that i would be earning far less than what I was earning before..... At the time, it had yet to register to me that I was accepting a position far lower than the position that I was before, ......... this one is pure ignorance on my part, no justification at all.....

So I signed the contract got my copy and got out of there, to resume in two weeks, by then (to Myne Whitman) I had given my two weeks notice to the company I was working with.

How did they take it? On giving my resignation, everyone was sad, ... but it was well understood that it was just a matter of time before I left, as it was no place for someone planning to grow and develop. Also as the position that I was in would be the highest I would ever go to within the organisation..... The office was just dull that day, but they wished me well and immediately we started to search for my replacement, ........that is the thing that I miss most about working there, the pace, you just do not stop working, I remember when I resumed there I already had work waiting for me, I loved it every minute of it ( except when the owner wants you to do things that are professionally wrong and could ruin your career, which was the main reason that I left, but of course I could not write that in my resignation letter)....

We found my replacement, negotiated the pay (......good negotiation skill on my replacement's part, got more than twice of what am earning now...........) and the replacement resumed for handing over, this did not take long.

On the day my resignation was effected the owner called me and told me to stay that my pay would be increased and I would be trained by the best in the industry, I said no thank you ....... this is because it wasn't about the money for me and the owner tends to stretch the truth at times to get a favourable result.. (at least I was wanted, that is more than I can say for my present situation)....., I was wished well and off I went for a few days break before I resumed work.

On resuming at Ego limited I was asked by a friend (someone who was then working with the firm) that who was I reporting to?, .... Imagine the pity i received when i mentioned my senior collegues' name, but it wasn't the pity that worried me it was the fear and horror the name provoked............

And All I Wanted to do Was Learn and Grow

What have I gotten myself into???????????

More next week ....as I have already said too much and my blog is refusing to save. For those who managed to finish reading this ranting of mine thank you.

JOBDANCY:WORK!!!!!!

Work, Work, Work.

One would think that i am repeating work because i have too much of it on my plate but no it is the drama and politics that it involves.

Infact I have too little to do and I am afraid that I will be made redundant or worse become dull, by the end of the year?

why you may ask?

Let me start by saying that, "nothing is ever as they seem".

My journey into Jobdancy (my own term for about to be redundant) started about a year and half ago, when I went for an interview in a firm called EGO limited (not the real name). This place was the bomb, the dress sense of the staff, the reception, their board room, the MD's office, their website, everything was saying well structured, organised and loaded,............... or so i thought.............

I was truly impressed and ready to sign on, the interview went great, and as I have an MSc. plus other fancy qualification (although little experience) I was expecting them to give me a call back in at least a week ,..... naive ain't I...., but it took them almost two months for them to get back to me (..... I should have seen this as the first sign of trouble, but trust me i was so psyched out about the environment that I did not care how long it took them.....,) for another interview, after which it took them another month for my employment letter to be out.

Lets talk about this wonderful letter, the first thing I saw in the mail was that I will be paid a Base salary of 100,000 monthly, I was surprised but I consoled myself that it was just the Basic and that at least with allowances it will be up to say 300,000 monthly as you know basic is usually the smallest. In the mail I was told to contact the HR to inform them of my availability. I called and told them that I would be available in two weeks, (as where I was working required two weeks notice), I of course asked about the salary and was told that I still had other Benefits not highlighted in the mail and that when I come to pick up the letter I would see them.

Very excited went home told my family about this, at this point I already had an offer from a FMGC company(this wasn't really in my field), one of the top 2 banks in in the country (i was afraid that they would put me in marketing), another bank, an NGO and i was the Head of the department in the company that I was working in............ they were happy for me and we all weighted the options and they told me to go for the bank (one of the top 2 banks in the country), I said no, (as they were all aware that a banking job in this part of the world usually entails marketing) that i did not want to be a marketer and that EGO limited would afford me the opportunity to learn a lot in my field (this offer was the only one that was truly tailored towards putting into practice what i had learnt in school, although where i was working too was in my field but there was "to me at the time" no opportunity to develop and grow). We had an extensive discussion about this, and I insisted on going with EGO limited as it would be the best place for me to grow and be able to contribute significantly, ..... or so I thought......

All I wanted to do was Expand my Knowledge.

On getting to EGO limited on the day of the appointment, the HR was not around, so an admin officer gave me my offer letter, all I can say now is that ...... Just Like R. Kelly: I wish that I could turn back the hands of time....

Until Thursday.

What if Abiola Said no to Being A President?

“Africa has come of age …….” Murtala Mohammed (MM), as I read this statement tears stung my eyes.

Why? You may ask, why not?

Before I continue, let me tell you how I came across this quote. I was reading an article by Femi Olu in The Nations’ Newspaper, this article was titled reading Patrick Wilmot.

The speech by MM was made during the Organization of African Unity in 1975.

What caught me was the relevance of that statement in this present day and the fact that the author asked a very important question. What if M.K.O Abiola hadn’t decided to run for the president of Nigeria in 1993?

Wouldn’t Ken Sarowiwa still be alive? (As Abacha would not have been the president)

But I wonder what if he hadn’t run? Would we have or believe in democracy now? Okay maybe yes?

But would we fight for it?

Would we think it was worth it?

Would Nigeria as a nation still be standing? Or would it be like other war thorn nations?

Would I love this nation so much had I not seen people sacrifice for it on that day?

What if there was no June 12?

Would democracy as we know it can be, really matter?

Would there be hope for Nigeria?

Personally I think June 12 needed to happen. I remembered that period very clearly, not much memory as clear as that. I was seven then, the streets abandoned tires getting burnt everywhere no cars to be seen, there was chaos everywhere, yet strangely peaceful as if the heavens was trying to make things right in its own way.

On June 14^th, it was Monday I was on my way home from with my aunty, (I was living in Ibadan then) I walked all the way from Abayomi to Monatan (for those in Lagos from Surulere to Maryland) no cars, no visible means of transportation, on the road till I got home. It was the longest walk of my entire life and although I was scared I loved every minute of it.

That was when I fell in love with Nigeria that was when I knew that if people were willing to die and fight for a better Nigeria that no matter what happens our great nation is worth saving.

I was young then and some of you might think its cliché but those who know me know about my passion for this frustrating, annoying, a thorn in your side but great nation.

I could not have been who I am today without that day, without that history and without that man M.K.O. Abiola (May God rest his soul).

I know there are people for whom this day June 12 1993 (the Freest, Fairest and the best democratic election in Nigeria ever) means a whole lot.

The day we knew that we could achieve whatever we put our minds to the day that Africa came of age for Nigerians.

The day that future leaders had a reason to fight for the greatness of this our nation Nigeria, the day I as a Nigerian came to believe in Nigeria.

I love this great nation of ours.

And if asked what if there was no June 12? What would your life be like?