Hi All,
So everybody and their uncle is laying off, right? All of a sudden, a lot of people are 'surplus to requirements'. In Nigeria, it's not different Banks, telcos, oil companies, etc, all have laid off staff in the last year or so. Both nationally and internationally, the job market has been lean and unfriendly this year.  The end result is that staff perceived as 'deadwood' or 'unproductive' are shown the way out. Staff holding down regular jobs now feel very threatened, and are searching for alternatives. Whatever the case is, the workplace has changed for good. Even if we experience an upsurge, which I doubt will happen in the shorter term, most corporations will proceed with caution. So, in this new unfriendly climate, how do people keep their jobs, livelihoods, etc?

The truth is, the workplace has been changing for a while. Corporations nowadays are not disposed to keeping staff who are 'loyal', they only want to keep staff that have actual value, much more than what they're paid. People that don't have high maintenance costs, go for the kill immediately, start producing value from day 1 rather than having to wait a while before getting the hang of the work, and can even leave before the organization has the opportunity to downsize them. People that can bring in skills they have qcuired for themselves elsewhere, rather than looking to the company to upskill them. That is the new corporate expectation; it's been around for a while, but we all just never saw it coming. We have been so conditioned to sit in a job for years and years, get promoted, earn bonuses, etc, just because we are there, that we never realised the game changed at some point.

I remember my dad always saying that in the old days, in a Shell, people worked at Shell, lived Shell, befriended only co-employees of Shell, married people working at Shell, lived in the same neighbourhoods as people who worked at Shell, etc. So when Shell started letting people go without prior warning, it was a calamity for most. Same thing is happening nowadays; people comfortable in their jobs are getting shaken up, and it seems like their world just came crashing down.

In my personal view, we all need to factor in this new paradigm shift, and restructure our lives accordingly. Let us sell our skills rather than our loyalty to the organizations, let us think like entrepreneurs rather than employees, let us see our renumeration as income rather than wages, let us restructure and enrich all aspects of our lives, rather than building our entire existence on a particular company. Let's live like consultants, regarding each job, each company, as an assignment, and look forward to the next, rather than running away from change. It will come, no matter how far we run.

Comments welcomed.

thanks for this solid write-up, Its a good eye-opener.

Ajanlekoko

ive been on this since i started wrking. Thier is nothing i dont do for money;

my financial goal next year is

gross salary= X
side kicks = 2X

i must make double of my annual salary (min) next year from external runs
as for me, nothn is guaranteed even ma life so i have to be prepared for any eventuality. if my employer tells me to go to ma house today, ill run with ma 2 legs up singing halleluyah

i no dey fear sack at all

Brilliant! But not all people are enterpising. I know of someone who was building and didn't even know the price of cement. _{he had contractor to do everything for him} This goes to say that some people can't think or make use of their brains.
^{common sense is not common}

slimes:

Brilliant! But not all people are enterpising. I know of someone who was building and didn't even know the price of cement. _{he had contractor to do everything for him} This goes to say that some people can't think or make use of their brains.
^{common sense is not common}

Well, not everybody needs to know the price of cement. In fact, I don't.

price of cement

not ready to build a house yet

well, its good to save and invest, but the greatest obstacle to long time savings and investements is inflation. many jobs also hardly pay really beyond what makes you confortable. you have a lot of , to take care of. wife mother father, inlaws, brothers sisters church, mosque, clubs, the list goes on and on

lekside44:

well, its good to save and invest, but the greatest obstacle to long time savings and investements is inflation. many jobs also hardly pay really beyond what makes you confortable. you have a lot of , to take care of. wife mother father, inlaws, brothers sisters church, mosque, clubs, the list goes on and on

@lekside44

Look at this from this angle:

first save, then over time invest what you've saved, and save again. As your income grows, you should be able to save more, while keeping your lifestyle in check. Investment also includes your career, i.e. you should invest in yourself.
Inflation will always be there, whether you save or not, so not saving cos of inflation is a bit of a lazy man's drone.

As per taking care of a bunch of dependants . . . look at it this way. You can only give what you have. Dependants will never stop asking, so it is possible for you to spend 100% of your income on dependants.
It may sound harsh, but I applied a rule which caps my monthly handouts, irrespective of the person concerned. If you're a dependant, you shouldn't live beyond a particular level. Imagine a dependant asking me for help to acquire DSTV! I told the person that since they're not working, they don't deserve to own a TV talk less of DSTV. And, despite what you might think, nobody is going to kill you or hex you. Just stay away from them, and also live a sober lifestyle, and trust God for your safety. If their wahala is too much, you should consider leaving the country.

@ ajenlekoko. True talk.

AjanleKoko:
As per taking care of a bunch of dependants . . .  look at it this way. You can only give what you have. Dependants will never stop asking, so it is possible for you to spend 100% of your income on dependants.
It may sound harsh, but I applied a rule which caps my monthly handouts, irrespective of the person concerned. If you're a dependant, you shouldn't live beyond a particular level. Imagine a dependant asking me for help to acquire DSTV! I told the person that since they're not working, they don't deserve to own a TV talk less of DSTV. And, despite what you might think, nobody is going to kill you or hex you. Just stay away from them.

      

My man, you are not far from the truth. Once you are working in this country, all extended family, cousins, et al will begin to draw up their annual budget on your income.

Infact av not spoken with one of my nieces for over 6 mths because of an issue like this. She keeps asking for money and recharge cards all the time but she will never call to say 'thank you' after loading the card. Can you imagine i'll have to call again to confirm she had loaded the card?

Its not funny, man

Just stay away from them, and also live a sober lifestyle, and trust God for your safety. If their wahala is too much, you should consider leaving the country

This is one of the main reasons I'm not keen on relocating to Nigeria. Only last week, one of my distant cousins I hardly know called to demand money, with some desperados ready to do whatever it takes, I can't guarantee their safety if I relocate to Nigeria as I'll certainly react vitiously if I'm treatened by any dead beat. Then you ask yourself what's the point in even moving. It's almost feeling like a crime to have good for nothing extended family!

well, will you suggest that the western system of lifestyle is the best=me, my wife and kid fullstop?

lekside44:

well, will you suggest that the western system of lifestyle is the best=me, my wife and kid fullstop?

I'd rather answer your question with a question:

Which is more useful to the ecosystem, symbiosis or parasitism?

Nice article sir,the thing is we don't strategize as employees.as your employer strategizes you too need to do the same for your future.

PMP:

Nice article sir,the thing is we don't strategize as employees.as your employer strategizes you too need to do the same for your future.

@PMP, that's wrong thinking. To survive in the workplace, everybody needs to strategize.
To stay employed, either in a job, an organization, or an industry, you need to have a strategy for growth and survival.
Else you will be blown about by the employer's whims, and eventually blown out.

Ajanlekoko, I have not met anyone more insight and perspective than you on this forum. Its so obvious that you THINK. And that must in some way account for your success. Please we need you in other sections like politics and romance.

From what I have been hearing nowadays, it seems the world is moving to a stage where you will only earn if you produce. It s almost like there will be a machine measuring one's productivity to determine one's income.

I hope I can adjust quick enough. I have definitely immersed myself in the Nigerian system of come to work, do nothing, and get paid at the end of the month.

very challenging thread. Sincerely, once I saw the topic I closed my eyes to guess who started the thread, and I didn't miss.
I read a book a while back "What Rich People Know and try to Keep Secret". Among the Core Idea of the book is having a USP. A Unique Selling Point. In sales there must be clear advantage your product has, a definite and quantifiable amount of value it adds that makes people put their money on it no matter the price. The same in life.
What skill makes you indispensable to your employer ? If you're not in the asset column guess what column you are on ?
The Soft skills are worth nothing alone (Its like having to eat only salt, no hunger can be that bad!) If you don't have core skills, and in the ripple of the economic meltdown the smart guys are developing multiple concentric competencies. Honing a set of skills that are It helps to think of yourself as a brand. Like Obama said last night, the buck passing stops with me.

It starts with having a sense of responsibility [read:response ability - the ability to respond rightly] and personal ownership towards your duties. Your integrity going past the level of "I tried my best" to that of "I delivered". If you chose to be a mediocre working for someone else, you'll find it tough developing discipline, an eagle's eye for business opportunity, and a "nothing is impossible" attitude all at once while growing the business, not that its not possible.
There's a book I read in bits and bytes - 19 Contrarian Laws of Success. One of the Chapters reads "Never Meet Your Customers Expectation!" the twist is that in the competitive world of business only what product or service falls short or stands out is remembered first before all the average folks. Exceeding your customers (or employees) expectations is what puts you ahead of Your competition.

beejaei:

Ajanlekoko, Please we need you in other sections like politics and romance.

Politics, I pass through on occasion, but . . . ROMANCE

hey do anyone knows how i cud change my username or deactivate my account?

AjanleKoko:

Politics, I pass through on occasion, but . . . ROMANCE

@all,
mister ajanlekoko is a married man win kid/kids. so he is not in the categories of you younger generation still searching.

@lekside, you know what? I will turn up in that Romance section and drop something for them sef.
Problem is, just like in the Religion section, the peeps there believe they know EXACTLYwhat they're talking about, so what's the point?

Your write-up is encouraging but should also take into consideration other factors. I am assuming that your write-up is not only for professionals in Nigeria.
For instance, whatever strategy you develop must take into cognisance cultural dimensions. The mindset you have when you work in the west is different from the mind-set you should have if you work in the middle-east or Asia. Individualism works very well in the US, UK, etc but collectivism, the opposite works well in China, Japa, the middle-east.

Secondly, corporate culture and cultural dimensions plays a huge part in who gets laid off when redundancy exercises kick in. Its not uncommon for the most skilled workers to get laid off because they are usually the highest paid in any organisation. Middle managers are the first to be laid off because, the workforce beneath them can easily be distributed to the remaining managers; since top management rarely reduce its numbers.

Having said that, the advantages of improving one's skill-set outweighs the advantages of not doing so. Afterall, a very ambitious and highly skilled professional can switch location much more easily than the average worker.

Just my 2 cents.

Your write-up is encouraging but should also take into consideration other factors. I am assuming that your write-up is not only for professionals in Nigeria.
For instance, whatever strategy you develop must take into cognisance cultural dimensions. The mindset you have when you work in the west is different from the mind-set you should have if you work in the middle-east or Asia. Individualism works very well in the US, UK, etc but collectivism, the opposite works well in China, Japa, the middle-east.

Secondly, corporate culture and cultural dimensions plays a huge part in who gets laid off when redundancy exercises kick in. Its not uncommon for the most skilled workers to get laid off because they are usually the highest paid in any organisation. Middle managers are the first to be laid off because, the workforce beneath them can easily be distributed to the remaining managers; since top management rarely reduces its numbers.

Having said that, the advantages of improving one's skill-set outweighs the advantages of not doing so. Afterall, a very ambitious and highly skilled professional can switch location much more easily than the average worker.

Just my 2 cents.