ZENVERSATIONS!

My life since my last blog post has been very interesting, and I would love to tell you all about it, but I have more pressing issues.

A couple of days ago, I went to visit a friend. While I was there, another friend of his called to complain about work. Apparently, their company’s Group Managing Director had sent out a memo instructing all staff to go on Instagram and post birthday wishes to him on his special day.

They, and a number of others “disobeyed this directive,” and the Human Resources Manager decided that a certain amount should be deducted from their salaries.

When I first heard this, I laughed out loud. Of course, this sounded too silly to be real.

But it was.

At first, I was amused. Then I remembered I had left a job for similar reasons—because of the management culture. My amusement quickly turned to anger. I shared this to my WhatsApp story, and the responses I got made me even more livid.

I was hot and boiling.

There was some shock from a few people, but no one was truly surprised. Almost everyone had a story. Some were worse than my friend’s experience. Some were eerily similar. Others were different, but even more ridiculous.

From the employee whose management instructed all staff to change their profile pictures to that of the Managing Director, to the one who, during a full team meeting, was asked if the revenue made the previous week was enough to fuel their car or pay their salaries and when they didn’t answer, because what do you even say to something that absurd? They were yelled at anyway.

All these stories drew the same reaction from me but still no real surprise because we have been conditioned to see this very abnormal behaviour as normal.

In my friend’s words:

“Nigeria is an aberration when it comes to employee-employer relationships.”

And I completely agree.

So many people in leadership positions have fashioned themselves into small gods, sitting in their nice, plush offices, dreaming up new ways to offer their employees up as sacrifices. The workplace has become so toxic, it’s no wonder so many people hate their jobs.

I went from being a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed employee to someone who struggled to get out of bed in the morning, someone who had random anxiety attacks worrying about what harsh words would be flung at me in the next meeting.

One of the responses I received was from someone who said:

“I work someplace now, and even if the pay isn’t everything, the treatment has been awesome. The contrast between where I work now and where I used to work is so great, I don’t know how I survived that previous place. The daily abuse and even fear.”

Imagine taking a lower-paying job because…at least, it comes with peace of mind.
Imagine quitting a job without another offer lined up simply because being unemployed is better than spending one more day in that toxic environment.
Imagine having your salary deducted because you didn’t wish your CEO a fucking happy birthday.
And being unable to speak up… because you’re scared.

Scared of what they might do to you.
Scared they’ll find a reason to fire you.
Scared because there’s no protection for workers.

We have labour laws, but they’re almost useless. The system is broken. The culture is broken. Too many people are complicit in this degenerative behavior.

This friend of mine doesn’t have the privilege to leave like I did. That breaks my heart. Knowing that she and many others are stuck working under #horriblebosses makes me sick to my stomach.

Maybe it’s time we start calling them out.
Maybe that will save someone else from walking into hell with a smile.

If you’re reading this and you’re stuck in a messy work situation, I want you to know this:

✨ You’re not alone.
✨ You deserve better.
✨ I hope you find a job that treats you like a human being.
✨ I hope you find a workplace that feels like home.

XO,
Zen.