Ebele stepped into her boss’ office, and before she could explain why she wanted to see him, he bellowed: “Please get out of my office!!!” Ebele was deflated. She looked around to see if anyone was listening or looking and managed to force the tears (that were almost running down her eyes) in as she hurriedly left, scared that her boss might call her back and rain abuses on her like he always did.

On second thoughts, she wondered, “Why should I allow this bother me? I should be used to this by now.” Ebele recalled the first time her boss spoke to her in a demeaning manner. She wept like a baby and tried to prevent her colleagues from noticing. However, one of them did, and begged her to stop crying, advising her to get used to it. Ebele replied: “Get used to it??? Hmmmmn.” She quickly wiped her tears, but still had to go somewhere else to continue crying since her eyes were still heavy and she needed to cry some more to feel better.

Every time Ebele’s boss demeaned her, she asked herself how long she would remain in an environment that ‘haunts’ her. She understood that everyone goes through challenges in the workplace, but her experience in this particular organisation was ‘too bad’. It was affecting her emotional well-being and even her relationships outside of work. Finally, she decided to resign! First, she no longer enjoyed the job. Second, she had a boss who was deriving sadistic pleasure from treating her like garbage and consistently declaring she would never amount to anything good. It was a clear sign that she had to leave the toxic work environment for good before it completely shattered her self-confidence and prospects for better opportunities elsewhere. She said to herself, “This Company is not meant for me.”

Though, some people might ask her why she worked in company A for just 2 months, Company B for 3 months and Company Z for 4 months, she reasoned that any forward-looking company deserving of her skills would hire her for her skill-set and not necessarily the length of time she had stayed with any company. Today, she is glad she made that split-second decision. She now works in a much better environment and has a sane boss who has restored her peace of mind and confidence.

TO ALL EMPLOYEES!

No employer is worth sacrificing your peace of mind, your health, your family, your career and most importantly, GOD for. You must think of yourself first before any employer so that you can make the decisions that are best for you (in sanity)

A good employer will not calculate your length of stay in your previous workplace to determine how productive you would be and what you would bring to the table.

TO ALL EMPLOYERS!

Putting fear in your employees is a bad leadership style. You would end up losing your best hands every now and then. Let’s always consider the fact that no one started as a champion. In essence, employers were once employees. Most importantly, do not forget your employee today might be a boss to you/children tomorrow. What goes around comes around. When that time comes, how will you feel? What you do today may just determine how tomorrow will play out.

Credit: Chekwube Uchea (MSc., ACIPM- HRPL)

HR Consultant | Recruiter | Industrial Sociologist | Researcher | Analyst: HR & People Solutions at Alan and Grant