I reported at 7.30am and it was the first day at work in the bank’s headquarters. Quickly, they told me to go home and return at 4.30pm for a night shift. On that night, the first ever experience of working at night, I slept off, and slept off. The lead engineer that night reported me to the boss in the morning. The next day, I also slept off, but a small sleep off. On the 3rd day, there was a message, and that message was unambiguous – it is either you figure out how to be awake or you can return home to sleep as much as you want! Yes, it is now business.
People, this night shift was an uncommon job: from 6pm, you would be required to initiate scripts in Oracle, maintain HP 9000 server series running on UNIX / Linux and print cabals in more than 13 dot matrix printers. If you make a mistake, the next day, the bank would be unable to open for operations for customers because End of Day has not been completed! In other words, the branches will tell customers that “system is down”. It was not a network issue. What happened most times was that two graduates did not complete those demanding routines.
When the message came, right there, I learnt that your colleague is not necessarily your friend, and companies cannot be families, no matter how you want to paint it. “Pally, if you do not handle your sleep, I will request for you to be replaced in my shift”, I told a fresh graduate who joined and was to work under me, now a” boss”. He could not believe it. I reminded him that losing your job is not the issue, the issue is that those policemen can lock us up if both of us sleep overnight and unable to get this done (sabotage to the bank); so, are you ready to work? He got the message, and froze sleep to earn his pay!
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But it was a great experience, picking graduates out of NYSC and handing over huge responsibilities – and in the process PAYING THEM SO MUCH money that you may say is immoral. Yes, they paid really well with generous bonuses which made newbies like us lobby to work on Christmas, New Year and all holidays because money rained. Three months into a job, you could buy a really nice car and a good flat in Ikeja.
But never fall to any illusion because if you stop delivering value, the penalty is ferocious; you are cut-out. At one time my job was to cut people out of the bank system, and whenever you get the list, you remind yourself that “this is a workplace, and will never be a family home”. Change Your Attitude At Work, You’re Nobody’s Kid. If they pretend it is a family, just pray there is no bad quarter while you are there.
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The message is pretty straightforward: never take a rest or sleep off when you should be working.
When is time to flush out non performing staff, nobody remembers those beautiful team bonding events and happy hour moments, you are suddenly thrown out out there, not minding the coldness.
You must earn your stay every single day, else you deserve any meal you get served subsequently.
Loved reading this.
Quite insightful!
I have always belonged to the same thought process. I really do not believe any employer has your back. You just need to deliver based on your KPI and find what works for you to get ahead of the rest of the pack. Even though I leant this the hard way, I believe all employers are CAPITALIST.
I once worked for a company for 365 days for many years. As a young chap without any marital obligations, I was fully focused on my work without any social life. But in the end, the company still treat me like every other person. Even though I got better bonuses than my peers but you’re just part of the employees not more nothing less. Colleaques would pick you apart whenever they have the opportunity.