Since the breakout of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the mode of production and the social relation of production have taken a new turn. The Pandemic inspired a new order and paradigm shift as to how people conduct themselves or are engaged and organised for economic activities. This also significantly impacted the global demand and supply of labour.
Between 2019 and 2021, there was increased voluntary and involuntary turnover in many companies across the world due to new skills on high demand for adaptability in the post Covid-19 economy and a resultant increase in the expectation of workers about what should constitute a good working condition in the new normal. This period witnessed global labour attrition which was essentially alarming in the global north.
The US Labour Department reported about 4 million people quitted their jobs in the first quarter of 2021. McKinsey report shows since April 2021, more than 19 Million of US workers have turned in their resignation. Consequently, many fast-foods and grocery stores in the US wounded up in disturbing frequency. And we saw brands like McDonalds increased hourly wages by 50 percent and offered additional perks like a free bus pass to attract and retain workers.
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A notable challenge experienced in Africa and the global south generally was a culture lag or slowness of businesses in adapting to the new normal.
Thus, as ideas of ‘’telecommuting’’, ‘’remote working’’ and ‘’hybrid work rule’’ were unlocking new possibilities, many workers were seeking escape from the monotony of the 9hour conservative work rule and the limited opportunities it offered.
Essentially, as people were fast experiencing how interesting it was to take in more jobs and earn more money within the same 9 hours or less without having to leave the comfort of their homes and their loved ones, they were leaving their jobs in huge numbers in search for more money, more flexibility and more happiness. Many started to rethink what work meant to them, how they were valued and how they used their time.
This writer interviewed Femi Adekanbi, a full stack developer at a Fintech Startup in Nigeria on his perception about remote working and having flexible work hours. The interaction was quite revealing.
Femi disclosed he may have experienced the deepest feeling of productivity and career fulfilment while remote working during the lock down. Femi who lives with his family in the mainland of Lagos travels several kilometres to his work place in the Ireland every day. Due to the tedious traffic, sometimes he’d prefer to not go home after office hours but lodge in a hotel to brace for an important meeting or presentation at work the following morning. According to him, ‘’work life in Lagos is a hell’’.
‘’I’ve always described my job as a hell. But quite surprisingly, during the lockdown, I took in a couple of contract and part-time jobs in addition to my main job. And having more jobs not only meant more money and exposure, it was an escape from the usual monotony.
‘’Besides, working remotely presented the most relaxing atmosphere to work. And the company of my family was also a great source of motivation and relaxation. I learnt to deal with the distractions too. The new experience made me realize that the 8 to 5 thing is all a farce, so I had to quit for more flexible hours’’ Femi recounted.
However, it is ironic that up until this moment, many conservative entrepreneurs and managers would rather attribute employee attrition and turnover to employee disloyalty and search for better pay than subject the problem to structural analysis and system thinking. This kind of mindset does not offer opportunity to uncover a resilient system.
Therefore, African entrepreneurs and business owners are advised to be more open-minded in terms of their employees’ engagement in the Post-Covid era and they must constantly seek to adjust their business model to suit their current realities. Also, they should be willing to incorporate hybrid model and encourage flexible hours for their employees.