Written By: Fancy Goodman
John is an African youth; a Nigerian to be precise. He gets to work by 8:15am most times and when luck catches up with him, he gets there by 8:10. Work actually should start at 8:00 am sharp.
Sounds familiar?
Well, it’s no news that most youths are not time-conscious these days. They stick to, as it is popularly called, ‘the African time’. In most places in Africa, when a program or meeting is set for a particular time, it hardly ever begins at the set time. It is even a miracle if the program commences thirty minutes later. No wonder many African youths take this mentality with them to the workplace.
I feel this is the time this generation needs to wake up and realize that things need to be done differently and the change starts with each individual. We should resume before the resumption time, and should not use traffic as an excuse.
Everyone knows there is traffic most of the time, and that should give you more reasons to leave your house on time so you can move against traffic. ‘There was traffic’ is such a silly excuse and should not be heard from the mouths of African youths.
There is something else African youths need to know.
This point would have been useless in the year 2000, but technology and the use of mobile phones were not as common then.
I guess by now you should know the point I am trying to make.
Yes, you were right! The use of mobile phones at work.
This is the time when youths are increasingly getting addicted to their smartphones and other devices. It is hard to blame them however because truth be told, it takes great discipline to control how long one stays on the phone. There are so many distractions these days- twitter, Instagram, snap chat and the likes. Welcome to the world where everyone wants to be known on social media.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to condemn social media, but youths should know when to ‘DM’ or tweet or like a picture, and it is definitely not in the workplace. Save all of that for break time or when you are in your house! It is not ethical to use the time meant for work for other things that are not productive with work. Apart from social media, it is important to note that there are video games and the like on these devices. When you are less busy at the office, you can do these things for leisure but not when you have work piled up.
When I think of workplace ethics, the use of language is one of the things that come to mind. Most youths now make use of slangs that they adopt from movies, reality shows, and songs. These slangs can be used within a group of friends but not in the office. Many youths, however, forget this, as it has become a lifestyle. Imagine attending to a customer and getting misunderstood or tagged as rude.
While one can try to be friendly and not too rigid, one should also place a balance on the choice of language. We should, however, note that the language we decide to use is entirely factored by the rules and regulations of the organization. Where the rules are a bit flexible and the environment isn’t so tense, one can be a little bit relaxed with the language. African youths should also be sensitive enough to know when to make use of English and when to make use of African languages.
In a boardroom meeting, for example, English is what is expected. But among colleagues, feel free to switch (putting into consideration the context).
Youths tend to be full of life and energy. This is the way we are. We should learn however, to try and tone it down when it gets to our places of work.
I am not trying to say we should get too serious or act like robots-showing little emotion. That is not what I am trying to say at all. It is all about balance. While trying to be the classy and lively youth, we should not forget the reason we are there: to work! So as long as you are efficient, find what works for you.
I hope we all would go to work with the right mindset and ethics while making Africa better as a whole.
Thanks for this
You’re very welcome!