Staying Power

With limited work opportunities in the country, job hunting is not easy for young people. But employers are not having an easy time acquiring and keeping new talents either. If discussions online are anything to go by, millennials and Gen Z employees are making a name for themselves for being unreliable, unpredictable and unable to persevere. Whereas it might take older employees months and even years to decide whether to quit a job, some young employees just need a few hours to call it quits. 

Question is, where does the problem lie? Are employers creating a toxic work environment or are young people oblivious of the demands of work? In a bid to find out what young people are really looking for in their places of work, we speak to three employed young Kenyans who once quit jobs they felt didn’t meet their needs.

Stephen Muchiri,25
I think there’s truth in the notion that some young employees are unreliable, and are lacking in the soft skills and thick skin necessary to survive in current work environments. I believe this is because majority of us are unaware of the demands of the current place – what is needed to succeed and what really matters.

Still, that is no reason to dismiss all young employees. There’s still a good number that are driven, hardworking, innovative and passionate about what they are doing even though they may be encountering a different world from the one they envisioned while in campus.

While in college, you assume that the workplace is glamorous. You don’t understand that as much as there are rewarding careers, you have to manage your expectations, be willing to make sacrifices and be open to learn.

I always thought that having good grades and going to good schools will create many work opportunities for me. That never happened. I’ve come to learn that what matters more is your work ethics, your attitude, reliability and ability to work in a team.

As a student of engineering, I never imagined working over the weekend. I never liked it at all. However, I have had to make adjustments due to the nature of my work. There is no ideal work environment. From my experience, even if you get a job in the best company in the world, you still have to make certain adjustments to fit in. 

That said, I have bare minimums that I expect no matter where I work. I will only work in an environment where I am valued as an individual and as an employee, and not just looked at as a resource. There also needs to be an opportunity for continuous learning and mentorship from my senior colleagues to help me realise my full potential. A little bit of pressure is also good as it will keep me motivated. Lastly, I want to work in an environment that uses teamwork and collaboration to achieve required objectives.

If I get offers that meet all the above, then I’ll pick the best offer based on the job’s location, salary and the organisation’s brand. The reputation of the organisation I am working for is very important to me. As much as I advocate for paid internships, I would take an unpaid internship at reputable organisation that offers me growth opportunities.

As a young professional, I want to build an impactful career where I solve problems that directly affect our society. If I feel like a job I am in does not align with my goal, I’ll quit rather stay on as a miserable employee. Actually, I quit my previous job because I felt that I wasn’t moving in the direction of my goals.

My focus at the moment is to learn as much as I can, form networks and also mentor aspiring employees. I hope to work with a global organisation, managing projects that will have a worldwide impact in terms of job creation and establishment of new businesses.

June Mwololo, 23
There are certain things I look for in any potential workplace. First, I check the company’s work environment and culture. I desire an environment that fosters personal and career growth. Therefore, I’ll do due diligence to figure out whether the work environment is toxic or not.

As much as there are people with different backgrounds and personalities at the workplace, I don’t expect people to be sabotaging each other’s work or throwing people under the bus for personal gain. This is something I have firsthand experience in and a reason why I try to find out as much as I can about a company I am considering working for.

LinkedIn has been very helpful as I always ask previous and current employees about their experiences. I also find out whether expectant women and new mothers are considered when it comes to working hours, shifts, and whether there are stations for them to pump and store breast milk during the day. Then, I check the salary offering and only embrace a company that considers current inflation rates when setting salaries.

Medical cover for employees is the final thing I check. I’ve come to find out that some workplaces don’t even offer retirement or health insurance packages.

So far, my experience as an employee has been great except for one organisation. While working there, I realised that cases of female employees being asked for sexual favours by colleagues in management positions was high. I didn’t stay there long. I quit at the first opportunity.

The other negative experience I’ve had is working with a bad boss. There is a difference between being strict and being outright unfair. Being strict is understandable but if you’re a boss who sees an employee’s medical issue as a liability, or you destroy other employees’ work to make them look bad, that’s being toxic.

As much as people talk of having a thick skin at work, it doesn’t mean you have to be OK with such things. If I am being undermined at work or experiencing sexual harrassment with no action taken, I’ll leave.

As an employee, I am confident in my skills. I am reliable, regularly update my skills and have taken time to learn soft skills such as communication, integrity, professionalism and interpersonal skills to ensure I am providing as much value as I can to my employer.

Not all millennials want everything on a silver platter. I do my job knowing that I am laying a foundation for myself and the generations that will come after me. I am sure I am not the only young employee doing this. Also, I want to have children someday. And with the state of the Kenyan economy I have to start saving and working hard very early in my career to achieve that.

Kelvin Nduhiu Njeri, 23
Quitting a job is not easy, although it is something I have done. I don’t think it can solely be blamed on how young people were raised or their inability to persevere.

I worked in a place where my boss saw everything I did as a mistake, even when I did my absolute best. My work was constantly being undermined and I think my boss just didn’t want me to work there. It became mentally exhausting so I decided to quit. Still, I am proud of the impact I made in the company even though my efforts went unappreciated. 

It is easy for someone who does not understand how hard it was for me to work and deliver in such an environment to say I quit because I am not used to being shouted at or receiving negative feedback.

They may say I was there only for the money, or that I can’t differentiate between my home and a work environment. All these are untrue. The problem is not always with us young employees. Some work environments are toxic. Remember, there are few job opportunities in the country so for someone to quit, they must have been pushed to their limits.

My experiences working as an intern and a temporary worker have been very sobering. I’ve had very good experiences while others fell far below my expectations. I have learnt to never set my expectations too high because that leads to disappointment and you might end up failing to deliver. I once took an unpaid internship thinking the experience would be stress free because I was not being paid. I expected only moderate demands from my employers.

Yet I was so overworked. I had to use faulty machines to accomplish my tasks. To cope, I had to come up with creative solutions, which I’d say was a good lesson to learn, but it was still discouraging because no one appreciated how hard I had to work to stay productive. The only reason I kept working there is because I wanted to learn as much as I could.

As a young professional, I have purposed to not let the things I do and the roles I take be motivated by money. I try to let my passion lead me even though my generation is accused of wanting easy money. I try to look at the bigger picture. Does the opportunity offer me job security? What networks do I stand to build from this experience?

For instance, last year I took a one-year unpaid internship in a media company because of my interest in media and a chance to work in an area that I love, with the right team. I consider the network I built to be worth more than the money I would have been paid.

From that internship, I got experience as a radio and TV host, working as a voice over artist, graphic designer and I also tried my hand in production and directing of TV and radio shows. That experience set me up for more freelance roles. I even started my own podcast called The Brawtalk by leveraging on my networks and the experience I got from my internship.

EXPERT'S VIEW 

Calvin Apodo, a trained journalist, is the author of Workplace Chronicles. He runs an organisation called Be the Leader which offers training on employability, workplace fitness, leadership and communication.

What was your reason for starting Be the Leader?
I realised there is a gap between having academic qualifications and fitting in a job. From my research, I’ve realised that someone can be academically qualified, but still unsuitable for the role. Perhaps they don’t know how to communicate, they have an attitude, can’t keep time or lack emotional intelligence. All these are skills employers are looking for and these are not taught in school. Many young people lack soft skills, and that is the problem I am out to address. 

Is there a difference between young employees and much older ones?
A big one. The current generation of graduates lack purpose. It is important for you to have a purpose while looking for a job. Your purpose could be to grow in your career, develop yourself and your brand, improve your lifestyle or even simply to earn a salary. Older employees have soft skills that are treasured by employers, and a wealth of experience which gives them an edge.

Young people need to discover the importance of volunteering while still in school. Use your free time in college to build on your experience and your brand because nowadays, majority of jobs are gotten through referrals and not promises made on a CV.

Why do you think young employees are seen as unreliable?
I believe parenting has a big role to play in this. These days, parents are too busy for their children or tend to pamper them too much without teaching them that at the workplace, no one will handle them with kid gloves. As a result, young people want to quit immediately they disagree with someone, or if they feel too much pressure or their freedom is being controlled. In reality, what they lack is adaptability. Young employees are also poor communicators. If someone has a genuine problem, do they let their supervisor know how they are really feeling so that the issue can be addressed?

How would you advise young professionals?
They should realise that graduating from college is the first advantage they have, because it proves that they have the required academic qualifications. The second thing they need is soft skills. They need to know how to communicate, acquire leadership skills, be of high integrity, reliable, and have the right attitude. They should be able to work in a team, have good time management skills, be courteous and creative. About nine out of ten job applicants have undergraduate degrees. However, what will make you stand out is your soft skills.

How can employers make the office more conducive?
Employers need to come up with initiatives that make employees feel appreciated and valued. I have seen a lot of organisations, particularly after Covid-19, coming up with a wellness department where they have people checking on the wellbeing of staff. There is also need for a more enhanced transition process. New staff members need to be given adequate time to learn the processes so that they have a better understanding. Lastly, the HR department needs to ensure no one is being exploited.

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