Ask Chuka

My friend told me recently that their new employee resigned after her probationary period was extended because of her performance. HR had a conversation with her and pointed out areas where she needed improvement. She was given a one-month extension to work on those areas, but instead of taking the opportunity to grow, she chose to resign. A few days earlier, I also spoke with my mentor. He struggled to relax during our conversation because he had just come out of an argument with a Gen Z employee regarding expectations on a task he had been assigned. These days, you hear many stories about what it is like working with Gen Z. It often feels as though a new generation is trying to redefine how work, commitment and responsibility should look in this era. The challenge is that everywhere you turn, someone is saying, “Things are no longer done that way.” The message seems simple: accept the new way things are done or insist on your values even if you have to stand alone. To be honest, I ha...

About three weeks ago, I became tired of constantly searching for pencils and pens whenever I wanted to study with my children. It felt like a small issue, but it was costing us time, money and discipline. So I stopped tolerating it. I drove to Jewel Multiservices at Area 1 and bought pencils, pens, erasers, rulers and a proper stationery container. I placed it close to the dining area where we study. Then I gave clear instructions: Every item taken must be returned immediately after use. Replacements will only happen when the ink finishes or the pencil lead is exhausted. If I check and anything is missing, everyone answers. Day one: a pen and pencil were missing. Blame game started. Eventually, they were found and returned. Day two: same thing. Day three and four: nothing missing. It has now been three weeks. Only one pencil is gone, the lead finished. One pen is missing, perhaps a visitor who did not know our rule. Inspection changed behaviour. A few days ago, while reviewing why sa...

A few years ago, to support a friend who was preparing for his wedding, we donated some printing items he needed. A few days later, when he reached out for more items, we submitted an invoice, expecting that he would patronise us. To my surprise, he went somewhere else because their price was just 50 Naira cheaper. I was pained, but it didn’t take long to realise that his loyalty was questionable. A few days ago, we needed to buy a large quantity of paper for our work. As usual, we contacted Mr Okey , our main supplier, as well as other vendors to compare prices. This time, Mr Okey was more expensive. My colleagues then requested approval to buy from the cheaper supplier. They also mentioned that it would be wise to have more options in situations like this. I said, “No way.” I instructed them to return to Mr Okey and give him the price we got from the cheaper vendor. If he matched it, good. If he refused, we would know we tried. As expected, he matched the price and we bought from hi...

𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗟𝗬 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞? 𝗔 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙-𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 When William submitted his resignation letter to leave Jewel Publishers , I immediately invited him to my office to understand his decision. His reasons were straightforward; 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐲. After a brief conversation, he assured me that an increase in salary would keep him from leaving. I told him to give me a moment to consult a few colleagues and, without much delay, we were able to adjust his salary upward. He stayed. A few weeks later, John also tendered his resignation. This time, I simply delegated Stanley to conduct an exit interview , not because I wanted John to remain, but because I wanted to understand if there were areas our organisation needed to improve. John was shocked. Shocked that no one tried to negotiate with him , shocked that we didn’t counter-offer , and even more shocked when we asked him f...