Surprised?
Well, won’t be.
Especially with the lesson covid-19 has taught us.
Create an exit plan.
Don’t just get into any job blindly.
Not this time again.
Category Archives: Africa and the Future of Work
Africa and the Future of Work | Employment is not guaranteed anymore.
What a feeling and negative chill I had a few days ago. I was at home when I heard my neighbor, working at one of the malls in Nigeria saying that a friend of hers had a job offer to work with a bank. She accepted it. But prior to this pandemic, she rejected all the places they posted her to.
Finally, when it was time to resume work where she agreed on, the pandemic struck. We don’t know yet if she has the job.
Another scenario happened when I went to eat after work on Thursday.
At the restaurant, I heard a customer talking with the food vendor that her sister working in a mall is kind of happy that her job is secure.
While others are crying that they are losing their jobs, she is so relaxed and enjoying herself.
Now, this is retail work that’s not exciting for a normal person and here is someone happy she has hers.
Related:
Thirdly, I saw this online:
… on thecable.ng. I was shocked, but then, it’s a huge and deep teacher.
What’s the lesson?
No industry is safe and employment is not guaranteed anymore.
I know there are industries like food industry and health industry that look recession proof. Yet, it’s not a guarantee as sure as 100% any more.
Anyone can lose his or her job at any time. The economy is not suffering. The effects of our behavior are what the economy is revealing.
So, some will suffer while some enjoy.
Life’s not fair someone will say. But that’s the world you’re in.
Your saving grace as an employee?
You should be your number one investment. Invest in yourself. Find the solution you can offer and be a master at it.
Then, be aware of the trends in that field. Serve with your eyes open. Don’t be blind. I’ll say it this way:
Master your craft and master the trends.
With this, you can scale through some of the most difficult times coming our way.
We still hope and pray that things get easier, as employees, after this covid-19 experience. Until then, I’ll leave you with Jim Rohn’s words:
Don’t wish it were easier. Wish you were better.
Africa and the Future of Work | What if you need a career transition?
Jobs are going.
Covid-19 is slamming businesses down.
The economy is crying.
What will you do?
Do you think you need career transition? If you do, how are you going to go about it?
I’ve got you covered. I don’t have that expertise yet. However, I know where you can get it from.
- Why Grit Is So Important For Career Transitions And How To Get It
- Embrace The Fear Of Career Transition
- What Professional Sports Can Teach Us About Career Transitions
- How A Forced Career Transition Can Take You To The Next Level
- Crush Career Transitions, In Just Ten Minutes A Week
- Five Benefits Of Enlisting Help During A Career Transition
- Three Things To Consider When Making A Late Career Transition
- What You Need To Do Before Making A Major Career Transition
Read. Enjoy and remember to stay safe.
Africa and the Future of Work | Covid-19: Why your Career Plan Needs to Change.
From Nigeria, on 31 March, 2020, I sat in the conference room with my colleagues as our boss spoke to us about the next move relation to covid-19. As he spoke, I saw sincerity and wisdom from his words.
To me, I valued that last conversation more than a salary. He kept mentioning post-corona several times. Amongst the many things I got from him, one of the most pressing is the need to recreate my career plan.
Trained as an architect, combined with teens coaching, I’m thinking about my career plan again. Although I know what I want, the disruption from the pandemic is going to change the route to get it. Yes, it will.
Why?
I’ve been at home from April 1, 2020… No office work for the next one month… The office is going to be locked… We can’t effectively service our clients online due to certain reasons.
Do I place my career plan on my organization or carry that responsibility to re-strategize for post-corona – like my boss called it?
WHAT CAN WE DO THEN?
One of the major steps we need to take to adjust in our career plan is to understand the tech in our career and begin to embrace it fully.
Technology is not going to be an option anymore. It has replaced our environment. That’s where we live. That’s why things like AI and IoT is being integrated as a matter of necessity. If you’re not integrating tech into your career, you’ll miss a lot.
I got several freelancing jobs to work on last month, and I’m almost like a late comer in that field. However, I’m taking my time to make sure my online presence is stronger daily. And taking more assignments online too…
Note: These tasks I’m taking to earn is also in line with my career goal. There are jobs I won’t take. I will not. Despite the change, I’ll stick to my career goal but my career plan is changing.
Another step is to have multiple career paths in view. No better post explains this more than Why you should craft multiple plans for your future career.
Remember to stay safe and keep praying too. Covid-19 is a teacher for those who want to learn.
Africa and the Future of Work: How we Work and Earn is Changing. Are You Ready for this Disruption?
- And this shows how work has changed – how production and exchange of goods & services have changed over time. It is the future of work versus the future of earning.
- There are few persons that have the privilege of earning sufficiently from just a job.
- Even in the midst of coronavirus, there are persons whose earnings are not going to be affected so much.
From reports yesterday and few days ago, Norwegian Airline said it would lay off up to 50% of its employees across all department, British Airways boss tells staff members that jobs will go and Employees in China visa service leave.
The figures are staggering. Nations are shutting down. The school system is not left out. Just few days ago, it was reported that secondary schools in certain states of Nigeria will shut down.
Coming back from work (a secondary school, where I work as a Life coach) yesterday, I went to get few things in a grocery store and I heard customers talking about how one of the most popular online betting website in Africa, bet9ja, has not been yielding much for bettors.
Why?
Football leagues around the world are on corona-break for safety. No one is playing. No one is watching. Therefore, few to none are betting.
However, I don’t think that the virtual version of the bet is totally down as virtual bets can be done with or without live matches.
And this shows how work has changed – how production and exchange of goods & services have changed over time. It is the future of work versus the future of earning.
My question is: Are you ready for that future? Are you building the structures needed for that future? How are you going to utilize this time of disruption as you work remotely?
Amongst other ways, these three can kick start your thinking in that direction.
1. Build an online business.
Despite the effects of the virus on the betting websites, it dawned on me there’s virtual betting. If the real Cristiano Ronaldo is not playing, PS4 CR7 can never contact coronavirus. Never!
For those who have such platforms, more cashflow is the case while they wait for the real players to come on live.
So, do you have any plans for building value online? See this post: 12 Ways you can absolutely make money online.
2. Have multiple streams of income.
One of the best advice I’ve received on creating multiple streams of income is this:
(Thanks to Shay K on Pinterest for sharing).
There are few persons that have the privilege of earning sufficiently from just a job. Follow this advice and I think you’ll be better for it. You can also read this too: How to build multiple streams of income.
3. Lifelong learning.
Devashish Chakravarty, on the Economic Times, calls it Renew and Grow. He said,
Tough times are ideal for investing in yourself and growing rapidly as a professional… your employer will be glad if you can deliver more value.”
And if she’s glad, wouldn’t she keep you?
Jim Rohn will tell you that
Even in the midst of coronavirus, there are persons whose earnings are not going to be affected so much. There are others who are also not afraid of being asked to stop work by their employer.
Why?
They have systems that can sustain them for as long as possible.
Show love to those around you by staying safe first and helping them stay safe. Visit who.int for more on coronavirus.
Africa and the Future of Work | Coronavirus: How Can I Stay Safe While I Work?
I visited GTBANK in Enugu, Nigeria for a transaction. The security man had to hold my diary and applied hand sanitizer on my palms. This did not happen three, or four weeks ago.
Coronavirus is changing the global landscape. Everywhere is filled with the news and horror of the virus. Even a child can tell you how often he has heard that word more than any other, both at home and school.
Unfortunately, I just saw this now:
And I’m thinking, “What is going on?” Thanks to World Health Organization, Red Cross and other health institutions, including individuals that have been taking steps to see that the virus is curtailed.
For a safe workplace, WHO advice’s this:
- Make sure your workplaces are clean and hygienic.
- Promote regular and thorough hand-washing by employees, contractors and customers.
- Promote good respiratory hygiene in the world place…
The list goes on and on. For a better understanding and overview of what is happening, it’s recommended you read this too:
- Don’t believe the lies told about the virus.
- Free Q&As about coronavirus.
- Real time travel advice.
- Rich online trainings, in different languages, on coronavirus.
Let’s stay safe and also help others by sharing this vital information. Lastly, you can share this too:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1APwq1df6Mw
Africa and the Future of Work: Now You Can Learn About the SDGs (and How You Can Contribute to it) in 15mins.
I saw this yesterday morning and I was so excited. It’s a platform that’s dedicated to serve the business community, enhancing collaboration on how to achieve the SDGs.
As a person who loves learning, I couldn’t help but visit the site and make it available to you.
It’s a lovely initiative by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
A 2019 survey of over 11,000 global CEOs undertaken by Accenture and the UN Global Compact found that, while 71% of CEOs understand that business has a critical role in contributing to the SDGs, only 21% believe that their organizations are currently fulfilling this role. For the SDGs to be realized it will be important to close this gap and help companies to fulfill their potential to drive SDG impact on the road to 2030.
The worrisome data above is part of the trigger for this platform.
What is in for me? Who is this designed for? Check the lists below and trust me, you’ll see how useful this is.
For CEOs and those involved in the private sector. This is a place for you to get insights on how to play your role using your business as a tool to make the SDHs a reality.
2. SDG Sector Roadmap Guidelines
What sector of economy are you in? From chemical to forestry, this package creates a step by step process that will enable each sector to participate in the SDG journey.
This is targeted at businesses to help with latest tools and easy guides on applying principles suited to supporting the SDGs.
Several global partners including the UN, 10YFP and others put this together so that anyone can get simple actions that can be taken to realize the SDGs.
Remember, the world is our responsibility. And what we want to see in it will be created by us.
Africa and the Future of Work: 6 Reasons Why You Need a Good Online Presence.
Few days ago I was making an application online that’s connected to Young Leaders on the Global Goals. Now the Global Goals have to do with SDGs and how to profer solutions to achieve each.
And as a inserted my normal details – name, date of birth, nationality, why do you want to apply – I got to a point where I had to give them my profile on these platforms:
As, I did that – before I forget, I also gave them this website you’re reading from – I realized how important these little things have become in our world.
And I believe it’s because of one thing – Globalization. Surprisingly, it’s come to stay. It has no respect for you. That’s the wave of humanity.
Related
See what Kofi Annan would tell you if you had a meeting with him:
It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity.
So what’s the safety nest? What should we do?
Well, before I suggest what we should do, I’ll like to let you into why you need a good online presence.
It Increases Your Personal Brand Awareness
That’s a picture of the demographics of visitors to this site. I’m in Nigeria trying to serve African employees who want to build personal brands in their chosen field yet I can reach more people outside the continent.
100 years ago, for me to do that would have required at least a visa or a DHL service at a cost that will be enough to buy few more laptops to boost my productivity today.
If you have an online presence you have this as an advantage.
Better Customer Satisfaction
How and why?
The market does not exist where the product is. It does where the consumers are. And they are online. So, with a Facebook page, you are able to satisfy them because now you can attend to them where they are.
And somehow this is what they want – selfies, pictures… videos, chats and many many.
Why do you think big companies invest so much to transform their online presence? In fact, there’s even budgeting for online marketing.
Global & Local Market Insight
Thanks to google analytics and all the analytics present. With my personal Facebook page, I can know what the market wants. I can determine when they are most active and why they are most active.
I did a post for African Highschool Students at the end of January that was a summary of the discussions during the World Economic Forum, 2020. If anyone of them sees it online, he or she can take advantage of it.
I am online and so I can see the trends. I can know the direction the world is headed for.
Another example here is this: I started sharing the links to this blog via my Facebook account and I’ve received more visitors from that medium. Why? I took advantage of the trends and insight of how the online space works.
You are Leveraged to Build Trust
How do you feel when you can see the live video or picture of Beyonce or Cristiano Ronaldo?
I saw this on the website of beamlocal.com
The 21st century consumer is a skeptic; in fact, 56% of people stated that they won’t trust a business without a website.
If this is true for businesses then it is similar for your brand. In our age, being online gives you credibility within minutes. How can you explain to so many people, who need your value, in so little time, that you’re real?
Although, this does not replace your offline participation, it’s relevance is undisputed.
An Opportunity to Express Yourself
I’m aware that my generation is taking this for granted at certain times as we now say a whole lot without caution from twitter hasgtags to Instagram short clips…
Howbeit, if you have an online presence, you can share your ideas. And like myself, if an organization needs to know you more, they can get to meet you and discover you through a post.
Just one post can make you the right person for the job.
Free to No Advertising Cost
This is the best reason why you should have a strong online presence.
Have you discovered that those who use social media to make profit are not really consuming more data than those coming in to just feel the groove?
The difference between the two groups is intentionality.
With as little as $10, you can touch more than 10 thousand persons within 24hrs. What about your Whatsapp?
Content is fire. Social media is gasoline.
Jay Baer
Now wait… Before you begin to think big or take your mind off it, you’re online already. You can’t go offline and I mean it. Your bank has placed you online. Or that registration you did in school…
The question now is not, Should I be online or not? Rather it should be, How do I want to be online so that I can maximize the opportunity?
Even our fathers are not exempted from this. My dad joined Facebook few years ago and he’s getting to learn it more. We’ve had reasons to create a Whatsapp group for the family where we discussed family issues in depth.
If my dad is there and using it, I don’t think you have a stronger reason not to. Although, you can still decide to. Your choice.
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