Careers Archives - Adédèjì Ọlọ́wẹ̀

The myth of work-life balance

I strongly believe that true work-life balance is about prioritizing hard work and sacrifices now to secure future success and fulfillment, rather than juggling every single aspect of life including work and leisure.

I was at an event recently where we got to discussing the whole work-life balance conundrum. It was an interesting conversation because the panel at that event had a mix of business owners, founders, CEOs, etc. And then among the attendees, we had a very senior HR person, probably about 50 years old; so this person had had a lot of experience on the job.

We all started talking about work-life balance, which seems to be a hot topic these days, especially with younger people, and it was fascinating to hear from people on both sides of the argument.

I agree.

Most professionals believe that work-life balance is being able to juggle work, personal life, and everything else you want to do—which is great, right? Because life isn’t just about focusing on one single thing. But, on the flip side, you have people like me who others believe are against the concept of work-life balance.

To set the record straight, I’m not here to oppose the concept. In fact, I strongly believe in work-life balance but I just think we have different interpretations of what it means.

The most common picture of work-life balance is having a stable nine-to-five job, and making time for family, friends, and other interests outside of work. Work is often viewed simply as a means to an end, which is perfectly fine for many people. Not everyone wants to excel in every aspect of life.

However, for some of us, this traditional approach may not work. Why? Because in reality, if you’re ambitious and striving for outstanding success in what you do, trying to achieve the conventional work-life balance will never get you there. Anything that’s special literally has to be something that the average person can’t or won’t do. Success often requires going beyond the average and the inability or unwillingness to do that is why many people don’t succeed in their careers.

For instance, imagine you’re in school and your desire is to graduate with a First Class and get a scholarship for your Master’s degree. Naturally, you may need to sacrifice some ‘fun’ time to achieve your goals. If you attempt to ‘balance’ fun and academics like others, you might just end up with a second class upper, or even worse a “strong second class lower” as some people love to describe it. Of course, just say goodbye to your MSc/MBA scholarship aspirations.

Similarly, in your career, if 100 of you are employed at the same time but you aspire to climb the corporate ladder quickly and earn an attractive salary, you can’t be thinking about work-life balance in this way because that gets you nowhere. If you put in only the same amount of effort others do or only ever satisfy just the minimum required e.g nobody is able to reach you when there’s an emergency at work simply because it’s the weekend; obviously, what you wish to achieve isn’t going to happen.

I think everyone just needs to decide what they want. There’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting work-life balance, but it’s important to recognize and make peace with what you’d be giving up for it. Of course, there’s also nothing good about killing yourself over your work and missing out on important moments with the people or things you love. Everyone needs to decide what they want out of life and be prepared to make choices that align with those goals.

But if you’re fine with settling for average then yes, by all means, choose this approach to work-life balance.

I don’t agree.

When discussing whether work-life balance is all it’s made out to be, one of the most common questions people ask is, “What if you work so hard and you die suddenly and never get to enjoy the fruits of your labor?” Honestly, it’s a valid concern and there’s a real risk because pushing yourself so hard without taking care of your health can indeed lead to serious consequences for you, including death.

But the twist here is that if you’re also poor and become faced with health issues, you may not be able to save yourself.

The reality is, poor health and death doesn’t discriminate between the rich or poor. It comes for everyone.

Like I mentioned earlier, if you really desire to be very successful, you have to go the extra mile. There’s no debating that. If many people are in competition for a particular thing or role, only the absolute best will get it. And this principle isn’t limited to corporate careers only; even in sports, only the best of the best make it to the top. It’s now on you to decide how much you’re willing to fight and sacrifice to stand out.

Think about it—if you want to be a top footballer or an Olympian, you can’t expect to achieve greatness through a simple work-life balance routine. When others are taking breaks or going to meet up with friends after training, you’ll need to stay and keep pushing yourself; expanding your limits.

What do you want out of life?

If your ambition is to excel in your field, you can’t have work-life balance because that kind of success often demands relentless dedication and prioritizing your goals above all else.

So again, what do you want out of life? And what and how much are you willing to sacrifice for it?

Take a moment to think about your answers to these questions and then you have your bigger answer on if work-life balance is for you.

Here’s what I believe work-life balance actually is

I know all this must be quite confusing because I mentioned I believe in work-life balance right? Yes, I absolutely do but let me clarify what I mean. I believe that the real work-life (for those who wish to be successful) is about working now so you can balance later. This is the only approach to achieving success and fulfillment that makes sense to me.

The way I see it is that anyone who’s going anywhere in life needs to attack their goals with all of their mind in the present; putting in the hard work, making sacrifices, and pushing to achieve greatness. And of course, when you get this success, it’ll allow you to be able to enjoy yourself and find balance.

For instance, imagine giving your all to reach the top of your career; becoming a senior executive, winning gold medals as an Olympian, becoming a world-renowned artist, or an award-winning video producer. It’s about giving your all to reach that level where your efforts pay off and you can enjoy the rewards.

Picture a life after years of relentless effort, when you finally reach a point where you can relax and coast through life, content and fulfilled. When this happens, you can truly say you’ve earned your rest because the benefits and compensation for your time, effort and sacrifices would have finally fallen into place.

The risk with aiming for conventional work-life balance which is to work now and also balance now is that if you’re not careful and you focus too much on enjoying leisure so early on, without laying a solid foundation for achievement, you might find yourself working well into your later years and you still might not get to a level where your earnings and everything else you’ve accumulated is enough to create value for you to be able to really rest when the time comes.

Why do you think you still see people still searching for jobs past age 55, struggling financially? Forget those whom life probably dealt a really bad hand and they lost everything. For many others, it’s probably because they were busy lying flat, prioritizing leisure over long-term success earlier in life, without adequate savings or enough accomplishments to sustain them.

So, for me, work-life balance has nothing to do with evenly dividing your time between work and personal life—it’s about strategically investing your time and effort now to secure a future where you can truly enjoy personal fulfillment in the long run.

That’s true balance.

Why many don’t succeed in their careers

To succeed in your career, focus on crucial soft skills like reliability, integrity, initiative, self-awareness, situational awareness, and curiosity. These traits build trust, leadership, and adaptability, crucial for career growth and success.

Most people will never succeed in their careers. You’re probably wondering why this sounds so negative and harsh, right? But it’s the truth.

It typically begins with young people at the start of their careers, hoping to become the best. I remember when I started my own career at United Bank for Africa as an intern, I had a friend then, Odia Okobieme and we used to daydream about starting our own tech company. I remember we used to disturb Tony Elumelu with emails at the time. Dude was probably so patient because I don’t know why he indulged us.

So this gives way for us to question what it means to be the best.

The way I see it, being the best means, at the minimum, you are in the top 1% of the best people in your cohort. If we’re going to raise the bar, maybe one out of a thousand. And If success is defined as being in the top 1% of any field that you have decided to play in, then 99% of people you know in that space would either be ordinary, unremarkable, or downright failures and will go on to live average and unfulfilling lives. It’s what it is. These are the guys who grow up to become cranky, complaining that things don’t work well and that the economy is bad. Yes, the economy is bad, but it’s not eating the people at the top.

Who are the 99% who strayed from the path of success?

Let’s think about, if everyone sets out to become the best but only 1% ever make it, what happened to the 99% who never did and never will?

Something we must have all thought about at one point or the other is probably why some people who were obviously smarter than us, are doing better than us. I mean, we’ve seen it, right? People we knew from our days in school or from earlier days in our careers, who didn’t seem as sharp as us but are now doing great things. Like African parents are known for asking “do they have two heads?” Then on the flip side, there are those with their first-class degrees and straight A who are still figuring things out 15/20 years down the line.

Makes you wonder what went right for the former and catastrophically wrong for the latter. Why don’t many people get to the top of whatever they’ve chosen to do? Some say it’s about competence. Others say it’s about connections. But I’ve come to realize that it’s neither. Of course, being smart is a given but that’s not what gets you to the top. It’s not just about what or who you know.

Let me tell you what actually makes people stand out: it’s soft skills. You know, those intangible qualities like drive, accountability, reliability, integrity, going above and beyond – those are the real game-changers. And if you don’t have these things? Your career is dead in the water and you just don’t know it yet. But trust me, you’ll find out soon enough.

When you’re young, you might get away with lacking in these areas. People cut you some slack, give you the benefit of the doubt. But as you get older, the world is less forgiving and these soft skills become non-negotiable. Without them, you’re simply on a path of self-destruction.

So yeah, it’s not a lack of competence or connections that kills careers – it’s the absence of these crucial soft skills.

Which of these are killing your career?

If your behavior mirrors the ones below, you are definitely not going to succeed. And no, I’m not cursing you:

You don’t keep your word

You make promises to people;your colleagues and your bosses, “ Oh I’m going to deliver this thing at this time” and you don’t keep them. You will never succeed. Because once people know that you can’t keep your word, they’ll stop relying on you. And once they stop relying on you, they’ll never use you for what’s important. You’ll just be some old relic they keep around until they’re ready to let go because they want to stop “hoarding”.

You’re unreliable

This is also linked to not keeping your word but there’s a slight difference: not keeping your word could mean you just don’t have integrity but you might still be good .On the other hand, being unreliable means people can’t depend on you. All of us know people around us who we would never give a chance to if we had something super important to do because we can’t bank on them. Pay attention, if you’re not that person that the average person can bank on, you’re not going to succeed.

You don’t have integrity

You lie. Why do you even do this? Once people know that you can’t tell the truth and you’re very coded, you’re never going to succeed. And it’s very simple because nobody likes liars. Nobody likes people who aren’t straightforward, so people will start avoiding you.

You only do the bare minimum

“Oh this is what they told me to do” and that’s all you ever do; you never step forward to do extra or seize the moment. You’re never going to succeed because success comes from the extras that you do.

These extras include stepping forward when there is a leadership gap, or when a colleague has gone on leave and things are going crazy or if you come across a customer having a problem, even if none of these are your job.

You lack self awareness

You’re often exposed when you don’t know your capabilities. For instance, you step forward to say you can do something that you literally don’t have the skills to do. I don’t know whether you think you’re trying to impress anyone; of course you’re going to fail at that thing because you don’t know how to do it. Duh.

Now, there’s a difference between being self-aware and pushing yourself. If you’re aware that you don’t have a skill, but you want to get better at it, you can push yourself and seek for support, knowledge and mentorship that can make you good at that thing. So this even shows that you’re actually self-aware. Lack of self awareness means you literally don’t know your limits and then you burn bridges and people dump you.

You lack situational awareness

This is another key behavioral aspect. Take for instance, the company you work in is going through a grind; maybe systems are down or the government just brought out some regulation that turns things upside down for you guys and that’s the moment you tell everybody, “ I’ve got to go on leave. I need to take a few days off. I’ve already booked my leave. I can’t kill myself.” Of course you will go, but the truth is everybody will see you as irresponsible and nobody will depend on any irresponsible person.

You lack curiosity

You’re just floating and you don’t know what’s around you. You come into the office, see something is happening and you don’t ask “what the hell is causing this thing.” You heard that your competitor in the market is doing some things and you’re not asking yourself what those things are. It just means you will never succeed.

Do these to turn your fortune around

If you’ve read up to this point and you’re feeling attacked, that’s good. Keep reading, there’s still hope for you.

Now that you know all these things above, you can easily (don’t quote me) turn your career around by running away from career killers.

If you made a promise to anybody, die keeping it. Never go back on your words and never make a promise you know you can’t keep. Let people be able to use your words like currency. Consistently deliver on your promises and communicate well to encourage confidence in your capabilities. These will also earn you a reputation as a reliable colleague and person. Give people a reason to trust you. When you are trustworthy with small things, life will trust you with big!

Integrity plays a crucial role in your professional rebirth. Speak the truth; even when it may be painful or embarrassing. When people know that you always tell the truth, they’ll respect you more and they’re more likely to bank on you.

Also, step forward as often as you can. Everybody loves leaders. That’s why people who have leadership skills always tend to advance faster in their careers. And if you need more motivation to do this, remember that leaders earn more and grow faster.

Self-awareness is also quite critical to your professional growth. Take a long and hard look at yourself in the mirror and truthfully assess yourself, “these are the things I can do and these are the things I can’t do”. For the things you can’t do, if those things are critical, you need to find a way to address these gaps. If you have to go for extra lessons or seek mentorship, then you better do that. Fast.

In addition to being self-aware, you have to be situationally aware, you have to “read the room.” Know what’s going on so that you can navigate complex professional spaces well and show better judgment. If your boss is not happy or your customer is not happy, that’s not the time to go tell them that you’re jacking up your prices. Be sensible.

Finally, you’ve got to be curious. This is a must-have because curiosity helps you stay informed and seize opportunities where they exist.

I’m no self-help guru but do these consistently and see for yourself what happens.

Gen Zs are lazy. Millennials are even lazier. I can’t stick with either of them

It’s hard to work with Gen Z and millennials because they can hardly get themselves to do anything. Who would want to work with such people? Definitely not me!

These guys don’t care about work. They are so entitled and they just want everything to come easy without having to put in the work. The only thing they talk about is work-life balance and bastardized “Mental Health”, using it as an excuse to get out of doing anything worth the while.

They have simply put those with real mental health issues at risk.

As a matter of fact, these are the worst people you could ever work with.

This sounds familiar to you doesn’t it?

But how true is this?

The story of how Gen Zs and Millennials are so lazy and entitled and don’t want to do anything has become so popular that everyone believes it as the gospel truth. As a matter of fact, if you look up the text “Gen Zs are lazy” you’re sure to find a gazillion people who believe this.

But is this actually true?

It’s not!

At least, not from my perspective.

Let’s start with this. I’m a 46 years old Gen X dinosaur and I’ve lived and worked with my generation and the generations before mine. My mother was a boomer. My uncles and some of my elder relatives are boomers (the ones that haven’t kicked the bucket yet). Most of my friends are Gen X.

I’ve had an incredible fortune and sometimes, misfortune, of working with Gen X, millennial, and Gen Z humans and I can comfortably tell you that practically everything you read online including the early part of this article is completely false.

In my life, some of the best people I’ve ever worked with and currently work with are young people.

Let’s talk about Lendsqr. The average Lendian is 25 years old (yes, I run a professional kindergarten) The oldest person as of the time I’m writing this article is just 30 years old and I can say for a fact that these are the most hardworking people I’ve ever met in my life.

I remember when we had a fraud case (or why do you think I’m strident about fraud?). Lendians came to my house at 2am and we battled the fraudsters, won, and got some of our money back.

These young people take so much initiative, and with extreme sense of ownership. They sometimes cry, not because someone is hurting them but because they care so much about their products or whatever they are working on. This is the power of commitment. This is the power of ownership.

These young humans I’ve worked with have so many things in common: They are smart, they’re extremely hardworking, they’re not entitled, they go the extra mile and the list goes on and on.

When I counter some of my friends who believe that Gen Zs are lazy, we dive deeper into the fact that refutes these misconceptions, everyone starts seeing that the notion of lazy young people is an absolute balderdash.

Let’s even take a step back and look at the world we live in. Some of the biggest organizations and the biggest value creation that we’ve seen have come from these so called ‘lazy’ millennials and Gen Zs.

Zukerberg founded Facebook when he was 19 years old; with his diapers sagging behind him The Collision brothers were kids when they started Stripe, and they’ve built an incredible and valuable company. Coming to Africa, PiggyVest was built by young people who crawled out of the cribs to get it up and running.

All over the world, young people do amazing stuff.

The problem is that Social Media, just like I’ve done right now, has so influenced our thoughts with clickbaits; the internet traffic runs on clickbaits of bad news.

It’s all false. Gen Zs are probably the best generation and the most hardworking I’ve seen so far.

Now let’s talk about the so-called humans who ain’t lazy. I’ve had the fortune of a fast career in banking and sometimes people tell me that “you guys were lucky then, everyone was fast” but that too is a lie. My generation and the ones before mine had tons of very lazy people as well.

The truth is people have always been lazy. I have cousins and uncles that are lazy (Emmanuel, I’m not talking about you). I have family friends that are lazy. At the same time I knew people that were hardworking who did incredible things. I know a guy that’s probably 3 months older than me, and at the time when I thought I was good, that guy was god! 🙇🏿‍♀️

Every generation has hardworking and lazy people. However, Social Media has helped shine the “laziness” spotlight on the current generation and amplify click baits to prove this point.

Today, you have people who go on TikTok and talk about the easy life. What people don’t know is that they spend so much time and effort to even create the content, in a very hardworking manner. You look at the Kardashians and you think they are lazy people. Just try to go to social media and create videos. Then you’ll see that it’s not so easy.

For example, we’re currently creating videos in Lendsqr for an initiative., which has been dragging for months and we haven’t gotten it right. Yet, you have people consistently putting out amazing video content online. And I’m scratching my head and thinking, “How do these low life millennials do it on TikTok?” I honestly respect them. These guys are hardworking.

To the dead ass old guys like me, trust these guys, they’re the best people you can have in your team. The older guys are getting tired. They already have gray hair and they have a few more years before they die off.

It will be the worst thing you’ll do for your business if you don’t recognize the value and the power and the ingenuity of these young people.

If after reading this, you still think millennials are lazy, then there’s only one thing that is sure, you are mentally lazy.

Look before you leap: A practical guide for those who want to work in startups

Startups are hailed for their transformative potential, yet the reality of their challenges often remains overlooked. Joining one demands immense dedication, resilience, and a readiness for relentless hard work. It’s not for everyone.

Startups have undeniably fueled global economic growth over the last 30 years. In Africa, success stories like Paystack, Moniepoint, and Piggyvest have demonstrated the value startups can create. The irresistible allure of startups, driven by their achievements, entices many to join their ranks.

However, here’s the question, “is everyone truly cut out to work in a startup?”

Focusing on successful startups alone is like admiring a pretty, healthy child without acknowledging the traumatizing birthing experience for the mother and the challenging journey that led to their growth. Startups can be likened to sperm cells; billions of them are produced but only very few are fertilized and end up becoming children. In the same vein, startups emerge from a myriad of ideas, yet only a fraction possess the potential to flourish and only a handful of passionate individuals believe so deeply in their viability that they bring these ideas to life as companies.

Startups are built on rocky ground

Building a startup is extremely hard and the odds of success are strikingly low . Statistics show that 90% of startups fail. The stories we hear of successful startups are compelling, but the incredibly painful journey and exhaustive effort behind their success often remain untold — after all, these stories don’t exactly fit the glamorous narrative.

For job aspirants, it’s easy to romanticize startups, envisioning young people like them accomplishing remarkable things. They believe in their own potential and aspire to contribute meaningfully to the cause. Or it could even be that their pastor told them they’re destined for greatness and they want in on that ASAP.

Work-life balance who? Sorry, she doesn’t work here!

Reality check: over 95% of individuals who join a startup without a clear understanding of the demands end up regretting their decision. Note, this doesn’t imply that 95% of startup employees experience regret, but rather those who plunge into the startup world unaware. So, a word of advice— people, do your research! However, since you’re already here, let me be nice and give you a glimpse into what lies ahead.

Imagine running up a moving escalator that’s heading down.

Yes, that’s exactly what building and working in a startup feels like —exhilarating if you make it to the top, yet spectators don’t understand your struggles and some may even think you’re crazy for trying.

Now, back to my analogy on startups and child-rearing. Working in a startup is a lot like raising a baby; they’re cute and they coo, and people love to look at them and pinch their cheeks but the reality behind closed doors is far from ideal. They pee, poo whenever, scream like banshees, fall ill a lot and don’t grow fast enough.They demand an enormous amount of effort but most of that stuff, however, isn’t visible to outsiders.

Working in a startup is immensely challenging. Work-life balance? That idea might need to take a backseat, at least in the initial stages. If you try to balance work and personal life in a startup, you won’t be successful in either; you’ll struggle at work and your life won’t be balanced. And that’s not a curse.

Hold on, before you come for me, I’m not discrediting the importance of work-life balance. Eventually, the “child” will grow up and maybe even end up taking care of the parent; but there’s an initial stage of dedication that’s necessary for the future well-being of all involved. That’s the same way it is with a startup. There’s no work-life balance at the early stages; not until the startup achieves stability and success and grows enough to accommodate it.

Much like parenting, a startup becomes your life, but only temporarily. If you grind hard at it and the start up becomes successful, then you have the chance to be recompensed for all you put in. Ask any parent who sacrificed for their children’s future—their sacrifice pays off over time.

Reality check: leave startups alone if this is you

Let’s pause and answer a brief questionnaire:

Do rigid boundaries and structured roles appeal to you? – If you were employed to do A, you must not be asked to do B.
Do you struggle with health issues like high blood pressure, etc.?
Can you work and adapt quickly to rapid changes?
Can you handle high-pressure situations?

If you answered yes to any of the first two questions and no to the last two, please go back home; working in a startup isn’t for you.

Startups aren’t for the faint-hearted

The glory of a successful startup is enviable but one has to be fully aware of what it takes to get there. It’s unfair, deceptive and downright reckless to enter a startup if you don’t have the mental fortitude required. You will definitely fail and maybe even endanger the entire company if you fail epically enough.

It’s equally misguided to request a founder to slow down for the sake of your work-life balance. Doing so could spell doom for the startup. You either agree to do that mad job to raise the startup ‘child’ or don’t get into it. It can destroy you if you don’t have the fortitude to get through it.

I’m not trying to glorify pain, I’m simply telling what it takes to build something great.

So what do you do if you get in and realize you can’t cope with it? Leave! The nature of the startup won’t change to accommodate your preferences. If the startup slows down for you to give you that time you want, that startup will die a miserable death. You have to ask yourself: do you want to leave the job or do you want to destroy the company? There’s no other way. If an alternative exists other than full commitment, then it’s not a startup.

Startups aren’t the only fertile ground for greatness …

As much as I’ve spoken about how much strength and determination it takes to thrive in a startup, does this mean you can only achieve greatness in a startup? Not at all.

If you’re good at your job and are responsible with what you do, you can find yourself work in an established organization and build an awesome career. For instance, if you work in a bank, that means the possibility of getting promoted every two years with a salary bump and if you’re diligent, you move up faster. The same applies to opportunities for growth and advancement if you decide to work for the government.

The point is that you don’t need to contort yourself to fit in a startup or try to disrupt the workflow there, you can go somewhere else your talents are appreciated and you can truly shine. What is it they say, go where you’re loved (as you are)? Yes, do that.

… But here’s the greatness you can achieve in a startup

I do hope I’ve not tarnished the image of startups as modern-day boogeymen. Yes, it’s hard work, but it’s greatly rewarding. Now, let’s address the question: “What’s in it for me if I commit to a startup?” The short answer: fulfillment and financial success.

You know that feeling you get when you finally get that broken thing in your house to work again after trying for what felt like forever? Just hold on to that feeling and multiply it tenfold.That’s the bliss and pride that surfaces when a startup finally overcomes its challenges and breaks into success.

In a startup, solving the problems might feel a lot like having to find the right key to unlock say 5 doors from a bowl containing 156 different keys. And no, the keys aren’t labeled or tagged. So it’s only fair those who are around long enough to make it work win and win big.

For those who stay and decide to build a startup to success, no one can take away the satisfaction of conquering a million and one obstacles. Also, unlike most established organizations, startup employees handle huge amounts of responsibility and are able to see a more direct relationship between their decisions and the impact on the company and customer satisfaction.

If ever there was a “Jack of all trades, master of one, novice of none”, it’ll probably be in reference to startup employees. The solutions required in a “baby” company are varied and often require employees to know a lot about everything in addition to their core area of expertise.This presents a unique opportunity for both wider and deeper learning and what the younger employees may not have in years of experience, they make up for in depth of experience. It’s little wonder that startup employees are often rewarded with a stake in the company.

Finally, for the million dollar question, “will I get my life back?” The answer is a big fat YES. Work-life balance will come naturally when the bulk of the work has been done and dusted and all that’s left is to watch the company flourish. The great thing is by this time, most of the stuff works on autopilot anyway but that’s only because you already poured blood, sweat and tears to make it great.

New beginnings are wonderful, but we can’t get carried away with the pretty stories and forget that it’s back-breaking labor that births greatness.

If your employer won’t give you a staff loan, ditch them!

Access to credit in Nigeria is tough, limiting dreams and necessities. Companies offering staff loans isn’t a luxury, it’s essential for motivation and productivity. If your employer won’t help, it’s time to find one that will.

Your employer is probably demanding your arm, legs, and probably one of your kidneys. All fine and good; aren’t we all family? Not so fast: if they can’t do what families do by giving you a decent access to loans when you need it instead of loan sharks swimming around the murky waters of Nigeria, then maybe time you got another job.

You want to know why? Here we go!

In Africa, and especially Nigeria, we practically save for everything important for our lives. Rent, getting a car, paying school fees. Woe betides you if a nasty medical issue arises. That could be the end of you, or even worse a loved one. After all, we know most of us have poor savings.

Even much more, because there is no access to loans, most Nigerians aren’t able to live their dreams. They can’t go to good schools or send their kids there. They can’t live in their own homes. They can’t get a decent car. They can’t even get a good laptop to start working remotely. Oh right, even if they get a new laptop, what about getting a generator or solar inverter to keep the light on when PHCN strikes?

Getting a loan is one of the fastest ways to get things done. But getting a loan in Nigeria is treacherous. The bank you have been banking with for years is suddenly airing you or making demands even an angel can barely meet. The lending companies, on the other hand, are asking for interest rates so high you don’t know if you would give them your soul instead. You have also heard stories of how lenders disgrace people who were late to make payments.

No wonder less than 2% of Nigerians have access to credit.

Looking at the challenges of getting a credit when needed, it’s even 200% harder if you are working because this would be distracting, and demoralizing. And if you are slacking at work because you’re trying to get a loan, you may as well lose your job. Triple jeopardy!

But you know what, don’t we turn to family when things go awry? Didn’t your boss just say last Friday that you’re family, to justify making you work the weekend?

So why isn’t your company lending you money? 😵

Don’t look confused. Companies offering their staff loans have been a staple of professional life for centuries. It’s almost not a privilege; it’s a right.

You wouldn’t even believe it, most of the middle-class to upper-class people in Nigeria today got a leg up in life with decent or cheap loans from the companies. Ask your CEO, Chairman, founder, etc. how life started for them. None of them was that thrifty or better than you – they all got loans at ridiculous rates to build the beautiful lives everyone admires.

I for one got a cheap mortgage when I worked at United Bank for Africa without any background check. Thanks UBA! My first cars were gotten with zero interest company loans, I got home appliances through partnerships with my employers.

While lending can be scary because many people don’t pay back, companies don’t have the fear that lenders have – they know you 100% in character and in truth; if you don’t pay your loan, you would be sacked. Oh! They even deduct the money from your paycheck and give you the balance.

And it’s not because companies are nice (some are indeed very nice, like Lendsqr). Giving loans to staff keeps them motivated, focused, and happy. Taking away the distractions of hunting for loans at the time of need is super important for productivity and employee happiness.

And what can companies do for you?

In truth, asking for a mortgage in this economy is killing even for the fattest companies. But at the minimum, they can help with personal loans to sort out things you can’t tell HR. They can help with asset finance to get devices, new generators (hoping you have the fuel to power it), inverter and solar panels. They can even help with loans for holidays – send you to far places so that when you come back, you are full of inspiration and deliver amazing quarters.

So what should you do? Just ask your HR for a company today. If she airs you, ask your founder, MD, Chairman, whatever.

If your best friends and family can’t come to your aid when you need them, are they still friends or family? If your employer can’t save your hide when you need them the most, ditch them!