Let me give you one reason you should never rope yourself into any situation you could confidently walk away from:
You attend a boot camp. In 48 hours there's already a clique. Clique is supposed to be the top writers (whose works I was impressed with). I am unaware there's already a "WhatsApp Group" of these supposedly "brilliant writers" from the exercise.
I throw an elaborate celebration for my soon-to-be-employed-writers, to the surprise of my colleagues who have slaved with me for years.
I take you to HR, you accept the intern salary of N70,000 + N5,000 data fee which will hold for 6 months, after which you have the permission to name your price.
Instead of you to turn it down and head the fuck on into the arms of other opportunities, you smile and accept the offer... making me believe all is well.
Later you gather in your little "New Writers for Happenings" group and agree to come back in your folds to ask for more pay.
You have not worked ONE day, you are not yet a full staff, yet you think you are entitled to more pay?
Did you leave an oil well in my office? Which extra money are we required to pay you when you are yet to prove you can survive internship?
You want me to meet y'all as a group and demand for more pay. You have not worked ONE day. And I am supposed to take you seriously???
This is why I keep telling "young" people to stay the hell away from cliques. They will destroy you. Have a mind of your own. Do you.
They must not have heard about me.
My assistant said, "you made them feel they are coming to save the company."
That was not my intention, I just wanted you make writers feel special, comfortable.
My bad.
So now, I am back to being Joy.
To break this sick tradition, I employed only two from the original pack, just to spite this corterie. I was going to make it a less formal structure moving forward, but I realise Nigerians will take a mile when all you offer is one step forward.
This is media, not Alakija's oil well. You have a right to ask for more INDIVIDUALLY (which will be turned down, of course), but to come as a group- a group formed just 48 hours after a boot camp I organised, and start to act like you run tinz... you put yourself in a position to be defied.
It is too annoying to even consider
I hate cliques.
I hate anything that cannot stand on its own.
As a boss, I get very little results when cliques are formed in the office. I have a tradition of breaking that kind of mess- one person will have to leave, just so I can watch the others stagger around for a few weeks, unable to figure out how to move on. Eventually they do, and realise they didn't need crutches.
Cliques are born out of inferiority complex. Cliques, just after a boot camp, is just the stupidest thing I have encountered.
They are going to come with that clique mentality to terrorise my old writers. And turn me into are constant referee.
I mean, these people just met 48 hours ago! WTF!
Stand on your own. How hard can that be?
New Flash: You are fired before being hired.
Ugh!
Written By Joy Isi Bewaji