Do Employees Really Matter?

Did COVID 19 prompt saving? Yes and No

 

Yes for some people who were living extreme luxurious lives and No for people who earn peanuts and simsim mixed with soil. What has it been like for you?

 

I was quite baffled when an employer scolded an employee for not saving during the COVID 19. All this was brought on the table after a group of lowly paid staff raised the concern of the high cost of living that was made worse by COVID 19; transport costs doubled and tripled in other areas. At the end of the day, the employee literally needs to borrow money so they can transport themselves to work. One is then left wondering; why must one even work? One will tell you they need the experience, while another will tell you how they finish the entire wage, not because they live an extravagant lifestyle, but the money is purely spent on basics which they also need. So others will work to avoid going hungry. Not any different from the hand to mouth way of life. One cannot save money, no matter how much they try.

 

This reminds me when a friend didn’t have UGX1000, and as I was digging it out of my wallet, his senior colleague stood there telling us how unserious we all are, asking how we can remain that dry in the middle of the month. I teared up, not for me this time, but for my colleagues and friends. I know reality, because I live in a real world. I asked myself, how do you, a senior staff who earns over UGX15m compare yourself with one who earns less than half a million? Harsh reality

 

We have responsibilities, many times inherited responsibilities. Do not offer your advice on how we should ditch offering this support; here we are crafted a bit differently. So we take it on…

 

Setting it a bit straight, in my locality; one doesn’t have to birth their own children to have a number of children under their direct care. So a person being paid say UGX500,000 in reality remains with nothing at the end of the month. Actually, this amount cannot run a complete cycle of the month.

 

So when an employer challenges you why you did not save during the COVID19 lockdown, that leaves one wondering for a meager earner whether feeding was put on hold, or was sickness among other necessities of life. Food prices shot up, we have to feed a group of people who weren’t planned for, our children whose meals were already paid for at school (either all meals or a couple of them), the lockdown meant we had to pay transport officers to do the town running or and do the shopping as well.

 

A number of organisations opened before boda-bodas were made operational, a very common means of transport used by majority of employees especially those out of the city of Kampala and a few other places where they don’t have the privilege of having matatus, taxis that drop them off in front of offices or walkable distances. So what were some employers thinking asking employees to walk 20km or so to work and back, something they have not trained themselves to do and some have health challenges that will frustrate their efforts even when they want to.

 

It Is a tough time for both employers and employees, but we should have human instincts at all times before we make certain statements and decisions.

 

Employees should also be fair in their demands

 

PC: The Internet

Through the eyes of AYENYO Joanita