"I will connect you to a good paying job...but I need a cut on your first salary"
Bits of ME
"I am connecting you to this job but when you get it, you give me 35% off your first salary for one year because it is not easy to get into this organization. Do you agree? If you do, sign here and leave the rest to me," a head hunter firmly stated to my friend.
Head hunter refers to executive recruiters who search for the best or perhaps their person to fill a position.
While professionally head hunters often persuade someone to leave their job by offering the person another job for better pay, in the unprofessional world, such people have conned, defrauded and tainted the reputation of the honesty in the field.
My friend had been out of job for close to two years; his marriage was on the rocks. What followed next was to take his two children to live with his parents since the wife’s small shop couldn’t fully support all their family needs.
"I am going to accept his offer," he shared, "If my take home is Shs 3.5 million like he informed me, then at least I will remain with Shs 2.25 million which is way better than no job for another year. What do you think?" he convincingly queried.
Would you rather he let it slide?
Bits of YOU
"That’s nothing compared to what happens within recruitment circles," another aggrieved colleague added.
"In Uganda tuli ku nfuniramu wa” loosely translated to mean today ‘it’s about help for gain.
The Uganda’s Airline boss Jennifer Bamuturaki incident offered another plot to the book of recruitment in the country.
It was another hit on social media, but like all passing fancies, it quickly faded as had been predicted by many.
The ethical decline in all this is employment scandals no longer create a sense of outrage or self-reflection.
The ‘omwana wani’ (whose child?) or kickback for a slot is viewed as the jackpot to land a sought- after placement.
With such growing habits, who will then rewrite the fate of the unemployed youth in Uganda, or the inexperienced young suitors always asked, "how many years of experience do you have," but never allowed to gain it!
It is us the educated wolves making the uneducated risks for the country.
Reverend Richard Rukundo the coordinator, Youth and Children’s programs at the Church of Uganda Provincial Secretariat, Namirembe believes the current educated fellows lack the credibility test and moral compass.
“It is said education is not about certificates but the ethos and principles one shows. So, this is a culture that should start in our institutions," he said.
If this signal does not activate an awakening for companies and organisations, then this decay cannot be undone.
Rev. Rukundo adds, "government and all the other agencies benchmark best practices in the global world to know how things are done by those who are developed..."
Many job holders or employees in several agencies might not have passed through the standard recruitment channels but according to Rev. Rukundo "no matter whether one entered through the backdoor, the entrant should exhibit spirit of service."
He advises that Ugandans should cease to look at gains for ‘myself’ and ingrain the values of ‘service above self for all’.
Guide to providing transparency for recruitment process
- Open and wide communication of the available positions for hire
- Provide responsibilities required for the job position and salary range
- Include the hiring timeline
- Close gaps on illegal recruitments by doing follow-ups on shortlisted candidates until final selection.
- Give interview feedback
- Do not be desperate to fill a position; follow the standard processes to avoid hiring anyone.
- Provide access to employee profiles
- Incorporate anti-corruption as part of your company culture and operations with consequences for interruption of processes
- Periodic sensitization of employees of company’s professional ethical codes of conduct among others.
