Online Reporter
Arthur Marara
Point Blank
THE line between professional commitment and personal identity often blurs. We are encouraged to “love what we do” and bring our “whole selves to work.”
While passion is valuable, an emotional attachment to your job can be a significant liability. This isn’t a call for disengagement or quiet quitting; it’s a strategic plea for perspective, grounded in the realities of business and human nature.
As a legal professional by day and a human capital developer by passion, I operate at the intersection of law and people strategy.
This unique vantage point has shown me a consistent pattern: individuals who intertwine their self-worth with their job title or office corner are setting themselves up for profound hardship when circumstances inevitably change.
For the record, I firmly advocate for fair labour practices and the protection of every employee’s fundamental rights. The purpose of this article is not to justify unfairness, but to equip both employers and employees with the pragmatic understanding needed to navigate the end of a working relationship with dignity and foresight.
- Your employment contract is not a lifetime guarantee
The foundation of any job is a contract — a commercial agreement for the exchange of skills for compensation. The most critical thing to remember is that every contract, by its nature, can be terminated.
I have witnessed “permanent” contracts dissolved after decades of service. I’ve seen new hires, who left stable roles chasing greener pastures, dismissed within weeks. Life is unpredictable. Businesses restructure, markets shift, strategies evolve, and management changes. Your role today may not exist tomorrow, regardless of your performance or loyalty.
When termination happens, the ensuing emotional shock often leads to prolonged, bitter legal battles. In a hyperinflationary economy, even a successful claim for back pay can be a Pyrrhic victory, its value eroded by time and legal fees. The lesson is simple yet crucial: enter every job with the understanding that it will one day end. This isn’t cynicism; it’s a realistic mindset that allows you to plan and protect yourself.
- Workplace politics are real and impactful
The law on paper and the practice in the boardroom (or on the golf course) are often worlds apart. Many employees focus solely on the clauses in their contract while ignoring the unspoken rules of organizational politics.
Decisions are frequently influenced by relationships, alliances, and perceptions. People are hired and fired based on allegiances. A change in leadership often results in a purge of those associated with the old regime, regardless of their competence. You might be framed for underperformance or pushed out through manufactured disciplinary processes simply because you no longer “fit.”
Understanding this reality is not about becoming paranoid; it’s about being strategic. It informs the battles you choose to fight and reminds you that your position is not solely a reflection of your merit. Your value to the organization is not an absolute truth but a perceived one that can change overnight.
- The disciplinary hearing: A tool, not a weapon
Employers have the right and responsibility to maintain discipline. However, this right is grotesquely abused when disciplinary hearings are used as a predetermined tool to force someone out, rather than a genuine process to investigate misconduct.
There are clear-cut cases where misconduct is evident and a hearing is warranted. But initiating a charade of a hearing because management has simply grown tired of an employee is a destructive practice. It inflicts unnecessary emotional trauma on the employee and exposes the company to legal risk and reputational damage.
For employees, this underscores the core message: do not be so attached to your desk, your title, or your perceived indispensability that you miss the writing on the wall. If you are being targeted, a fight for a specific job might be less wise than negotiating a dignified exit. You may be dead in someone’s mind long before you are officially dismissed.
A path to a healthier professional culture: Mutual termination
The healthiest way to part ways is often through a Mutual Termination Agreement. This is especially true for senior roles or situations where the issue is not gross misconduct but a misalignment of vision, fit, or performance that coaching cannot resolve.
A mutual termination provides certainty, closure, and a clean break for both parties. It often includes a negotiated severance package, a neutral reference, and a confidentiality clause.
Instead of spending vast sums on lawyers to fight a protracted battle, those resources can be allocated to a fair settlement that allows the employee to transition smoothly.
Employers obsessed with “setting a precedent” through a harsh dismissal often end up setting a far more expensive one in legal fees, lost time, and internal morale. Choosing the path of mutual respect is not a sign of weakness; it’s a mark of mature leadership.
Embrace professionalism, not attachment
The goal is to shift from emotional attachment to professional investment. Be dedicated, be excellent, and be committed. But protect your identity outside of your job. Cultivate your skills, grow your network, and manage your finances with the awareness that your current role is a chapter, not the entire book.
For employers, this means building a culture of respect and transparency, where endings are handled with the same dignity as beginnings.
For employees, it means doing your best work while remembering that you are a skilled professional offering a service—not your job title.
When we all understand that the employment relationship is a two-way street with a beginning, a middle, and an end, we can navigate its entirety with wisdom, grace, and resilience.
Arthur Marara is a corporate law attorney, keynote speaker, corporate and personal branding speaker commanding the stage with his delightful humour, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. He is a financial wellness expert and is passionate about addressing the issues of wellness, strategy and personal and professional development. Arthur is the author of “Toys for Adults” a thought-provoking book on entrepreneurship, and “No One is Coming” a book that seeks to equip leaders to take charge. Send your feedback to [email protected] or visit his website www.arthurmarara.com or contact him on WhatsApp: +263780055152 or call +263772467255.
