I Finally Quit

When Family Becomes Your Toughest Employer

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Working in a family organization could be very exhausting and tiring, because of high expectations, and lack of motivation in some cases.

In a typical family business setting, they would employed you to be Jack of all trade, you work like someone collecting 1 million naira salary, but in reality 60 thousand naira is your take home salary.

No one notices your daily efforts, all they see are your mistakes. So, no appreciation whatsoever.

I was working as a classroom teacher in a city, receiving over 75 thousand naira as monthly salary, but the little me were convinced to come and worked with my elder brother.

Initially, it sounds like the best offer ever, I was very excited for the fact that, I am going to work as a farm manager in a livestock farm.

Taking care of livestock has always be my dream, I love livestock I can even work for free as far as livestock is concern.

I resumed work on the 6th of January, 2026, as a farm manager. However, it was when I started the job I realized that, I was employed as a laborer with a peanut salary.

As a farm manager, my employer want me to be doing everything including; sweeping, cleaning, bathing of animals, planting of pasture grasses, weeding of pasture land, irrigating the pasture plant, and I should just be doing everything that has to do with the farm work.

Indeed, I am his farm manager and am here to manage the farm! A month later, I fell sick and couldn’t even work for few days. I was expecting to get a little appreciation, but instead I got a ugly remark.

My elder brother who happened to be my employer, went straight to my house and starts telling my mother how lazy I am at work, that I am even sick in just one month of resuming work.

I think that’s the part that pains me more, anything that happens in the farm, he will find a way of narrating it to my mom. I hated such acts alots.

When he started complaining at first, I was actually doubting myself thinking it’s my fault for not working hard enough. But, later I realized that it’s not about me but, him.

That’s his own nature, he is a kind of person that doesn’t want anything to go waste. If he is paying you 50 thousand naira per month, he will want you to work like someone that is collecting 100 thousand naira.

He just wanted to over use me which I didn’t accept. Therefore, paying me monthly salary look more like wasting of money to him.

He always complains about my work, even when I did 20 things right, he would complain about the one I got wrong.

I finally came to realized that, he is not appreciative at all, he want someone that’s workaholic, someone he could over use, someone that doesn’t care about his health, someone that love work more than his dear life, unfortunately for him, I am not that kind of person.

I have worked in various organizations, no one ever complain about my attitude towards work, they all appreciates me, except my own brother who is even paying me less compared to other places I have worked.

So, I knew this man is never going to appreciate me and it’s better to work where you were value and appreciated.

I begin to think of how to quit the so-called farm manager’s work. But, I find it difficult to quit because it might turn into family chaos and I don’t want anything to create misunderstanding within the family.

I kept enduring thinking that, he will begin to appreciate me soon, but all in vain he never seems to be appreciative at all. He literally complains about everything I does.

One day, I sat down and think about my life. I thought to myself, "how much are you even collecting per month, that is capable of stealing your peace”? Your peace is highly paramount to you".

On that very day, I decided to take unapologetic decision, I decided to quit the job.

I finally quit the job on the 30th of May, 2026. And now I have peace of mind. In fact, I wish I have quit the job for long.

Moral Lesson: Never underrates yourself, you are important, you possessed great potentials, there are people out there who need your service and values you. Never work where you were underestimated.

Your peace of mind should be your priority, and not salary or people’s opinion, just focus on yourself, because at the end of the day, it would be you and yourself.

HLF @2026