Beyond Degrees: The Workplace Lessons Young Graduates May Not Learn in the Classroom

 

Tony Elumelu and a UBA graduate trainee during the viral exchange that has sparked debate over workplace etiquette, cultural respect and first-name corporate culture

By Victor Olubiye

A university certificate may open the door to a workplace, but it does not necessarily teach a young graduate how to navigate every situation that comes after entering one.

That distinction has become part of the conversation following the viral exchange between UBA Group Chairman Tony Elumelu and a young graduate trainee during the bank's Graduate Management Accelerated Programme event.

The trainee addressed Elumelu as “Tony” while greeting him. Elumelu interrupted her and asked that she address him as “Mr Elumelu” or “TOE”, before she continued with the interaction. The exchange has since generated a debate over workplace etiquette, respect and the expectations placed on young professionals.

But beneath the argument over one greeting is a broader question for students and fresh graduates: what happens when the rules of professional life cannot be found in a textbook?

For Adepoju Abdul-lateef Oluwasegun, an entrepreneur and journalist, entering a corporate environment is itself a learning process.

Reflecting on his experience at EduTimes Africa, he said his work had gradually taught him how to communicate formally, prepare reports, analyse issues, acknowledge feedback and participate in meetings.

“On days when I made mistakes, I learnt my lessons and kept moving,” he wrote.

That experience is relevant to thousands of young Nigerians who leave school each year with academic qualifications but still have to learn the practical language of professional environments.

Workplace communication, for instance, is not limited to knowing how to write an official email. It can involve understanding hierarchy, recognising the mood of a room, responding to correction and knowing when a particular rule should be applied with caution.

Click on the Graphic for Enquiries and Bookings 

Enoch Oyedibu, an investigative journalist, illustrated this through his own early experience in journalism.

He recalled being addressed as a colleague by a more experienced journalist while he was still a campus journalist. Although the gesture represented inclusion, Oyedibu said he understood that being treated as a colleague did not mean that his level of experience had suddenly become equal to that of the senior journalist.

His experience influenced how he interacted with senior figures in later workplaces.

“I will retain my Sir, Ma, Mr and Mrs, My Oga, My Editor, Chief…by all means!” he wrote.

For young graduates, that distinction between equality of dignity and equality of experience can be important.

A workplace may encourage openness without eliminating every social or professional hierarchy.

Olumide Lawrence Odeyemi, a media personnel, approached the Elumelu incident from another angle.

He argued that young professionals can find themselves caught between two systems of instruction: the formal corporate culture they receive during onboarding and the cultural values they learnt while growing up.

Kindly Click on the Graphic to Follow Us

The company policy points one way, but your upbringing has trained you the other way,” Odeyemi wrote.

His argument is particularly relevant to graduates joining Nigerian organisations that may adopt aspects of global corporate culture while still operating within a society where age and seniority influence social interaction.

II Moses, who said he went through the same UBA Graduate Management Accelerated Programme, provided another layer to that discussion.

He said trainees were taught to call colleagues by their first names, including examples involving senior executives.

That account, if representative of the programme's training, helps explain why the incident has generated conflicting interpretations.

A young graduate could therefore be following one understanding of corporate culture while simultaneously entering a social situation where another standard is expected.

For Moses, however, the crucial issue was not simply the existence of a first-name culture but the judgement required in applying it.

His advice to young professionals was essentially about reading the circumstances rather than relying mechanically on one rule.

The lesson extends beyond the question of whether the trainee was right or wrong.

Young people entering professional life may have to learn that workplace competence involves more than academic knowledge. It includes emotional intelligence, communication, adaptability, judgement and the ability to learn from correction.

There is also a lesson for employers.

If young professionals are expected to operate within modern workplace structures while navigating deeply rooted cultural expectations, orientation programmes may need to go beyond organisational procedures and job descriptions.

They may also need to prepare young employees for the informal realities of professional interaction.

The viral Elumelu exchange may eventually disappear from social media timelines. For the young professionals watching it, however, the larger lesson could remain useful.

A degree may qualify someone for the job.

Learning how to navigate the job is another education entirely.