Kwame Agyeman was only 28. He got a big job as operations manager at Henos energy in lakeside. He earned it. His ideas fixed truck and operational problems fast. The trucks ran better, and the company stayed out of trouble with rules.

But the older workers did not like it. Men like Uncle Kojo, who was over 40 and had worked there for 4 years, felt bad. “A young boy like you can’t tell us what to do,” Kojo said in meetings. He did not follow orders. . Others joined in. They forgot to do jobs on time. They said mean things like “School boys can’t drive in Accra traffic.”

Kwame stayed quiet. He smiled and tried to be nice. He knew fighting back was bad for his job.

One busy Friday, a truck broke down. No gas went out. People were mad. Kojo came late. His work was sloppy. “Do it yourself, young boss,” he laughed. The others laughed too.

Kwame got too mad. “Uncle, do your job or go home. Being old is no excuse!” he said.

The yard went quiet.

On Monday, Kojo went to the big boss, Mr. Daniel. He cried. “That boy was rude to me! He called me lazy in front of everyone!”

Mr. Daniel called Kwame. “You can’t talk bad to old workers. You are in trouble now. Be humble.”

Kwame said sorry in front of all. But he felt trapped. Take the mean words forever, or fight once and look like the bad guy. He started looking for a new job. One day, he would work where people respect good work, not just old age.