The youth and their shoddy work ethic....

I don't recall growing up to be like this. Maybe I did but I grew out of it before long.

I work with a 26 year old what amounts to a child. He still lives with his parents. Goes out partying till all hours of the night. Shows up to work when he feels like. Shirks responsibility by saying, 'You're the lead. You do it.' when in my job description the only thing I technically have to do is watch a panel since I've done everything that he's supposed to be doing.

But the best is that he shows up to work when he feels like it. Now, I don't pretend to be the picture of a model employee. Hell, I'm late a lot because well...frankly I live an hour from where I'm supposed to pick him up and our jobs are between 2-3 hours from there. I spend a lot of time staring at a dashboard and tail lights. I've never been called out on it because my supervisor can see on my GPS that I'm generally on the road before a lot of the other techs. But I digress. On point. The kid I work with generally on Monday's doesn't come in. I've gotten used to scheduling easy jobs that I can do by myself since I can't rely on him coming in. On occasion however, he throws a curve ball in.

Today for instance is a good example of one such curve ball. I show up at our designated pick-up point and he's no where to be found. Granted, it was 7:28am and I was early by his standards; our normal time is 7:30am. But generally he won't show up until 7:45-8:00. So, as I'm waiting I look at the clock and it's 7:44 so I start prepping for his arrival so we can go. 7:45 I get a text, 'Ahh..*censored*...sorry bro I just woke up.' I immediately begin one of my text message tirades to him, 'What the *censored*? Why are you so *censored* stupid? What is wrong with you?' usually it motivates him because he wants to come punch me. Not this morning. 7:50 I'm still waiting. Eventually I text him, '*censored* it. I'm the *censored* sitting here waiting for you. I'm ghosting.' and I punched out. Started rolling to the job. A few minutes later, 'I'm rushing. Did you leave?', 'Yeah, *censored*. I did.' I then text him the address, 'Meet me there.'

An hour ride to Piscataway. 'Nah, I'm not driving my car (BMW) all the way to there.' I just stopped replying after that. I then get another series of texts saying this: 'I texted (redacted) and asked if he's got somewhere else closer to home I can go do or if he'd allow me to stay home with pay.' My boss then calls me, 'Where is he?' I then explain to him what happened and he says to me, 'Yeah, well he said you just left him there.' to which I just laughed and said, 'He couldn't get his ass out of bed. What was I supposed to do?', true, I could've picked him up at his house, it was only 20 minutes away; in the opposite direction of our intended destination. So, my boss has called me now twice because he's told my partner to man up and drive to the job. It's now 1200 and he still hasn't shown up.

When I was his age I was past all of that. I had an apartment, two cars and bills. He's got a car. That's it. What the hell has happened? Sure, there are days I don't want to come to work, hell there are days that I go to work and I'm lazy because I don't want to do anything. But you know what, I get up, I get dressed and I go to the job. I EVEN DO THE JOB even though I'm lazy that day. I pull my eight hours and I go home. This kid comes and goes as he pleases.

The really messed up thing is, and my boss said it too is that when he is here, he works and he's a damn good worker. But getting him motivated to do anything is like pulling teeth. I can also guarantee you, and again my boss agreed that he figured he was getting a free day off and he went to the Jersey Shore. Then he won't show up on Monday.

I see this all too often myself.

I work sales at a wholesale building materials company and I have a lot of clients. The ability to get a good worker is hard, and really shouldn't be in this economy. Your partner should be fired and not given a positive reference by your employer.

I am a huge believer in apprenticeships, and support that whenever possible. My own son will be working (for free) with my customers to learn basic trades, and work ethic, next summer.

I just don't understand it. At age 11 I had a job. I worked delivering newspapers until I was 17. I was then offered a motor route and turned it down so I could go work a trade drilling holes, pulling wire and installing light switches, outlets, ceiling fans, and lights. I did that until the summer of 1998 then I worked in a grocery store (burned that bridge), then a clothing store (several in fact) then a toy store (burned that bridge)then I worked an auto parts counter; also drove, then went into the field I'm in now. When I left this field I went back to driving an auto parts truck and HATED it. But I did it, until I gave the same woman the finger for cutting me off TWICE in the same day. I quit before I got fired. Then went back to what I'm doing now. I work hard. Always have. Yup, I've made mistakes both in my professional field and financial well being. But you know what, I work. I get up every day and work. Then I go home and work some more. I even do odd jobs once in while just to pay bills and support my habits. But this kid barely works the hours he's supposed to and parties his pay away. He comes in to work when he works some days complaining that he's hung over or still drunk from the night before and bitches that he spent "X" amount at the bar which equates to blowing his entire paycheck plus some.

I can only hope my step-son doesn't turn out like this. He's 13 and I'm just now getting him to mow the lawn and bring in coal without bitching. Surprisingly last weekend he mowed the lawn without being told and did a great job. Now I gotta teach him how to use the weed whacker.

I have no hope for the youth of today if they are like the idiot that I work with.

Lazy people come in all shapes and ages. Your co-worker is a loser. Considering the number of people looking for work right now, I would fire him in a heartbeat and get someone "hungry".

One NO SHOW, is what it takes out here in farm country--there's way to many responsible, hungry young men needing to put food on the family table & keep a roof over thier heads--in my thoughts, the boss's are the culprits there. Grow some balls indeed

The impression I got from my boss today is that he wants to fire him. Unfortunately for him though is that if he does we'd be down one man who actually knows what he's supposed to do and then he'd be left to either hire someone with absolutely no experience or someone with very little. If corporate will even let him hire a replacement. Even my wife says he should be fired. I agree but I don't think my boss can do it and hire a new person.

Of course you realize that's all BS--to train someone with basic skills that actually wants/ needs to work would sure seem to me to be do-able--WAIT--- you're not a brain surgeon or anything like that are you? I'm sorry, but I'd be damned if I would keep paying some lazy, undependable piece of crap. It's not the way it works out my way--but, I guess we're just dumb, unskilled people, so it wouldn't matter one way or the other.

I googled "how to hire a war veteran" and the internet is full of links, government sites and private.

Just post a Help Wanted ad here in the Employment Opportunities section and I bet you would have twenty qualified guys apply over the weekend!

I understand all of that. I keep telling my boss we need more people. He keeps telling me that corporate won't let him hire people. If he fires my helper he's going to put the department in a huge bind.

HEY HEY HEY now dont pull this youth work ethic bullshart on me damnit. Haha used to it actually my co-workers say this all the time then I remind them I'm only 25 and I get the well not you your different. I have several friends my age who have great work ethics but they have full time jobs and take pride in thier work. If you dont hear about them its because they arent the ones talked about . 25 and I have bought my second home raising a beautiful daughter (planned child) and have 3 vehicles blah ba blah ba blah. Somedays I wish I could screw off all day, but before I know it I will be looking at retirement and you will see me at age 55 driving my corvette sqeelin tires at red lights because I can damn it. Well maybe But my whole point is dont let the media and one or 2 screw offs dont give a damns ruin what some of the youth are doing.

Sad to say but at least with the people (business owners) that I know well along with myself have all experienced the lack of work ethics with many (not all) but as for the ones I'm talking about there are far more slackers than good willing to work & learn youth of today.

anthony7812 wrote:HEY HEY HEY now dont pull this youth work ethic bullshart on me damnit. Haha used to it actually my co-workers say this all the time then I remind them I'm only 25 and I get the well not you your different. I have several friends my age who have great work ethics but they have full time jobs and take pride in thier work. If you dont hear about them its because they arent the ones talked about . 25 and I have bought my second home raising a beautiful daughter (planned child) and have 3 vehicles blah ba blah ba blah. Somedays I wish I could screw off all day, but before I know it I will be looking at retirement and you will see me at age 55 driving my corvette sqeelin tires at red lights because I can damn it. Well maybe But my whole point is dont let the media and one or 2 screw offs dont give a damns ruin what some of the youth are doing.

Exactly! There are a LOT of good kids out there - always have been, always will be (I hope). Unfortunately, as America slides further into this dumbed-down, lazy, obese society with general lack of work ethic and responsibility, it becomes harder for the good ones to rise above the surface in the sea of crap. It also doesn't help that the worst of the "offenders" have the most children since our government will pay them more $ to sit home and do nothing. Eventually, if it hasn't already happened, we will reach critical mass (critical stupidity?) and the hard working people will be overrun or just plain give up.

I suppose it's really no different now than 50, 100 years ago. There were probably plenty of lazy screw-offs then, too, but at least our government didn't facilitate their existence with a check.

While I was working it surely did not take too many instances of lateness for anyone to be "out the door"period.Time is money and responsible,qualified employees that show up on or ahead of time are the lifeblood of any business.This present new lawyer thick society we have thrives on nit picking causes for dismissal [not their business at risk].Situations like you describe are symptomatic of a workforce that is loosing self awareness,pride in accomplishment,and a sense of teamwork.Over the years I have had some difficult bosses,people that were thru the depression types.That is the exact type to build character and discipline.Yes,they will crush your "feelings" for certain and fire you on the spot if they saw fit to do so.I can remember my first day in a heavy fabricating shop,the foreman gave a lecture all about dressing the edges on a piece of metal in"his shop".I was told that if I passed off a piece of metal to another employee and he was cut by a sharp edge I was going home for 2 days.Period!! We have lost a great treasure by allowing poor workplace performance to be tolerated.So many hard working men and women presently are picking up the slack for non committed performers that eventually the burden will become too great to allow us equal footing to compete in the world marketplace. Phew.............. stepping off the soapbox now. Mike

And you hit that right on the money my friend.

Ditto. Good post