On 60 Minutes tonight

[oldschool1982]

Okay so if 60 minutes and it's style or content are not to your liking then you probably don't need to views this. But I just finished watching the show and this report has left me flabbergasted!!!!! To coin a phrase.... "Only on America"!!!!!!!

I'm certainly not trying to cause a rift in things but this one could certainly use a little "lively" debate. If it doesn't belong here then I certainly won't argue nor put up a stink if the powers that be feel this way but it was something that has definitely left me scratching my head asking WHY! I believe we've been headed to the crapper for some time but Jeebus Christmas if even half of this comes true.... we just fell in.

[phatch]

I think a fair chunk of those changes are worthwhile.

I like companies realizing they don't own people and all their time. I like companies realizing they're not the top priority in the world, but rather a means to an end rather than the end itself.

The stuff about the parents calling colleges and employers is lunacy.

Phil

[oldschool1982]

Phil,

I agree, whole heartedly, that some if not the majority of employers, companies and corporations have taken things to the extreme regarding expectation and how they perceive their own importance in the whole scheme of things so I'll give you that. Also the fact that I believe that most people try to peak at 25 it seems. I once took a step back at my folks and my Grandparents. It was harder to do this with my Grandparents since they were already in their 60's when I came along. What I saw though was that my folks really didn't come into their own until they were the age or a bit older than I am now. But they certainly took things far more seriously and dedicated themselves to doing something long before they reached 30. Which is the age the report brought up. But it's expectation's and those expectations are part of the discussion.

As an employer I expect a fair days work for a fair days pay and am owed that by all my employees. Past, present and future. Shouldn't I be able to do this at the least? It is not and should not be in their job description to play with computer games, surf the net, talk to friends, etc on my dime unless they are capable of and have completed the assigned tasks according to the deadlines. And then some. Praise? I'll be happy to and have provided praise when and where it was due. Sometimes even not when morale needed to be bolstered. BUt I also believe we've become to expect too much when not really warranted like doing the job you're being paid to perform. More often that not it seems that folks want praise for just showing up on time 50% of the time.

If much of this does come to fruition where does it leave our future? Not only with-in our own borders but our standing world wide. Heck that's already almost reached a point of being unrepairable. I don't know about you but I'm already more than halfway thru with things on this earth. So what am I to expect as I get even older and have to rely on many of these folks to perform tasks that are vital to my very existance?

It sees that as every generation has prospered it has left something behind in the wake of that prosperity. Almost to the point of being a casualty. We're loosing our standing, our business, our jobs and our whole way of living because people are content to rest on their laurels or take a non agressive or non proactive approach.

I'm not saying to not enjoy yourself or your job. It's also not like I've had more than my fair share of employment opportunities yet I have always remaind focused on doing the job. Even when I was in my early 20's I was focused on the job. But there's a difference between being or not being a productive member of society in a timely fashion. Especially since by the time most of these kids figure it out the job they wanted is gonna be gone and that's when they become a burden to the very society they are supposed to be contributing to. Mom, Dad and their money ain't gonna last forever.

I also believe that the phone calls left me scratching more than my head. That was beyond lunacy.

[Mezzaluna]

I didn't see the show and I scanned the article. What stood out for me as a teacher (mostly in middle and high school) was the notion many of that generation have that you can't tell them their work is substandard or that they didn't do what you asked them to do. I cannot tell you how many times I had parents burn my ear off on the phone, telling me I could not give their precious child a C (or even a B) because .... whatever. I won't tell the whole, long story, but I had my belly full of parents telling me I had to extend a long-established deadline for a project (and which the parents had signed off on); or that I had marked too many things wrong on their child's paper; or some other raging demand. I absolutely refused to use the term "good job!" because it's sooooooo overused. When students asked me what I thought of their work I would turn to them and ask, "What do you think of it?" Usually they'd tell me what needed fixing or say it was good- at which point they'd get simple affirmation from me.

I have to stop here or I'll be here for another hour. The self-esteem stuff started out with good intentions and good foundations, but it got hijacked and our kids ended up with heads so big they can't wear hats.

End of rant.

[Free Rider]

I have one of this generation just hand me some work. Not even close to what should have been done. So bad it had to be thrown out. No original thought, jut copy and paste someone else's stuff seems to be the mantra for the current newcomers to the job market. And yes, you can't tell them that their work sucks.

[layla17]

I really have nothing to add to this thread. I just wanted to simply state that I agree with most of the thoughts above. People are no longer be held accountable for their work and that's pathetic.

[chicagostyledog]

I'm an early baby boomer(circa 1947). My parents raised me to go to school, get good grades, get a good job, and retire with a pension and good health benefits. I've done just that. Life after work for has been an adventure. Not so for others. I worked with Mezz in the 80's and we observed, first hand, what was coming down the road with the current generation. We didn't cause it, we didn't create it, we can't cure it, and now we have to cope with it. It's a generation that wouldn't allow close proximity then or now. We watched our work ethic take a different direction, without the power to redirect. So did our parents and grandparents. We're out of fish bowl. We're out of our comfort zone. To some, the sky is falling. Some are complacent, some are oblivious. We're in the age of entrepreneuership and this is an exciting time. Visit me on Sunday Morning CBS News, November 18th at 8:00am CST to see my view of the world of work.

[Luc_H]

I am not at all surprise with the report except they exaggerate the phenomenon a little.

Just as an additional note: China will be feeling this same arrogance from the new generation of workers also since they are raising a society of only one children per family (spoiled brats that will become business tycoons or just lazy).

Luc H.