[Silver Surfer]

Quote

Gen Y too lazy and unfocused to hire - bosses

• From: The Courier-Mail
• February 06, 2010 12:09AM

• Gen Y being spurned by employers
• Accused of being lazy
• Warned they have been spoilt

EMPLOYERS are refusing to hire Generation Y workers because they lack a work ethic and spend too much time talking to friends in work hours.

"Employers come to us about Gen Y, saying they're looking for a staff member but they don't want anyone in that 20s age bracket because they find they don't understand common courtesy in the workplace," Kristy-Lee Johnston, director of Footprint Recruitment told The Courier-Mail.

And the complaints don't only come from managers and bosses.

Social researcher Mark McCrindle said: "They also come from other people in the team who are of another generation."

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland policy general manager Nick Behrens said the global financial crisis should act as a wake-up call.

"The chamber is hoping Gen Y will learn from this, that they can no longer take for granted the good times and will no longer get away with the luxuries they have been given."

http://www.news.com....i-1225827302507

This post has been edited by Silver Surfer: 05 February 2010 - 11:18 PM

[sydney3000]

News at 11: "Babyboomers, stuck in the 20th century, lack the skill to get the most out of young workers. Generation X is called upon to change the way the modern workplace is managed."

This post has been edited by sydney3000: 06 February 2010 - 02:09 AM

[Silver Surfer]

sydney3000, on 06 February 2010 - 02:09 AM, said:

News at 11: "Babyboomers, stuck in the 20th century, lack the skill to get the most out of young workers. Generation X is called upon to change the way the modern workplace is managed."

I dont agree with the Generalization of Gen Y as such.

What I do wonder is IF Unemployment was as low as they state, and the Economy booming to a point where we need massive immigration, they would not dare talk such nonsense when competing for scarce labor.

[hamish]

Is there really anything new about bosses complaining about young workers being lazy and lacking a work ethic? because I'm quite sure I heard the same complaints directed at my generation when we were in our early 20s, and I'm sure the boomers parents complained very loudly about them, and so it goes on...

Personally I think the whole 'generations' thing is a huge beat up, probably invented by marketers to sell product or the news. I think there is more difference between individuals within a generation, than any differences between these so called generations. Generalisations like saying the boomers stole our future, or gen Y are lazy & selfish, are just divisive and unhelpful, a distraction from finding the real causes behind some issues. For every boomer who has truly struck it rich out of property speculation, I wouldn't be surprised to find another who has blown everything on the pokies and will live their retirement in poverty.

[RumpledElf]

hamish, on 06 February 2010 - 02:17 AM, said:

Is there really anything new about bosses complaining about young workers being lazy and lacking a work ethic? because I'm quite sure I heard the same complaints directed at my generation when we were in our early 20s, and I'm sure the boomers parents complained very loudly about them, and so it goes on...

Yup, its not generations, its age brackets. Those young whippersnappers in their 20s ... geez. Who'd hire one of those!

*resumes waiting for GenY other half to turn 30 and grow up a bit*

[Sacamento]

The header should have been more like "Gen y can't be arsed slaving their guts out for 30 years for a dogbox".

I worked with a bunch of gen y'ers a few years ago. Some of them were cool, most of them were obnoxious, conceited, snotty little turds. But a lot of them were also from private schools so that could have been it. Like Cranbrook. But that was just one instance. Whenever I go shopping the gen y people serving me are polite most of the time. There was certainly nothing wrong with their skills, in fact I think gen y are generally probably the smartest generation thanks to them having cable and adsl internet, they didn't really have to put up with shitty dial up. Their music is conformist as, it doesn't really inspire them to get on the downer drugs like pot and so on like so many gen x did. They seemed to have zero loyalty though, but why on earth would you have loyalty when companies are all about screwing over the worker so the CEO can get an extra 5 mil?

Maybe we'll see more gen y bashing after the crash and they start to buy properties for a fair price? Hope so!

[Charles Bukowski]

I was thinking the same thing

I met a FIFO at the pub who I overheard telling a mate that he had saved 30k from his job up North. He's in his mid twenties. He said 30k was nowhere near enough of a deposit on a house, and he decided to say bugger it, and have a years holiday instead.

Then his friend said something about getting on the property ladder, and the guy said in reply that we're it's all going to shit itself just like American real estate did. Then i introduced myself and shared a drink.

Turns out that average gen y tattooed bogan has more of a grasp on economics than I had previously perceived.

[tor]

There is this great poem which I can't find anymore (not remembering the title or any of the exact words makes it hard).

This guy who was a bit of a legend in his time was bemoaning the lack or ethics and attitude of the younger generation.

Was written in about 1100 by a samurai that thought all the new ones were shit.

[Solomon]

hamish, on 06 February 2010 - 02:17 AM, said:

Is there really anything new about bosses complaining about young workers being lazy and lacking a work ethic? because I'm quite sure I heard the same complaints directed at my generation when we were in our early 20s, and I'm sure the boomers parents complained very loudly about them, and so it goes on...

Personally I think the whole 'generations' thing is a huge beat up, probably invented by marketers to sell product or the news. I think there is more difference between individuals within a generation, than any differences between these so called generations. Generalisations like saying the boomers stole our future, or gen Y are lazy & selfish, are just divisive and unhelpful, a distraction from finding the real causes behind some issues. For every boomer who has truly struck it rich out of property speculation, I wouldn't be surprised to find another who has blown everything on the pokies and will live their retirement in poverty.

I think this is a good post Hamish.
Thank-you.

[Bernard L. Madoff]

sydney3000, on 06 February 2010 - 02:09 AM, said:

News at 11: "Babyboomers, stuck in the 20th century, lack the skill to get the most out of young workers. Generation X is called upon to change the way the modern workplace is managed."

Looking at YOUR attitude around here I wouldn't hire you if you were the last man standing and I needed a hole dug.

You wouldn't know the difference between leadership, management and authority. There are differences.

As well as leadership there is 'followership'.

You need some National Service time and you need it badly sonny.

[Bernard L. Madoff]

I googled 'followership' and got 133,00 hits*.

Before you can lead you must me able to follow (and work with).

You must be a good follower before you can be a good leader.

A good follower is not an arse kissing yes man. DYOR .

* http://www.google.co...&q=followership

[sydney3000]

Tinpusher, on 06 February 2010 - 09:31 AM, said:

I wouldn't hire you if you were the last man standing and I needed a hole dug.

I let you dig your own grave one post at a time.

[urchin]

tor, on 06 February 2010 - 05:45 AM, said:

There is this great poem which I can't find anymore (not remembering the title or any of the exact words makes it hard).

This guy who was a bit of a legend in his time was bemoaning the lack or ethics and attitude of the younger generation.

Was written in about 1100 by a samurai that thought all the new ones were shit.

there is a whole book of aphorisms on that theme written by a samurai in the early 18th century (Hagakure, yamamoto tsunetomo). funny stuff. was later appropriated by the militarists in the early-mid twentieth century and beyond (mishima's patriotism is his literary reformulation of hagakure). jarmusch made a movie (which i like, but many don't) called Ghost Dog using excerpts from it - some brilliant scenes.

as people have said, the whole generalisation of "gen a-z" is a lot of bull. there are dole bludging lazy bastards in every generation just as there are hard-working ambitious people in every generation. most people sit somewhere in between.

if these "bosses" cited in the article are having so much difficulty with their employees maybe they should look at their recruitment and management procedures. maybe the employees are not given any incentive to work hard (or disincentives for not working hard)... i see management (and teaching) as the art of making people want to do what you want them to do. just giving orders and bitching when they aren't followed doesn't require a great deal of talent.

[tor]

urchin, on 07 February 2010 - 01:37 AM, said:

there is a whole book of aphorisms on that theme written by a samurai in the early 18th century (Hagakure, yamamoto tsunetomo). funny stuff. was later appropriated by the militarists in the early-mid twentieth century and beyond (mishima's patriotism is his literary reformulation of hagakure). jarmusch made a movie (which i like, but many don't) called Ghost Dog using excerpts from it - some brilliant scenes.

as people have said, the whole generalisation of "gen a-z" is a lot of bull. there are dole bludging lazy bastards in every generation just as there are hard-working ambitious people in every generation. most people sit somewhere in between.

if these "bosses" cited in the article are having so much difficulty with their employees maybe they should look at their recruitment and management procedures. maybe the employees are not given any incentive to work hard (or disincentives for not working hard)... i see management (and teaching) as the art of making people want to do what you want them to do. just giving orders and bitching when they aren't followed doesn't require a great deal of talent.

I liked ghost dog. The music was great. The scene with the old guy carrying his groceries was cool, had movie stereotypes but still added to the ghost dog character. I wasn't super happy with the way he held the sword, looked like a kyu grader rather than a real experienced guy but you get that. I still won't watch Kill Bill because she holds the sword so badly.

I think a lot of the bosses that are making these type of noises are forgetting how little the newbies get paid and how working is still a fairly new concept. The carrot is not so evident to the ones that can do well and the people that are average haven't lost their will to live yet.

[Bernard L. Madoff]

sydney3000, on 06 February 2010 - 09:13 PM, said:

I let you dig your own grave one post at a time.

Is that a threat? Or another of your transparent one liners to insight comment?

[Bernard L. Madoff]

urchin, on 07 February 2010 - 01:37 AM, said:

as people have said, the whole generalisation of "gen a-z" is a lot of bull. there are dole bludging lazy bastards in every generation just as there are hard-working ambitious people in every generation. most people sit somewhere in between.

if these "bosses" cited in the article are having so much difficulty with their employees maybe they should look at their recruitment and management procedures. maybe the employees are not given any incentive to work hard (or disincentives for not working hard)... i see management (and teaching) as the art of making people want to do what you want them to do. just giving orders and bitching when they aren't followed doesn't require a great deal of talent.

+1 An insightful post.

Some of the most infamous air crashes were borne from poor authority gradients with domineering captains and 1t officers afraid to speak up. The Tenerife disaster being the most notorious where 2 747s collided on the runway in 1977 with 583 dead.

Quote

After the KLM plane had started its takeoff roll, the tower instructed the Pan Am crew to "report when runway clear". The crew replied: "OK, we'll report when we're clear". On hearing this, the KLM flight engineer expressed his concern about the Pan Am not being clear of the runway by asking the pilots, "Is he not clear, that Pan American?". However, the captain emphatically replied "Oh, yes" and continued with the takeoff.^[5]

KLM3 is the FLT ENG and suspects the Pan Am is still on the runway; KLM1 (Captain) is emphatic that the runway is clear (The Tower can't see the runway due fog, nor can the two aircraft see each other)...

Quote

1706:32.43 KLM-3 Is hij er niet af dan? {Is he not clear then?}

1706:34.1 KLM-1 Wat zeg je? {What do you say?}

1706:34.15 KLM-? Yup.

1706:34.7 KLM-3 Is hij er niet af, die Pan American? {Is he not clear that Pan American?}

1706:35.7 KLM-1 Jawel. {Oh yes. - emphatic}

1706:40
PanAm captain sees landinglights of KLM Boeing at approx. 700m

1706:44 PH-BUF started rotation

1706:47.44 KLM-1 [Scream]

1706:50
collision

Then came Crew Resource Management ( My link )where leadership, followership and the right to speak your mind are encouraged.

An interesting one I studied is where an off duty pilot points out to a hostie that there is considerable ice on the wings of a taxiing Fokker F28 Jet and she says something like "I'm sure the captain knows what he's doing and I don't want to bother him". The jet waffles airborne and crashes. 24 dead.

The management - subordinate gradient is a team one and whilst we all when we were young wonder sometimes what those above are doing, the effective ones do something, find a better way and consult up etc. Whilst those above often fail to utilise team members skills and consult down.

Guilty partys in both spheres.

I liken the managers whining to [MOD: EDIT] whining. Both symbolical of poor team skills IMO. Stop whining and do something about it.

[tom]

Tinpusher, on 07 February 2010 - 03:38 AM, said:

An interesting one I studied is where an off duty pilot points out to a hostie that there is considerable ice on the wings of a taxiing Fokker F28 Jet and she says something like "I'm sure the captain knows what he's doing and I don't want to bother him". The jet waffles airborne and crashes. 24 dead.

The management - subordinate gradient is a team one and whilst we all when we were young wonder sometimes what those above are doing, the effective ones do something, find a better way and consult up etc. Whilst those above often fail to utilise team members skills and consult down.

Guilty partys in both spheres.

I am glad most of what I do is not life and death, at least the bits that are life and death the whole food chain agrees on what to do usually. i.e. do it right.

For me I found that some bosses you really cannot tell them what to do and the secret of success is sometimes as simple as support everything they do. This may not always be best for an organisation but it is best for your own prospects. Interestingly as you get older you become more outspoken, when you see things you don't agree with you let everyone know. I reckon I am getting too cantancerous for my own good at work these days.

Certainly as a junior I just did what I was told and turned a blind eye to wrongs if they happened above me. Wrong I know but I was not going to do so well if I spoke up.

I must admit if someone my junior comes to me and complains about my actions or thinks there is a better way I dont mind. If one of them tells my boss I get pretty defensive and usually leave the person wishing they hadn't. I know it is weakness on my part but what can I say, it is how it is.

[sydney3000]

[Mod: You are surfing on the edge of trolling. This forum is now littered with your contentious one-liners or point form responses to provoke virulent responses.

Quote

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response^[1] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.^[2]

http://en.wikipedia....Troll_(Internet)

Most ignore you it is also suggested that Tinpusher does the same (hint)]

This post has been edited by Tinpusher: 07 February 2010 - 07:23 AM

[Easy Tiger]

tom, on 07 February 2010 - 06:03 AM, said:

Certainly as a junior I just did what I was told and turned a blind eye to wrongs if they happened above me. Wrong I know but I was not going to do so well if I spoke up.

I've stood up for what I know was right in the past and it nearly cost me my job as well as causing me considerable grief. To this day I know I did the right thing disobeying a BS order.


It's not a path I'd wish on anyone.


I believe that a Police Officer from a rural station drove down on his day off to report corruption in his station to the Fitzgerald Inquiry. That station new that he lagged on them before he'd even got back into his car to drive home.

[Bernard L. Madoff]

tom, on 07 February 2010 - 06:03 AM, said:

For me I found that some bosses you really cannot tell them what to do and the secret of success is sometimes as simple as support everything they do. This may not always be best for an organisation but it is best for your own prospects. Interestingly as you get older you become more outspoken, when you see things you don't agree with you let everyone know. I reckon I am getting too cantancerous for my own good at work these days.

Certainly as a junior I just did what I was told and turned a blind eye to wrongs if they happened above me. Wrong I know but I was not going to do so well if I spoke up.

I must admit if someone my junior comes to me and complains about my actions or thinks there is a better way I dont mind. If one of them tells my boss I get pretty defensive and usually leave the person wishing they hadn't. I know it is weakness on my part but what can I say, it is how it is.

Good honest answer Tom. All points true and a path we have trodden on. Thanks for sharing.

Sometimes you just go with the flow and don't make waves. The 'yes' men embedded in middle management are a blight as well.

I have heard of a some organisations described as a pyramid of monkeys resembling a 3D Christmas tree with one at the top and lots down the bottom. The one at the top looking down just sees smiling upturned faces whilst those at each tier below just see arseholes above.

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PS Tom, seen this stuff?

http://www.theage.co...5638423969.html
http://www.fastcompa..._boss-quiz.html
http://theexecutiver...ou-do-about-it/