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My little rant but honestly...what ever happened to those who actually are willing to work hard for what they earn instead of being concerned about how much vacation time they get or the minimum amount of hours they need to put in.
I've been working for the last three weeks at a local university in the food services division. It's a part time job, some extra money for me which is always helpful. And the regular full time and part timer workers are union. I'm not because I just started. And my observations:
1. The longtime union workers are very keen to only do the minimal amount of work necessary. From their mouths, I hear a lot of "we don't do that". But I've always been a team player, and I don't mind helping out other staff or doing something extra for a guest. For instance, when the coffee break was over, I helped out the meeting staff by finding the light switch and flicking it. Later on, I was told by my older union co-worker that we don't touch the light switches. Fortunately, with the crowd of conference attendees, she didn't see me flickering the lights.
2. Young people. Well this will get me in hot water, but here goes. And for three weeks I've been taking the time to check out all of my co-workers. The younger people are attached to their smartphones. Whenever they can, they sneak reading their friend's texts and texting them back. I don't understand why they can't just turn off their phones and work without them. And then, the worst quality workers are the young black workers. They are busy trying to look as cool as possible while they "work". I was hired at the same time as a black college student. And his first move was to approach all the black workers to get chummy and ask what the minimal amount of effort he had to put into his new job. And then I would be sitting next to him doing sidework like folding napkins. I'd be sitting folding away continuously, but meantime he'd have come to a complete stop, be staring into the distance or texting on his phone held under the table. It is really pathetic how little work he does when a manager isn't around. And then towards the end of our four hour shift, with only 15 minutes to go, he's all antsy about eating his free meal. He wants to eat it while still on the clock. However, the managers have made it clear that we can eat only after we punch out of our short shift. Somehow, this guy feels that he should get paid for eating. And he has boasted to me how at his last job, he would pretend to punch out for his meal break, but instead eat on the clock. He keeps saying how punching out for meals is shorting him of "his money". And the other young black workers have the same work attitude. It's all about them and they don't care about the guests or pulling their weight.
3. Older workers tend to have the best work ethic, but not if they are union workers. But if a non-union older worker has health issues, then they aren't as focused on their work ethic. So if they have bad hips, then they aren't going to be able to move fast and they'll be giving.
4. Older Asian workers have a solid work ethic, and it's a stereotype that is valid and they are proud of this.
Anyway, my guests love me and thank me for my good customer service. If I am working the buffet line, even though there are plenty of menu signs and food labels everywhere, I give each person picking up their dinner plate a verbal tour of all the offerings around the room. And when it's time to break down the dessert and coffee station, I will go out to the seating around and announce last call to the remaining guests.
And yes, I'm an older worker (53) and an Asian. And even if my body is tired, I still push to move quickly and do what is expected of me. About four years ago, I did a couple of busboy shifts at a restaurant and I kept up with the 20 year old guys just fine... despite being much older and a female.
I'm not saying that ALL younger people nowadays have no work ethic (my husband and I are in our 20s and I would like to think that we were hard working, motivated individuals), but it doesn't seem as deeply instilled as it was in generations past.
I blame the parents and social media jk.
Todays young people have grown up in an enviroment where there is zero company loyalty to employees. Unlike their parents who rarely experienced layoffs, and many who worked 20-30 years at the same place, or their grandparents, who worked 20-30 years at the same place and got a pension, many young people have already been laid off 2-3 times or more.
Why should any employee be even slightly concerned about "what they can do for the company", in that type of enviroment?
I dont knock any employee for only looking out for number 1, and trying to get as many concessions as possible from the employer.
Last edited by Randomdude; 05-22-2012 at 08:08 AM..
Anyway, my guests love me and thank me for my good customer service. If I am working the buffet line, even though there are plenty of menu signs and food labels everywhere, I give each person picking up their dinner plate a verbal tour of all the offerings around the room. And when it's time to break down the dessert and coffee station, I will go out to the seating around and announce last call to the remaining guests.
And yes, I'm an older worker (53) and an Asian. And even if my body is tired, I still push to move quickly and do what is expected of me. About four years ago, I did a couple of busboy shifts at a restaurant and I kept up with the 20 year old guys just fine... despite being much older and a female.
Riddle me this......are you getting paid any more then the workers you are bashing because your "customers love you"? No, your company is reaping the rewards of that.
There is absolutely no motivation to do any more then the minimum.
Maybe he asked the bolded text, because like most people he may have a family who he has to weigh their interests against the demands of the job and he may not want to risk working himself to death and being no good to his family after work. Could he have worded it better? Probably.
With your rant, if you are going to pass him over for his inquiries, I think you are doing him a favor.
The OP would clearly like a guy with less ability to do the job, but more willing to sign himself over to the company. Thats pretty typical.
Does the OP really think that employees should not be allowed to know the fundamental facts about their job?
It's an employee-employer relationship, not a slave-master relationship. If that's the kind of thing you find offensive in an employee you shouldn't be employing anyone at all.
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jk.
