Younger workers needing immidiate praise or other? (job, paid, money)

[shadowwalker]

I work with and teach a group of young men most below 25 years of age.
It is a constant farce of them coming to me demanding praise or rewards for doing their jobs. Even if it is something they are expected to do everyday and have did for months. Even if it's mediocre results form them. They excel in the speed they have when tattling or berating each other for their abilities or understanding of a task to me.
Yet when I give out reprimands or speak to them of their inabilities or a bad job not completed to my satisfaction. It seems that I am just taking up a few minutes of their day as per the look on their face or the answers I receive when asking questions or talking of the right way to do something or do over. There is no guilt over a job not done right the first time or that I have to complete correctly to meet a deadline.
Now I do praise a job well done or their abilities that have improved so I am not a complete ogre.
I just get very tired of constant parade of them into my office or up to me on the work floor. I am out there teaching over and over the same thing or pointing out their mistakes while they weld all day long. I do this and leave for them to not have me looking over their backs and making them nervous. I also compliment good work while they are under their hoods working at the time.
I had 30 to 45 days to learn the same thing it is still taking some of them going on 3 to 4 months. Of course it was back in 1979 and my teacher was a old Louisiana Cajun that would hit me with a 32" long welding rod on my hands(with welding gloves on) while I was welding, when I did not perform as he expected. He would then explain or have me explain what I was doing wrong.
Now I do have two men that are getting good at what we do one is 54 and the other one is 46. Taught the same way I do every welder I have trained since I broke out and that is between 150 and 175 of them. Most went on the become good at what we do or even better at it.
I quit the oilfield in mid 1990's and was talked back into it with the good money I am paid now and by a old oilfield buddy. I am just amazed at the caliber of people and their work ethic now. It is just pitiful. I am told it is like this everywhere and not just my department here. Just wondering if that was true out there.......

[Tekkie]

I have not witnessed this anywhere I've worked. It might just be a problem specifically in the department and/or on the team you work with.

Just observations. Maybe you can consider hitting them with a rod like the Cajun did in the old days. Since the implication is that it worked for you, you never know...

If the hitting doesn't work, maybe you can revise your hiring process so you're not hiring so many nitwits. Trust me, they come in all ages, colors, and sizes. If you're surrounded by these inept workers, it sounds like a problem with your hiring process. This is not a problem with young workers, only a problem with the younger workers you happen to be bringing in.