Do you have a work ethic? (employee, credit card, degrees, unemployed)

[STT Resident]

I’ve been reading and contributing to this CD forum for a while now and remain amazed at the total idiocy which prevails in so many posts.

So many outlandish attitudes abound from people who think they are “entitled” to a job. So many posts from people who can’t put together a grammatically correct sentence, some of which are totally incomprehensible. So many silly attacks on “corporate America,” and then a fair amount of nastiness from a few (usually dips) who have found jobs after a period of unemployment and then tackily rub their successes up the nose of those who haven’t been lucky.

Old timers mourn the loss of a basic work ethic and this strikes a chord with me. Working for a living was just a way of life for me when I went into the workforce (I actually prefer to call it the “workfield!) at 16.5 years old and still is at 63 years old.

There were certainly many times when I had oddball or crappy bosses but I have a sponge brain, never stopped learning, went through some really bad experiences which I learned from and am where I am right now. Still keeping a roof above my head and even though I've been quite rich and quite poor, no worries!

Things have changed much in the last several years. Cell phones are an umbilical attachment for so many. I make it clear from the get-go with whoever works for me that the cell is turned OFF! And don’t play me with the vibrating cell routine and the stupid texting routine. If there’s a REAL emergency, your friends can call my business number and pass on a quick message. If we’re slow I’ll hand over the ‘phone but, otherwise, my employee is on MY time.

It all just gets back to the basics. Where has the work ethic gone? In 25 years of living in the islands I thought for many years that lack of worth ethic was just a “local t’ing” but that’s obviously not so and has become more apparent stateside as the years have gone by.

I understand and empathize with the angst of all the unemployed who worked all their life at one place for one company and were than laid off. It’s sort of like putting the cart before the horse or shutting the barn door after the livestock has fled. Those workers sat back in some degree of complacency and many felt so secure that they never even thought about furthering their experience even part-time.

The baby boomer’s kids relied upon the fact that their parents would support them in the lifestyle to which they would like to become accustomed. So many of them became accustomed to their own bathrooms and suites and Mom or Dad’s credit cards. When the parents get divorced, even more nonsense! Spoiled? Major spoiled!

I know that there are both adults and youngsters out there who see the woods for the trees but whose druthers don’t extend to contributing to this or any similar forum. They “do” as opposed to “kvetch!” Cheers!

[Badger]

check your grammatical errors... thanks.

[STT Resident]

Originally Posted by Badger

check your grammatical errors... thanks.

No doubt there were a few and I'd be delighted if you would point them out point by point and comma by comma since that seems to be your druthers.

My apologies for any grammatical deficits but that wasn't the total point of my post and only one aspect which you apparently gleefully took advantage of to criticize via a terse one-liner.

I confess that my basic mindset is a little "off" tonight as I'm hosting a "Celebration of Life" tonight for an incredibly dear friend who recently passed away so, on a day off, have been cooking up a storm and preparing everything to pay homage to a departed friend.

Look forward to your critique, Badger. Cheers!

[DennyCrane]

I agree that many people, particularly people who are part of the "Me Generation" feel a sense of entitlement. I've met many 20somethings (I'm in my 30s) who, if you ask them why an employer should hire them, they say "because I have a college degree" as if that's a sufficient reason to hire someone. Unfortunately, kids have been raised to believe that if you go to college, employers will be begging to hire you. I saw a study last year that showed at least 25% of 18-24 year olds would quit a job that blocked Facebook access. During the dotcom boom, it was common for people to change jobs every few months, all because something better came along. I'm sure this recession has been a wake-up call for a lot of people to not take things for granted.

The cell phone thing bothers me too. When I'm at work, I focus on work. I don't give out my work phone or email to anyone but family. People can reach me on my cell phone, but I've made it clear that I prefer not to be called at work unless it's important. I even put it on vibrate so my coworkers don't have to hear my annoying ring tone. And I never carry my phone into meetings. There's a reason voicemail was invented.

But what I take issue with is the lack of respect some employers show their employees. Why is that I'm expected to give two weeks notice, but my employer can drop me anytime they feel like it? Or that they can fire me when one of their bad decisions causes them to lose money and they need to fire me to cut costs? I'm a big believer in loyalty, but it has to go both ways. In this market, employers are in the driver's seat and can treat their employees like dirt. That's why I show loyalty to people, not companies. I'll bust my behind for a boss who I like working for. But I won't hesitate to walk away from a company that treats me like a drone.

To the OP, I understand why you felt the need to post this. There certainly are a lot of spoiled people out there. But just remember, the same could be said of some companies. I can think of two who made 30 years worth of bad mistakes and then expected the government to come bail them out.

[Niftybergin]

Originally Posted by DennyCrane

I've met many 20somethings (I'm in my 30s) who, if you ask them why an employer should hire them, they say "because I have a college degree" as if that's a sufficient reason to hire someone. Unfortunately, kids have been raised to believe that if you go to college, employers will be begging to hire you.

This isn't anything new, is it? I'm a Gen-Xer...almost 40 years old. I know for sure that I was raised with this idea that 1) I needed to get a college degree in order to get a job and support myself and 2) I needed to get a job related to my major and 3) having a college degree would make me employable. In my mind, that belief isn't very different from the current belief.

I think the big difference between my generation and younger generations is just that I don't think my generation expected that they'd graduate and immediately land a job paying $50,000-$100,000 per year. I think my peers had some idea that we'd spend at least a few years "paying our dues" or that we'd have to secure graduate degrees before we started bringing in really good salaries. I kind of get the feeling that kids 15-20 years younger than I DO think that a college degree will afford them a high salary right off the bat.

[Huckleberry3911948]

he is, of course, right-- the awakening will come soon. life is a terrible teacher, utterly brutal, but we learn.

[bibit612]

Originally Posted by STT Resident

Look forward to your critique, Badger. Cheers!

Aye, aye, me too. I'm looking forward to your critique, Badger. Please be so kind as to include a fish diagram for our learning pleasure! Thanks!

[1phwalls]

What kills me is that younger people today (and I'm only 31) think that mediocrity should be enough. When I was in college and in the same classes as people 5-6 years younger than me, I couldn't believe the difference in attitude. It was very important to me to get an A on all my coursework. But they would constantly say, "I just have to get a C to pass this course." Just get as C to pass! And then you expect an employer to hire you at a high rate of pay because you earned a bachelors degree. You have got to be kidding me!

And then these people finally land jobs, they whine about the lower than expected salary, and then they talk on their cell phone and surf the net instead of working. And then get really mad when they get written up and eventually fired. Wake up people, you have to earn your job and then continue to earn your paycheck!

[PurpleLove08]

Originally Posted by DennyCrane

I agree that many people, particularly people who are part of the "Me Generation" feel a sense of entitlement. I've met many 20somethings (I'm in my 30s) who, if you ask them why an employer should hire them, they say "because I have a college degree" as if that's a sufficient reason to hire someone. Unfortunately, kids have been raised to believe that if you go to college, employers will be begging to hire you. I saw a study last year that showed at least 25% of 18-24 year olds would quit a job that blocked Facebook access. During the dotcom boom, it was common for people to change jobs every few months, all because something better came along. I'm sure this recession has been a wake-up call for a lot of people to not take things for granted.

The cell phone thing bothers me too. When I'm at work, I focus on work. I don't give out my work phone or email to anyone but family. People can reach me on my cell phone, but I've made it clear that I prefer not to be called at work unless it's important. I even put it on vibrate so my coworkers don't have to hear my annoying ring tone. And I never carry my phone into meetings. There's a reason voicemail was invented.

But what I take issue with is the lack of respect some employers show their employees. Why is that I'm expected to give two weeks notice, but my employer can drop me anytime they feel like it? Or that they can fire me when one of their bad decisions causes them to lose money and they need to fire me to cut costs? I'm a big believer in loyalty, but it has to go both ways. In this market, employers are in the driver's seat and can treat their employees like dirt. That's why I show loyalty to people, not companies. I'll bust my behind for a boss who I like working for. But I won't hesitate to walk away from a company that treats me like a drone.

To the OP, I understand why you felt the need to post this. There certainly are a lot of spoiled people out there. But just remember, the same could be said of some companies. I can think of two who made 30 years worth of bad mistakes and then expected the government to come bail them out.

Originally Posted by 1phwalls

What kills me is that younger people today (and I'm only 31) think that mediocrity should be enough. When I was in college and in the same classes as people 5-6 years younger than me, I couldn't believe the difference in attitude. It was very important to me to get an A on all my coursework. But they would constantly say, "I just have to get a C to pass this course." Just get as C to pass! And then you expect an employer to hire you at a high rate of pay because you earned a bachelors degree. You have got to be kidding me!

And then these people finally land jobs, they whine about the lower than expected salary, and then they talk on their cell phone and surf the net instead of working. And then get really mad when they get written up and eventually fired. Wake up people, you have to earn your job and then continue to earn your paycheck!

I'm 19 and don't expect anyone to hire me simply because I will have a degree. I have a 3.8 GPA right now and expect to graduate college with honors. If I had a GPA of something lower than a 3.0 I would expect the job search to be pretty hard.


I think a lot of you need to clarify some of your statements. All young people don't think they're entitled to a job, expect to surf the net all day long at work, or expect to be hired simply because they have a degree.

[Travel'r]

I've got an "Old School" work ethic -- tenacious -- due to influence of my earliest bosses who were GREAT and paid me even greater.
In recent years however, things are just more "Laid back." If I had a dime for every time someone is telling me to sit down, relax, I wouldn't have to work.
I'm there to work -- I rest at home. Why can't people understand this? I don't WANT TO GOSSIP about everyone else!! I also get busted on for the "detail" thing. Am I NOT supposed to see something awry and fix it up?

I wonder if, when these folks call an Electrician or Plumber to their homes, do they tell them to just kick back & take their time? Or tell a Police Man, "I've just been robbed... but, hey, no hurry! Why not grab yourself a beer on the way here!"

Geez, wonder if people expect the same "laid back" work ethic from Surgeons, too! Things get weirder by the day... (as more businesses go belly-up!)