Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What do you think about the trend towards not keeping score in youth sports/activities and making everyone a "winner" just for participation? Aren't they missing out on valuable lessons like how to have dignity and respect even when you lose? Learning lessons from it and bouncing back? Isn't teaching kids "It doesn't matter whether you're first or last, the reward will be the same" a dangerous precedent?
I was talking to some previous colleagues at a company I used to work for. The topic of vacation time came up. They said their company had recently switched to no longer having a defined vacation allotment (for example start with 2 weeks, after 5 years go up to 3 weeks, etc). In an effort to attract and maintain current generation of employees they now allow as much vacation as you want to take, providing your boss approves. Basically it wasn't fair that new employees only got 2 weeks vacation, and someone who worked there 25 years got 6 weeks. They had also made changes to how raises and bonuses are given. A shift towards giving the same to everyone, instead of rewarding extra for excellence and hard work.
Do you think "everyone gets a trophy" culture is behind changes like this? Or is it something else about how society is raising our youth? Do you think these trends toward keeping things "fair" is detrimental, or just a different way to go about things?
What do you think about the trend towards not keeping score in youth sports/activities and making everyone a "winner" just for participation? Aren't they missing out on valuable lessons like how to have dignity and respect even when you lose? Learning lessons from it and bouncing back? Isn't teaching kids "It doesn't matter whether you're first or last, the reward will be the same" a dangerous precedent?
I was talking to some previous colleagues at a company I used to work for. The topic of vacation time came up. They said their company had recently switched to no longer having a defined vacation allotment (for example start with 2 weeks, after 5 years go up to 3 weeks, etc). In an effort to attract and maintain current generation of employees they now allow as much vacation as you want to take, providing your boss approves. Basically it wasn't fair that new employees only got 2 weeks vacation, and someone who worked there 25 years got 6 weeks. They had also made changes to how raises and bonuses are given. A shift towards giving the same to everyone, instead of rewarding extra for excellence and hard work.
Do you think "everyone gets a trophy" culture is behind changes like this? Or is it something else about how society is raising our youth? Do you think these trends toward keeping things "fair" is detrimental, or just a different way to go about things?
My company recently went to the no defined vacation term and I like it. Why? Because I'm competitive and know I can earn more vacation than I would otherwise get. As for kids? Mine are as competitive as they come and I've never experienced the "everyone wins" scenario at any level in school. In fact they are keenly aware of those who don't do as well as they do and are proud to outdo other kids.
What do you think about the trend towards not keeping score in youth sports/activities and making everyone a "winner" just for participation? Aren't they missing out on valuable lessons like how to have dignity and respect even when you lose? Learning lessons from it and bouncing back? Isn't teaching kids "It doesn't matter whether you're first or last, the reward will be the same" a dangerous precedent?
I was talking to some previous colleagues at a company I used to work for. The topic of vacation time came up. They said their company had recently switched to no longer having a defined vacation allotment (for example start with 2 weeks, after 5 years go up to 3 weeks, etc). In an effort to attract and maintain current generation of employees they now allow as much vacation as you want to take, providing your boss approves. Basically it wasn't fair that new employees only got 2 weeks vacation, and someone who worked there 25 years got 6 weeks. They had also made changes to how raises and bonuses are given. A shift towards giving the same to everyone, instead of rewarding extra for excellence and hard work.
Do you think "everyone gets a trophy" culture is behind changes like this? Or is it something else about how society is raising our youth? Do you think these trends toward keeping things "fair" is detrimental, or just a different way to go about things?
All of the above...
The "participation trophy" mentality is detrimental to our youth, as we can see from the current idiocy going on in some cities. Most of the participants wouldn't know fascism if it smacked them in the face, and are perfectly willing to use fascist tactics to convince people to support them.
Some people tend to forget that we are guaranteed equal opportunity, not equal outcomes.
In the long run such an approach has far more to do with our loss of prestige on the world stage than any posturing by our political leaders.
I noticed the change when my kids attended high school. When I was a teen, students attended home room, and lunch was in the lunch room at an assigned time, no exceptions. If students did not have a class, they attended study hall, no exceptions. My kids’ high school was different. It ran more like a community college. If students did not have class, they were not required to be on campus. Students came and went throughout the day as their schedules required. If they did not have class first period, they arrived an hour later, and that was a-okay. And if they did not have a class eighth period, they were free to leave campus early. If they wanted to eat Panera for lunch, there was no need to check out at the front office. They just left and came back for their next class.
Is this a bad thing? No, I don’t think it is. The kids learned that they had personal responsibility for showing up and getting their work done. I think the same is the case for the work example you have described above, OP. More and more people work in project-based business environments. They don’t clock in and out, although they may maintain time cards for billing clients. What matters is not necessarily how many hours they put in a year, but rather how many high-quality, client-pleasing projects are completed. The change I noticed in my kids’ high school is preparing students for that kind of career.
Last edited by abbottkd71; 09-08-2020 at 09:48 AM..
I noticed the change when my kids attended high school. When I was a teen, students attended home room, and lunch was in the lunch room at an assigned time, no exceptions. If students did not have a class, they attended study hall, no exceptions. My kids’ high school was different. It ran more like a community college. If students did not have class, they were not required to be on campus. Students came and went throughout the day as their schedules required. If they did not have class first period, they arrived an hour later, and that was a-okay. And if they did not have a class eighth period, they were free to leave campus early.
Is this a bad thing? No, I don’t think it is. The kids learned that they had personal responsibility for showing up and getting their work done. I think the same is the case for the work example you have above, OP. More and more people work in project-based business environments. They don’t clock in and out, although they may maintain time cards for billing clients. What matters is not necessarily how many hours they put in a year, but rather how many high-quality, client-pleasing projects are completed. The change I noticed in my kids’ high school is preparing students for that kind of career.
That's a lot like it is for the school my kids attend(ed). It is/was a lot more like college where you are responsible to get somewhere and be there one time as opposed to strict time controlled scenario when I was in school. Because of this my oldest transitioned smoothly to college and has a good grip on everything there. I expect the same form my youngest.
The "everybody gets a trophy" isn't exactly new. I recall getting a trophy at the end of every little league 40 years ago.
As to the vacation time thing, it is a way to attract new employees, not just make things more "fair". It sucks a** to go back to a lousy two weeks off a year if you change jobs, so unlimited PTO is a nice carrot for enticing more experienced employees to make the move to your organization. Frankly, the unlimited PTO thing can be a double edged sword anyway. Employees of type A bosses or more competitive work environments may actually end up taking less time off than when they had a set vacation time they were "entitled" to.
it seems intuitive to me. I dunno,..maybe I am 'indoctrinated!"
Work for what you want. Do better, get better.
It also teaches humility. Hey,..you can't be good at everything. The world doesn't revolve around you.
It's OK if other people shine. You do you.
Gives you motivation. A Goal.
There are many victories to be had in life. You don't need to win them all.
What do you think about the trend towards not keeping score in youth sports/activities and making everyone a "winner" just for participation? Aren't they missing out on valuable lessons like how to have dignity and respect even when you lose? Learning lessons from it and bouncing back? Isn't teaching kids "It doesn't matter whether you're first or last, the reward will be the same" a dangerous precedent?
I was talking to some previous colleagues at a company I used to work for. The topic of vacation time came up. They said their company had recently switched to no longer having a defined vacation allotment (for example start with 2 weeks, after 5 years go up to 3 weeks, etc). In an effort to attract and maintain current generation of employees they now allow as much vacation as you want to take, providing your boss approves. Basically it wasn't fair that new employees only got 2 weeks vacation, and someone who worked there 25 years got 6 weeks. They had also made changes to how raises and bonuses are given. A shift towards giving the same to everyone, instead of rewarding extra for excellence and hard work.
Do you think "everyone gets a trophy" culture is behind changes like this? Or is it something else about how society is raising our youth? Do you think these trends toward keeping things "fair" is detrimental, or just a different way to go about things?
What youth sport actually does not keep score other then 5 and 6 yr olds? At that age it should be more about teaching then being competitive.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Something about it just doesnt sit right with me.
