What happened to work ethic?

a reply to: Skywatcher2011

Born in '82. Had my first job at 10, worked every summer until 15 when I got my first full time on the books job. Then worked various construction industry jobs until 18. Been in the steel industry every since, now working as a CNC Machinist (not simply an operator )

In my years of working, what you attribute to millenials can be attributed to X'ers and boomers as well. The ethic that is transpiring and growing is not the fault of a generation but of a society. Cultural or societal.

Ok first to clear things up, This is not an age bashing thing, as I stated in the OP I know lots of young people that work very hard some for minimum wage mind you.

Where I live and in the surrounding area 18 an hour is very good pay, enough to have a family and live decently. The pay increases here as your time increases and at a fairly generous rate. On top of our pay scale we on average receive about a dollar cost of living increase every year.

I have temp workers that work for us that make minimum wage that work harder and are more reliable than the people we are hiring, unfortunately most are unable to get full time jobs with our company due to there past or other reasons. Most of these temps are younger males and females and honestly it kills me to see them work so hard for nothing.

I'm by no means old I'm 32 and tend to be friendly to eveery one, I have never insulted or berated a co-worker for doing something wrong hell, I encourage it as it at least shows an attempt to learn and do the job.

As a trainer I tell every new hire the same thing, "I don't care if you F_up, you will learn more doing it wrong then never doing it at all". Most of us really want the new hires to succeed as we are getting sick and tired of being understaffed and forced into working 12 hour shifts every day and missing time with our family and friends.

That's a common problem with production and retail. I have done both. I have worked for a chicken processing plant, an automotive plant, and numerous retail chains. The common complaint has always been, underpay, stringent attendance policy, and in retail, on top of the previously mentioned things, dealing with rude people.

Bottom line is, most people seem to want stress free work atmospheres. Another problem is if we're frank, seventy-five percent of the population wouldn't do anything if it wasn't a necessity. People view work as a necessary evil. They don't take pride in anything they accomplish. It's just a completed chore to them.

Not very conducive to staying at any particular workplace for very long.

a reply to: SpeakerofTruth

Yes and no, I view work as a means to an end, the end result is my children grow up in a better fashion than my wife and I did.

That's not to say I don't take price in what I do, it just means I don't live to work I work to live. But alas break time is over and I go back in.

a reply to: crimsongod21

Bad parenting? Too many participation trophies? Dr. Spock's demands that discipline be tossed out the window? Various group deciding that the rules don't apply to them? All of the above?

I don't get it, either. My dad was very careful to teach us that we should always, ALWAYS, do the best we could do at any job. No job is "better" than another, as far as the work is concerned, and all have a place; the goal is to do your best, because that's what is right. I have done my best to teach my own children the same, and the two working are both very appreciated in their places of business. One is in the age range you name, and one of their most valued employees. Not a great job, pay-wise, but not terrible, and he works hard. Many he works with don't, and he doesn't get it, either. When I was working, it was the same way, and I can tell you, the lazier workers can resent that!!

a reply to: crimsongod21

Honestly, it sounds like bad hiring, and not understanding how to motivate employees. Money may not even be their primary motivator in many cases. Do they care about what the company, what they're department, what they as an individual are doing? At 18-25, a lot of them probably aren't motivated by "putting food on their family" (they're single with no kids) and a roof over their heads (they have one, mom and dad's)

Nearly everyone where I work, from cashiers to porters is a hard worker, and are rewarded for it. With around 80 employees, two have been fired since I started last June (for being lazy, not caring, and not learning from mistakes) - zero have quit.

originally posted by: dogstar23
a reply to: crimsongod21

Honestly, it sounds like bad hiring, and not understanding how to motivate employees.

You took the words right out of my mouth. You can tell a lot about a company by the people they hire. Or more specifically, by their lack of caring who they hire. Also look at how management treats different types of employees. If they let the ignorant and lazy slide , and even promote them, while bitching at the smart, hard workers and keeping them at lower levels.......would you really WANT to work there? Especially if you have viable options to make just as more elsewhere. What motivation does an ignorant and lazy person have to not be that way, when the people who employ them at 18 bucks an hour encourage them to stay that way? Sounds to me like management feels threatened by the one's who could potentially take their jobs, so they they make it to where the one's who could be qualified to do so, never will.

This is prevalent all over the U.S. and it won't change any time soon. You can't change people who don't have a work ethic and you can't change the employers who tolerate it as long as it doesn't negatively affect their bottom line. You either tolerate it yourself, or you don't. Just don't take it personally. They don't.

Man. My factory has many workers who have been there 9, 15 and 35 years, all topped out at 10.35 an hour. Day one pay is 8.35 an hour. Everyone busts butt, works hard, has loyalty, helps each other, is like a family, now and then we'll get a slacker in but they end up quitting after a few days. They just don't wanna do the work.

Plus the pay is extreme bullcrap, I have to add.
But we get a 100 dollar xmas bonus.

I agree with you, TS! We got these two temps at my job who are absolutely dreadful. Take breaks all the time. Can't cover stations for people.