MacLean’s Magazine had a great article by Steve Maich. I am an employer, and I’ve previously said the thing I hate more than firing people is hiring them. This article sums it up nicely. It gives every single poor character trait of the modern young person who applies for a job. If you’re a young person, read it, because your next interview for a job is with someone like me.
“Spoiled, shallow, and selfish: say hi to the new kid at work” is the slug and boy is that accurate. It goes on to say, “it’s tempting to write off the entire generation as a bunch of vain and vacuous prima donnas,” and I must say oft-times it is. Firing someone because of their piss-poor attitude is much easier than firing someone who tries but just isn’t capable.
“… they are reassured that by eliminating rules, chain of command, and doling out praise like penny candy they are simply unleashing the fantastic potential of their little darlings. History disagrees. History shows that it’s all those old-fashioned values that made North America the world’s most dynamic economy. Experience tells us that naive kids eventually discover a pretty close relationship between effort, discipline and success.” Except, I tell you what, I just don’t see it. I see these kids never growing up. That sense of entitlement they have is a cancer upon any workforce.
Hey people: you are not entitled to anything at your job that you haven’t earned. Showing up at work doesn’t entitle you to jack. You’re not entitled to praise every day unless you do something really good. You’re not entitled to a raise every three months. You’re not entitled to use your cel phone all day while on the clock. And if you get mad when you’re disciplined, you’re not entitled to be shocked that you got fired: but usually you are. And that level of stupidity is WHY you got fired.