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Generation X and work place loyalty
Topic Started: Dec 13 2007, 02:52 PM (406 Views)
Mel
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Coffee Lover
Admiralbill_gomec
Jan 3 2008, 11:37 AM
Dr. Noah
Jan 3 2008, 01:12 AM
So you're basing your assessment of an entire generation based on this one man's behavior?



Funny that I didn't assess "an entire generation" like you accuse. You might wish to re-read what I wrote.

But, being the fun guy that I am I did a search using "gen y+crying at work" and got a lot of interesting responses. It appears that I'm not the only one who has noted this behavior.

In addition, I've also commanded boatloads of 18 and 19 year olds who are now today's Gen Y. Talk about smothered by their mommies. :rotfl:

:wave2:

Could you give me the exact wording you used in your search? I did mine the way you typed it here, and it didn't return any results at all. Thanks :)

Edit: Ok I guess you didn't use the quote. :) Nevermind.
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Admiralbill_gomec
UberAdmiral
Correct, sans quotes.
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Data's Cat's Sister
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Commodore
I've worked in a lot of mixed age workplaces and it seems to me that there is 'good' and 'bad' in every generation of the workforce.

Through temping and other summer jobs I've worked for a lot of companies, probably around the 20 mark. Out of all of them I've only ever felt that the employees were valued at 2 places, my current job and one bank I worked for.

My current job is for the civil service which is a differant work ethic generally anyway. It's recognised that we could all be getting higher wages if we worked in the private sector so we tend to be treated well and given other none financial benefits in return.

Although the bank was techincally a British bank it was owned and run by an Australian company. I don't know if that meant that they brought a differant working culture to the bank but they really made an effort to 'value' their employees. There was a subsidised canteen and loads of other stuff I never got that hang of being only a temp.

At all of my other jobs I've been (or when I was temping seen others been) treated like a number.

I think loyalty has to be earned and is not an automatic right. However on the other hand if your job is so terrible that you feel no loyalty to a place or at least to your co workers, you should probably leave.
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Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
I am curious, when was it that you commanded these Generation Y people AB? According to Wiki, the term Generation Y first appeared in an August 1993 magazine AD Age editorial to describe those children born between 1981–1995. So if they were 18 to 19 when you commanded them that had to be fairly recently. I was under the impression that you have been out of the service for some time.

It seems to me that you have made a broad generalization about this generation based on your observations, the incident at your clients office being the only specific behavior mentioned for your generalization. When you characterize an entire generation of people you should have a fairly large sample group from which to base your opinion. Would you say your son fits into that generalization? He also is a part of this generation you're speaking about isn't he?
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Admiralbill_gomec
UberAdmiral
Dr. Noah
Jan 4 2008, 02:42 AM
I am curious, when was it that you commanded these Generation Y people AB?  According to Wiki, the term Generation Y first appeared in an August 1993 magazine AD Age editorial to describe those children born between 1981–1995.  So if they were 18 to 19 when you commanded them that had to be fairly recently.  I was under the impression that you have been out of the service for some time. 

It seems to me that you have made a broad generalization about this generation based on your observations, the incident at your clients office being the only specific behavior mentioned for your generalization.  When you characterize an entire generation of people you should have a fairly large sample group from which to base your opinion.  Would you say your son fits into that generalization? He also is a part of this generation you're speaking about isn't he?

97 to 99. We've been through this. As for the EXACT date of so-called Gen Y (which is rather silly, but here you go trying to parse what I say), the kids were born from maybe 1978 to 1982. It is a change in attitude that came about at that general time.

Seems to ME you've once again made a broad generalization about me.

EDIT: Your rather silly attempts at trying to get a "gotcha" are getting desperate. You have your frame of reference and I have mine.

Nice try, though. :wave2:
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STC
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Interesting take on the Generation X/Y discussion in these 2 articles.

The Curse of the Meddling Parent

Parents Meddling in Student Life

As a schoolteacher I see an awful lot of this kind of behaviour before the kids get to university. Of course we want parents to be engaged and interested in their children but, at the school I teach at, we have a lot of parents micro-managing their childrens future career choices. These kids of course are the same one's who have little initiative and are unable to manage their own learning or choices - I'm sure this is due to an excessive dependency relationship created by the parents.

There has certainly been a change in behaviour and expectations and I'm not sure its for the better. We increasingly as a society seem reluctant to let our kids grow up.
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Franko
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STC
Jan 4 2008, 11:16 AM
Interesting take on the Generation X/Y discussion in these 2 articles.

The Curse of the Meddling Parent

Parents Meddling in Student Life

As a schoolteacher I see an awful lot of this kind of behaviour before the kids get to university. Of course we want parents to be engaged and interested in their children but, at the school I teach at, we have a lot of parents micro-managing their childrens future career choices. These kids of course are the same one's who have little initiative and are unable to manage their own learning or choices - I'm sure this is due to an excessive dependency relationship created by the parents.

There has certainly been a change in behaviour and expectations and I'm not sure its for the better. We increasingly as a society seem reluctant to let our kids grow up.



That's a very interesting observation, STC. Especially due to the fact that you are a teacher and have first hand knowledge of where a lot of this is at.

Ironically, I could have done with a little more career and interest counselling when I was in high school. Back in the late seventies it just seemed like we were being herded like cattle thru the public education system. Looking back now, there were possibilities and alternatives at the time I didn't even know about.

Maybe at this point students are faced with too many choices ? I also know a lot of young people and I would have to say that one of the more comparitive things from my generation as that this generation (and in the 90's) at times seems inundated with too many activities. Some of them are involved in so many activities that they're developing medical problems.

In my day we had a lot to do but we didn't clutter up our plate with too much diversity. If you were interested in music, then be a musician. If you liked sports, do that. Auto mechanics, then focus on that. We tended to involve ourselves in one key interest and resented the distraction of others. In a way, I think this approach was healthier. Maybe.

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Hoss
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Don't make me use my bare hands on you.
Franko
Jan 4 2008, 09:32 PM
STC
Jan 4 2008, 11:16 AM
Interesting take on the Generation X/Y discussion in these 2 articles.

The Curse of the Meddling Parent

Parents Meddling in Student Life

As a schoolteacher I see an awful lot of this kind of behaviour before the kids get to university. Of course we want parents to be engaged and interested in their children but, at the school I teach at, we have a lot of parents micro-managing their childrens future career choices. These kids of course are the same one's who have little initiative and are unable to manage their own learning or choices - I'm sure this is due to an excessive dependency relationship created by the parents.

There has certainly been a change in behaviour and expectations and I'm not sure its for the better. We increasingly as a society seem reluctant to let our kids grow up.



That's a very interesting observation, STC. Especially due to the fact that you are a teacher and have first hand knowledge of where a lot of this is at.

Ironically, I could have done with a little more career and interest counselling when I was in high school. Back in the late seventies it just seemed like we were being herded like cattle thru the public education system. Looking back now, there were possibilities and alternatives at the time I didn't even know about.

Maybe at this point students are faced with too many choices ? I also know a lot of young people and I would have to say that one of the more comparitive things from my generation as that this generation (and in the 90's) at times seems inundated with too many activities. Some of them are involved in so many activities that they're developing medical problems.

In my day we had a lot to do but we didn't clutter up our plate with too much diversity. If you were interested in music, then be a musician. If you liked sports, do that. Auto mechanics, then focus on that. We tended to involve ourselves in one key interest and resented the distraction of others. In a way, I think this approach was healthier. Maybe.

there is something to be said for getting a well-rounded education, though. I took several classes in college that had nothing to do with engineering, and I didn't complain and I am glad that I took them.
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captain_proton_au
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A Robot in Disguise

STC
Jan 4 2008, 01:16 PM
I'm sure this is due to an excessive dependency relationship created by the parents.

Makes you wonder if the nuclear family, mum dad, two kids is all its cracked up to be.


Generalizing I know, but it has been my experience that kids from either large families or single parent families tend to be more self sufficient and independant. The kids from large families are trained in helping out with the chores at an earlier age, and thus are better able to organize themselves. Kids from single parent families also tend to have to share certain responsibilities at an earlier age.

You tend to get that spoilt brat thing more when the mom has had time to do everything for the one or two kids, so you see guys and girls that get to their early 20s, never had to cook a meal for themselves, no idea how to do some basic tasks



I'm sure some here will slap me for saying that, but its what I've seen
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Franko
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38957
Jan 4 2008, 06:58 PM





Ironically, I could have done with a little more career and interest counselling when I was in high school. Back in the late seventies it just seemed like we were being herded like cattle thru the public education system. Looking back now, there were possibilities and alternatives at the time I didn't even know about.

Maybe at this point students are faced with too many choices ? I also know a lot of young people and I would have to say that one of the more comparitive things from my generation as that this generation (and in the 90's) at times seems inundated with too many activities. Some of them are involved in so many activities that they're developing medical problems.

In my day we had a lot to do but we didn't clutter up our plate with too much diversity. If you were interested in music, then be a musician. If you liked sports, do that. Auto mechanics, then focus on that. We tended to involve ourselves in one key interest and resented the distraction of others. In a way, I think this approach was healthier. Maybe.

there is something to be said for getting a well-rounded education, though. I took several classes in college that had nothing to do with engineering, and I didn't complain and I am glad that I took them. [/QUOTE]


Oh, I totally agree with that. From an academic standpoint, students should be able to get a taste of everything. I was speaking more of a lot of extra-cirricular activities and in some cases, overwhelming "scheduling" of their lives. Might be just me though, since I've always been resistant to having my life "too scheduled out". Then again, I've always been able to keep busy without having "activities" imposed upon me by well-meaning people.


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STC
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captain_proton_au
Jan 5 2008, 03:04 AM
STC
Jan 4 2008, 01:16 PM
I'm sure this is due to an excessive dependency relationship created by the parents.

Makes you wonder if the nuclear family, mum dad, two kids is all its cracked up to be.


Generalizing I know, but it has been my experience that kids from either large families or single parent families tend to be more self sufficient and independant. The kids from large families are trained in helping out with the chores at an earlier age, and thus are better able to organize themselves. Kids from single parent families also tend to have to share certain responsibilities at an earlier age.

You tend to get that spoilt brat thing more when the mom has had time to do everything for the one or two kids, so you see guys and girls that get to their early 20s, never had to cook a meal for themselves, no idea how to do some basic tasks



I'm sure some here will slap me for saying that, but its what I've seen

Well I'm not going to slap you around :D, because I agree with everything you've said here.

I think, with respect to the university angle, that the introduction of tuition fees (as one of the articles refers to) has increased this dependence and dare I say, the 'power' of parents. Before tuition fees, students left home to go to university, were responsible for themselves and there was no link between universities and the parents.

Now that we have tuition fees in the UK, the parents are often paying these themselves and hence see themselves as stakeholders. They want a say in the whole thing, from application to uni right through to graduation.

A few weeks ago, one of my students in my form came to discuss her university application. She's desperate to study Sociology at Nottingham University. She told me that her, and her Mum, were going to go there and demand to see the admissions tutor, head of faculty, whatever it took, in order to get her an offer. This is the kind of cosseting our kids are getting now, and of course the extra pressure universities are under. I'm sure some universities are considering giving reports to parents now :rolleyes: (though they may not get that far due to right to privacy & data protection issues).

I wonder how long before this creeps to the next level into the job applications and the workplace? Probably has already...
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