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Do today's kids make terrible entry-level workers?That's a question much on employers' minds asgraduation season kicks off and young adults begin their firstfull-time jobs. We've all heard the stories: assistants whowon't assist, new workers who can't set an alarm,employees who can't grasp institutional hierarchies. Bosses who toiled in the pre-self-esteem era salt mines have littlepatience for these upstarts. A popular advice columnist had some choice words last week for a young employee whodismissively waved her sandwich at a superior requesting backupduring a critical meeting; the young woman explained that she wason her lunch break and was merely "setting boundaries"with a "disrespectful colleague who sorely needs them."Moreover, she noted, being "errand girl" wasn'tin her job description. It's easy to laugh off these anecdotes, but there are somecomplex reasons for the lack of familiarity with work norms. Forone thing, many 20-something adults have never held a menial summerjob, once considered training wheels for adult life in the Americanmiddle class. ( MORE: Fewest Young Adults in 60 Years Have Jobs ) It was once common to see teenagers mowing lawns, waiting tables,digging ditches and bagging groceries for modest wages in the longsummer months. Summer employment was a social equalizer, allowingboth affluent and financially strapped teenagers to gain a footholdon adulthood, learning the virtues of hard work, respect andteamwork in a relatively low-stakes atmosphere. But youthemployment has declined precipitously over the years, and youngpeople are losing a chance to develop these important life skillsin the process. In 2010, the latest year for which numbers are available, less than half of the nation's youths (ages 16 to 24) were employed duringthe month of July, traditionally the peak of summer employment, thelowest percentage since the Bureau of Labor Statistics startedcollecting data in 1948 and almost 20 points lower than the peak in1989. There's little indication of that numberimproving. Teenagers and 20-somethings are the least skilled andmost expendable members of the workforce, so it's notsurprising that they would be edged out in a recession by morereliable full-time workers such as senior citizens, immigrants andother adults who need those jobs. ( MORE: The Surprising Benefits of ‘Boomerang Kids' ) But other long-term factors are at play. Life is more competitivethan ever before, and kids or perhaps their parents worryabout wasting time on jobs that won't yield career dividends.On Harvard's campus, where I work, students feel crushingpressure to build their r sum s the instant they arrive,eschewing unskilled summer jobs for unpaid internships withnonprofit organizations, political campaigns and research labs.Others spend the summer studying foreign languages or preparing forgrueling graduate-admissions exams. The same pattern is found at the secondary-school level, where teenemployment has been on a downward trend since 2000. Tougher graduation standards have created a threefoldincrease in summer-school attendance over the past 20 years. Andstudents feel the need to pad their college applications withunique life experiences as the admissions process has grown moreselective. High schools also now routinely require public service surely a good thing that can further limit the availablehours to work for pay. ( MORE: Why American Kids Are Brats ) Many of these social changes are a sign of a healthy, and upwardlymobile, society. But there's a problem when more than 50% ofthe nation's young workforce has never held a basic, payingjob. We may be postponing their entry into adulthood. One paradoxof contemporary life is that the lengthening of adolescence has notbetter prepared young people for what comes next. Despiteunprecedented technological and cultural sophistication, thisgeneration's 20-year-olds lack some of the soft skills thatare necessary to move up the professional ladder: perseverance,humility, flexibility and commitment. In the end, though, it's their elders who are responsible,and we shouldn't demonize young people for our own failings.Most graduates embarking on their first job are eager to performwell and desperately need the income. It's grownups, notteenagers, who have honed the values, expectations andopportunities from which our nation's youth develop theirwork habits. If we want a more respectful and industriousworkforce, we need to do a better job creating one. MORE: The Jobless Generation. I am an expert from SZMSAT.COM, while we provides the quality product, such as Automotive Diagnostic Software Manufacturer , China Universal Auto Scanner, Truck Diagnostic Tool,and more.
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