EDITORIAL: Prepare your offspring for world of work
WHEN job opportunities arise in Barbados, we generally see the better ‘face’ of prospective job seekers. In fact, this is usually the case across the world. At training and/or probation, for the most part, one generally hears about their work ethic – and their efforts are commended; and the speed with which they have mastered the required techniques are spoken of highly by those in charge of the businesses that take them in.
On the surface, the report appears to be a positive one, but sometimes as time progresses, the comments from some of these new ‘hires’ prove to be somewhat disturbing. On deeper reflection, however, one realises that these new, and more often than not, young employees are merely indicative of the prevailing school of thought among many young adults – society owes me a job; I’m not prepared to fight to make my own way in this world; I’m willing to work, but I need someone to make the opportunity available for me and hold my hand along the way; if I don’t get the job I want, I’m not working.
In retrospect, this mindset is not new. As far back as November 2007, CBS television network broadcast a news feature entitled ‘The Millennials Are Coming’. Millennial was the name given to a new breed of employee, born between 1980 and 1985, and attacking all the standards that bosses held as sacred.
Faced with this mindset, many companies in the US and elsewhere were forced to hire consultants to advise them on how to deal with this generation and increasingly, HR managers had to be “half shrink and half diplomat”.
For the millennials, there’s no loyalty to company – it’s all about them. They need to be trained in the basics, including the importance of being on time for work.
The fact is that while many of the millennials are very bright and talented, their priorities are no longer the priorities that helped their ancestors to build strong countries that still exist and flourish. With some ‘coddling’, some millennials do make significant contributions to their workplaces, especially with their adept use of technology, but it is largely agreed that those qualities of hard work, patience, punctuality, respect for superiors, and paying your dues are unheard of for that group. And it is also largely agreed that the parents are at fault. Earlier generations of youth had to leave school and get a job, others had to work, even if just for summer; there was no expectation of annual overseas holidays and some of the luxuries people now take for granted. Previously, one of the basic tenets of child-rearing was the instruction that one was expected to get an education and move on to get a job in order to support oneself. Can we still say that this is the case? Apparently not.
The phenomenon of the millennials is also alive and well in Barbados. Even though some of our youths in poorer areas have had to endure challenging circumstances which they could not overcome, many others have simply decided to lounge around and wait to see whether opportunities would fall into their laps. We must nip that attitude of entitlement in the bud. Parents must get back to the basics and do more to prepare their offspring to enter the world of work. We are aware that most secondary schools, as well as the University of the West Indies have been grappling with methods to prepare students for the workplace, but like with most training, the difference is made at home. Our future depends on how we handle this situation.