To think the British youth of today is a bit lazy??

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

Disclaimer: sweeping generalisation so obviously not true for all. Also, basing a lot of this on my friends and what they do.

I work in the office of a factory where I regularly go down to the factory floor. We have approx 95% Eastern European workers. They work shockingly hard and some of them are my friends who I love. There's a slight issue of communication but we have translators so not a problem.

We rarely get British people through our agency and when we do I always think 'brilliant, they'll be easy to tell what's what' rather than guessing, doing strange hand gestures, calling another person off their shift or google translate.

The problem is, they're no where near as nice as our current workers (the last pair felt the need to tell me they thought my DP was my son when he pulled up one day) and they work at snails pace. And run off screaming 'yay break time' at break. They also stand back doing nothing while regulars set up the shift. Though that may be a communication issue as the regulars aren't telling them what to grab from where as they can't. Basically, they are never called back.

Looking at my Polish friends, not one is unemployed or lazy. My English friends... They either work in some fancy role and work hard or Most popped a baby out not long after school and saw it as a means of staying at home. They feel they are entitled to benefits. They talk a good talk about wanting to work but when I ask how many jobs they've applied for I get excuse after excuse.

It's all very well saying British jobs for British people but I feel like younger people don't push themselves.

For the record I'm 26

Do we have less drive than our Eastern European counterparts???

[coppertop]

"I think some of you are jumping to conclusions that I think the young are lazy an feckless."

Just a guess here but maybe that's because your thread title is "AIBU to think the British youth of today is a bit lazy."

YABU

[pommedeterre]

I work in an industry where a lot of immigrant labour is used. No British people wish to do the work.

In terms of office staff we get cvs from young British people that are unintelligible the english used is so bad.

Something is going wrong in the British education system I do agree. I think the youth are being failed.

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

Yeah the issue is that the British people who currently work here (older) and the agency staff who come (younger) just don't work as hard.

I obviously mainly socialise with people my age with 5 years ish either side so possibly am biased.

My work have specifically asked for English people for one FLT job (think of that what you will, bosses decision) and they simply didn't have one for months. When they did, he left after two weeks.

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

So I don't think they push them to the bottom. They simply don't have them. I wonder why?!

[HoneyDragon]

There isn't an issue. Op is trying to fathom why some people work hard and some don't.

Simple answer some want to some don't.

[LittleMissSunshine89]

Maybe its just the people you know eveesmummy but you cant just make such a daft sweeping judgement and pin it on your workplace and only the people you know.
Most people my age (24) work hard and provide for their family. I only know of one person my age who is living off benefits and frauding (shes been caught) but she doesnt have kids, she really is an overweight lazy shit.

It does piss you off going out and working for a pittence and others are getting it handed to them and not making an effort. But just focus on yourself theres nothing else you can do.

Personally i think its the way we are raised. If your raised to work hard and provide then you will more than likely do that than sit on benefits. The woman ive mentioned above comes from a family of scroungers who never work a day in their lives cos it doesnt pay (their words). Make of that what you like.

[Owllady]

I worked as a manager in general retail, then in food retail for many years but not the last 12 months and I have not seen what you describe at all. Most the teams I managed were hardworking and motivated whatever their nationality :)

I popped a baby out when I was quite young too and I always worked, even did a degree whilst working but I have been forced to give up paid employment because my eldest child's severe disability has become too difficult to manage. I claim carers allowance. I more than earn it. My daughter receives care through an agency. She has two young girls atm, one who is 20, one a bit younger. They are both smashing girls :)

[MoreBeta]

LittleMiss - it doesn't pay. If you get Housing Benefit and various other benefits you really are 'earning' at NMW or above and have none of the costs and hassle of going out to work.

If you have no skills and on a certain level of benefits and maybe do some cash in hand work you really are earning more than working a shop on NMW and with a lot less risk.

[LittleMissSunshine89]

I know and thats the sad thing. It should pay to work, it shouldnt pay to not work.

[HobbetInTheHeadlights]

Immigrants are a self selected example of the locals though. They're the ones with the drive and gumption to move abroad.

^ This.

DH once heard on last leg of long public transport commute home a local trying to talk a friend out of looking for work in nearby town. He was a bit about that think it's a common attitude round here.

I also suspect low pay, long hours and little prospect of advancement might well be demotivating many UK workers.

I mean it one thing to cram into cheap digs for a few years saving money living in foreign country with probably few responsibilities - another trying to live off a low wage and deal with high rents or impossible house prices and think about doing this for years and worry about bringing up a family on it.

[Laquitar]

I was going to write what a previous poster said. Some Pilish friends shown me photos and plans of the houses they are building and they were amazing. I think if our young people could buy a huge house mortgage free after few years working very hard they would be motivated too. But as it is, many of them will never buy a studio let alone a lux house.
Psychologically the immigrant doesn't see the nmw, he thinks in another currency and value of money. For few years after i came into uk i was still thinking in pessetas and what i could buy in Spain with my wages. So i felt happy even so i was not earning much.
Can we stop trying to aspire to employees who don't demand workers rights because it doesn't do any good to us or our children? People in the past have fought for the right to have lunch break, sick pay, reasonable rights. We own to protect these rights. This is not priviludge, it is a duty. I too storm out for my lunch break, why not? I m not a martyr to work through lunch.

And can we also stop misuse the term 'work ethic'. It is not 'work ethic'. It is people being desperate and empliyers taking advantage of that. We shouldn't aspireto this kind of 'work ethic' and workers holding their wee for ten hours and the patronising pat on the back. It takes us years back.
Sorry for the rant but this bs and people falling for it winds me up.

[limitedperiodonly]

Rant away Laquitar. You won't get any complaints from me.

[limitedperiodonly]

Rant away Laquitar. You won't get any complaints from me.

[NigellasDealer]

spot on laquitar!

[bochead]

My stepson is staying in Romania, which is a real shame as DS & I miss him badly . He's a children's nurse by trade so has a marketable skill set in the UK job market.

I'll match your anecdote on the OU course - mine is about 1/3 British, 1/3 foreigners working in the UK & the last third who are actually based overseas but rate the course highly iyswim. Though I do wonder what impact the fees hike has had on British students, as it took me several years to get to a point where a course was even possible financially.

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

You can wee when you want here :-) ha!

I really do mean work ethic, as I say, no one is exploited here or expected to do an unreasonable amount of work (well mostly) so I'm speaking about driven people and lazy people. Yes I think my point is just about people wanting and not wanting to work but as I'm constantly surrounded by both I put the differences to the only obvious difference... Country of origin.

[NigellasDealer]

evesmummy for a start should you not be at work if your story is true?

secondly has it ever occurred to you that it is only profitable working minimum wage if you are sleeping 10 to a house?

so there are other differences other than country of origin, starting with immigrants being a self selected, driven group, as others have pointed out, and continuing with my point about the accommodation as another example.

If you stopped spouting shyte and thought for a moment you might even be able to come up with some other reasons yourself!

BTW how is your Polish? I can just imagine what those workers are saying about you as you swan off back to your office smiling beatifically at them

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

These guys don't share a house with ten other people. They live as I do, a family or couple to a house.

I have polish family so my polish is coming along very well

[LessMissAbs]

YANBU. But its not just the youth, its all age groups. It does seem to be a trait. Its so hard to get a reliable carpet fitter, plumber, tv aerial installer, cleaner, etc. who will actually make and keep an appointment and then do the job competently - yes perhaps not the best paid jobs but if you want a well paid job or to be rich then stick in at school and uni and work your way up or build up your own business.

I don't think its ever been the case that studying for example an Arts subject at uni gave a guarantee of walking into well paid employment immediately and buying a family size house. You have always had to prove yourself first. Employers have always been nervous of employing new graduates or young people with no track record, particularly now when employment law makes it so expensive to get rid of one who proves to be unreliable or incompetent.

I don't also see the problem with moving to where work is. I worked abroad when I was at uni in a proper job in the holidays and year out. One of my parents is an immigrant from another EU country. Most of our ancestors probably sailed here in boats from Saxony or Denmark. Plenty of Irish people came here during the industrial revolution. Whats the sudden problem now?

[NigellasDealer]

i think you are wrong evesmummy; I do not think you have thought this one out at all.
is your tea break over yet? or are you also a 'lazy Brit'?
btw the whole factory floor hates you and mutters 'dzifka' as you go back to your office

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

Oh please nigella. Everyone learns the rude words first. Like I say, I socialise with a fair few of them out of work so no. No one says this.

A fair few people agreeing with the shite I spout tho!

And no, nothing wrong with moving to where the work is. Or even just if you fancy it. You are not constrained to your country of birth

[NigellasDealer]

tick tock tea break over....

[KinderBoris]

I find that most Polish couples I know have a sahp and claim some kind of housing benefit.

Obviously I wouldn't make a generalisation of a whole nationality based on that though. This is just based on the people I know in my area.

[NeonMuffin]

The reason so many employers prefer "hard working Poles" is because they can exploit, abuse them and generally treat them like shit and get away with it. No British person would allow an employer to make them work all the hours god sends without a break and for shit money because it's fucking illegal.

I don't believe that our young people are all bone idle and I don't know any stay at home mums anymore. For the majority that's a thing of the past sadly. Most mums have to work to survive now.

[NigellasDealer]

it is true neon muffin, back in the late 90s or early noughties i had a Polish brother in law who worked six days a week twelve hours a day, off the books, for £300 a week cash in hand, doing multi trades for a property developer with a rather famous TV brother
outrageous!