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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be fed up with the lazy graduates I work with....

236 replies

H0bnob · 30/11/2021 11:31

And I say this as an early 20s recent graduate myself! So many young people both in my immediate team and within my department seem to have such a shocking attitude to work I'm finding it really grating. Most of these people have just finished there degree/masters and have never had to work before now and the attitude it just shocking!

To add to this, everyone seems to have anxiety and depression to some degree. I am absolutely NOT dismissing mental health issues and having lived with several i know how debilitating they can be....but to use it as an excuse to get out of everything is just taking the piss....being too lazy to do your job is not the same thing as being depressed, grow up for Christ's sake and take some responsibility.

One of my colleagues (same age as me) has had almost 20 sick days in the last 6 months for mental health...and yet goes out drinking and taking drugs every weekend without failure. When said colleague is in they also do nothing but sit on their phone and complain about being bored and tired. My managers seem reluctant to do anything too with the worry of accidental discrimination and so the rest of us are forced to continuously pick up the slack. Its really doing my head in now, am I being hugely intolerant?? Fully prepared to be told I I as obviously you never know what's going on behind the scenes but christ this is relentless! Apologies this has turned into a proper rant im just so frustrated by society at the minute.

OP posts:
Akire · 30/11/2021 11:34

You don’t know how they really are but it’s not unreasonable to refuse to do extra work. If they are to sick to work then they need get cover in. People not being seen to pull their weight just makes good workers feel taken for granted.

IWentAwayIStayedAway · 30/11/2021 11:40

This is a leadership issue

Merryoldgoat · 30/11/2021 11:43

Public Sector?

PAFMO · 30/11/2021 11:46

You are SO dismissing mental health issues.
That said, unless you are their line manager, it's none of your business why people are off sick. If your work is suffering, then speak to your manager. Obviously, without the playground name-calling and dissing of MH issues and tattling about drugs etc.

Squashpocket · 30/11/2021 11:51

This isn't new. People have always been outstandingly lazy and self-centred I'm afraid.

Some grow out of it, some don't. Welcome to real life. It's shit.

Pro tip - try not to procreate with one of them, otherwise you'll have to deal with lazy entitled shits at home AND in the office.

HelplesslyHoping · 30/11/2021 11:55

YANBU. I worked online with graduates last year and they were terrible. They would tell everyone a disclaimer about their mental health before we started a meeting saying things like they might doze off or get distracted but to ignore them if they do. We also had the MH 'sufferers' on their phones and talking about their weekend plans which they weren't too depressed to do apparently.

I'm all for people having a grumble but trauma dumping and using MH as an excuse just puts a bad name on people who genuinely can't work because of their MH. In the end their managers basically told them if they're unfit for work they'll have to leave.

Blessex · 30/11/2021 11:58

Is this public sector? They would be out on their ear in my private sector job.

DeerF0restFung1 · 30/11/2021 11:59

I have found that if you work in a team if people. There are always one or two people who do the bare minimum. There are always one or two who take lots of time off sick.

It doesn't matter what age people are

Suggest concentrate on what you are doing, stop looking at other people

Hospedia · 30/11/2021 12:00

Ultimately the reasons for absence and their conduct while at work are between that person and their line manager/HR, you have no control over that.

What you do have control over is having to cover for them and you could tell your manager that you're not prepared to cover extra work.

Harsharse · 30/11/2021 12:00

I agree although you’re not allowed to say it IRL. All people want to do is play on their phone all day!

And no one gets fired ever as employers are so worried about discrimination.

Overthebow · 30/11/2021 12:02

You need better graduates, ours are brilliant this year.

H0bnob · 30/11/2021 12:05

Yes it is public sector...glad to know its not just my team! I know its none of my business its just frustrating and makes me feel very undervalued. Thinking I may look into a move to private sector where hard work is expected and appreciated...I dont think im patient enough for this nonsense!

OP posts:
H0bnob · 30/11/2021 12:07

@HelplesslyHoping

YANBU. I worked online with graduates last year and they were terrible. They would tell everyone a disclaimer about their mental health before we started a meeting saying things like they might doze off or get distracted but to ignore them if they do. We also had the MH 'sufferers' on their phones and talking about their weekend plans which they weren't too depressed to do apparently.

I'm all for people having a grumble but trauma dumping and using MH as an excuse just puts a bad name on people who genuinely can't work because of their MH. In the end their managers basically told them if they're unfit for work they'll have to leave.

This with bells on! The mental health disclaimers before every thing. As i say I have had my fair share of mental health issues and have been hospitalised in the past....but being bored in a meeting and dozing off is not mental health it's just laziness!!!!
OP posts:
Youdoyoutoday · 30/11/2021 12:07

I was once taken to A&E on a Monday and the nurse said it's the busiest day of the week because people won't disrupt their own weekends but will happily call in sick on a Monday to go to hospital so that kind of approach has always been about.

I get people do have genuine MH issues but some people are, unfortunately, just chancers using it as an excuse because it can't be proved. I think that's why people are getting fed up with MH and tend to eye roll when it's mentioned.

drpet49 · 30/11/2021 12:09

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Cactu · 30/11/2021 12:11

It was inevitable once people realised you could self diagnose with spurious conditions and get a load of special allowances made for you. They need a bit of tough love.

senua · 30/11/2021 12:14

It was inevitable once people realised you could self diagnose with spurious conditions and get a load of special allowances made for you.
It used to be 'a bad back', didn't it? Equally easy to (a) self-diagnose and (b) disprove. There are chancers in every generation.

Userg1234 · 30/11/2021 12:27

Fully agree, 20 years ago I was a manager for a large multinational insurance company. I employed many many graduates, thankfully on a temp to perm basis.
I lost count of the number I gave the boot. Continually sick, not hitting targets that others achieved easily, using mobile phones, late every day for 2 weeks, rude to customers, unable to work in a team...it was bloody depressing.
I worked out that most had a sense of entitlement...they should be managing the company from day one. Topped off by the review I did with one young women just after becoming permanent with us. "I'm a graduate; I should be on £16,,k now" our starting was £12k not bad in 2001. "Ok well we have a graduate program, what's your degree in. ?"
"Dance"

1967buglet · 30/11/2021 12:28

I’m not sure why, but the past five years teaching university has been like this…loads of MH issues, and we of course have had to accommodate (and gladly, because the vast vast majority are quite genuine). I acknowledge there are a few that may be taking the piss, but there have been increased numbers of student suicides, and there is some real suffering out there. It is a difficult situation, and COVID didn’t help. I guess I would ask us all to think about growing up in a recession with housing prices out of reach, going to uni in a pandemic, and starting a first job in a pandemic. It isn’t great for young people today.

HailAdrian · 30/11/2021 12:42

Ime of taking days off for MH reasons, it's worse than being at work because of the added stress of not being at work.

Cam77 · 30/11/2021 12:54

Surely a big part of the problem is that so many so-called graduate jobs these days (IE, jobs where the employer still insist on “A Degree” not because the job actually necessitates one but because they know that they can) pay barely above minimum wage, and the future prospects are pretty crap as well. So some graduates are no doubt thinking “well, I did another three years in education and got into significant - and for what?”. There are two sides to every story, surely.

Cam77 · 30/11/2021 12:55

^ significant debt

Glenthebattleostrich · 30/11/2021 12:57

When I headed up a support admin team I used to be given the new graduates to break in. Or break.

We had one who's mum rang up and said he had a bit of a cold so couldn't come in. He didn't live with his mum but phoned her because he didn't like phoning in because he didn't get the required sympathy. Same one was Mr2:1. He tried to tell me I couldn't tell him what to do because he had been to university and had a 2:1 you know. Stopped when I pointed out I had also been to (a better) university and also had a 2:1 but didn't feel the need to remind people.

Then there was comma boy. He would try to bollock my team because they wouldn't put comma's every second word (i kid you not) until I lost patience with him.

There were time keeping issues, not turning up, the inability to write an actual sentence, let alone a report, trying to finish early, lazy attitude ... ...

So glad I no longer deal with it now.

HelplesslyHoping · 30/11/2021 13:00

@H0bnob Exactly! If their mental health is so bad they fall asleep in a meeting and don't do their work they need medical help, not a nap on their desk!

dreamingbohemian · 30/11/2021 13:02

It's always been like this though. I graduated in the early 90s and people were complaining about us back then.

Some young people are in great shape and work hard, a lot of others need toughening up, that's just the way of it.

OP if your office is completely full of wasters then I'd put that on HR, either they're not screening well or they're hiring people over-qualified like @Cam77 said

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