Overly sensitive employees/apprentices

[OhGoodnessItsSoExhausting]

Ok, so I pride myself on being a strengths focussed supervisor. I always want to mentor and help my employees and apprentices as much as possible. But the last two apprentices (all apprentices in this role are graduates if that's relevant) have been soooooo sensitive and just plain.annoying!

I can't give any feedback because they 'know it already.' I can't say anything right because apparently I know nothing about transgender issues or decolonisation of the workplace and I need to hear them 'educate' me on it all and lend me books because they (20 years younger with zero experience in this role) know how to resolve ingrained, inherent systemic racism and prejudice and clearly if they were in my role they'd have solved all the problems in society which impact the role, already.

They are always 'curious about X...' and 'wondering about y...' instead of just speaking in normal language

They are driving me insane!!!

They can't manage their workload (even though I'm so worried about upsetting them I give them half what I've given to previous apprentices). Apparently it's important to be 'boundaried' and assertive with your needs. (Yes,.I know that, but I'm just asking you to do your job - you are paid more for these apprenticeships than many of the more senior staff in the organisation).

They are so bloody self absorbed and self riteous. I find them so patronising.

Is this entitlement, condescending attitude and use of fluffy language a generation thing? Or (please tell me), I've just had a bad run of two extremely annoying apprentices!!? (who I found out today are friends! So I guess they feed off each other discussing how amazing and riteous they are and how everyone else in the organisation is incompetent.)

Grrr..

I can understand your perspectives and frustrations, but how correct are they in what they know ?

Paying them more than senior staff is sending them the wrong message, as well as being unfair to those senior people. No wonder they’re so arrogant if they’re encouraged to believe they are special, when they’re actually just brand new graduates.
If you decide not to employ apprentices from the uni any more, tell the uni why. They are not preparing these graduates properly for the workplace.
If you do have them in future years, give them a more normal salary and sort out their job description so that they understand they are your apprentice not your equal, they report to you and take direction from you. They focus on the job and get regular feedback, and any attempt to “educate” you about non-job-related issues gets shut down. If they keep harping on, they get feedback telling them they are not focused enough on the job.
Are these two male and you’re female? Sexism seems to be much worse now than it has been for decades.

I’m wondering how you have any senior staff with such a crazy pay system.

Agree 100%

I’m of a probably similar age to those mentioned. I was far too busy as an NQN in a covid icu/hdu - I was very grateful to my senior colleagues for teaching me how to be a critical care nurse. We had double to triple the normal workload which was all of our responsibility. The NQNs this year are brilliant - hard working and enjoy the challenge.

Maybe it’s a private sector thing, or you have a few bad apples. They sound not busy enough and not challenged enough with their 50% workload. Feel free to redirect them into a more challenging role.

So this is where I’m very clear and straight about expectations with interns.

When the head of the trading floor (my boss) tells you to do something; you do it. If you don’t know or understand, come ask me. I’ll help you. When he gives you a fact sheet about the company and I ask you questions a week later, you better get the answers right.

Of our 4 interns, I moved 2 on and trialed another 2. We found 3 gems and the head of the floor said we had to hire the girl who is the 4th because she did the work. Now it’s up to us to train her. Fair enough. No problem with that.

I had one of this new generation crying at 7pm that he wanted another chance. I sat him down and kindly explained how it works in the real world. We have 3 people who can pick up the phone and trade. We have 20 people facilitating that, me included. I never get shiny stars nor do I get recognized when things go well, the traders do. My success is measured by there being zero issues and every question anyone has being answered to a level where they understand and are ok with the procedures I follow and the policy I have written. There aren’t rock stars, there are lead singers and the band. Right now you are trying to get a spot in the band. Just may be, if you work hard, prove yourself, keep your cool under immense pressure and the stars align, you too will have the opportunity to be a lead singer.

I then told him to go home and get his sleep, get his securities exams and focus on delivering in full day in day out. No excuses. Flawless delivery with no drama is what is expected.

We have given up on employing/looking for apprentices and work share with a handful of older tradespeople who are keen for a bit of work but not keen on running their own businesses full time.

Mostly works well, although one of our regular guys is getting additional work from some of our building clients, so isn't always available when needed...

Non attendence at work and not communicating they were not coming to work was a big thing with two of the apprentices. DH actually dropped a toolbox back to one home two weeks after we hadn't seen apprentice, and his DD had no idea his DS had stopped working with us.

With the other one his parents thought building work was unsafe, and we had a know it all who talked incessantly so the crew were pleased to see the back of him.

A couple of our industry colleagues have employed o/s staff and that is working well for them as long as they sort out housing and such like as part of the deal.

Please give honest feedback to the uni about the candidates they are sending you.

What level of apprenticeship is this if they've graduated university? Is this a master's level apprenticeship?

They might be annoying to you, but you sound like you don't perhaps have the right people or communication skills to deal with people who are clearly very different to you.

Is this for real?
You've taken on two apprenticeship so they're still learning.
They only work half the hours of the rest of the staff but you pay them more than your full time senior staff. You let them do less work than your other staff for the short time they do work. And they're full of self-importance for getting this important role that they didn't get on merit but based on where they live.
If I were your firm, I'd be worrying about more than being lectured to on racism and transgender issues. It sounds completely cuckoo organisation.

They might be annoying to you, but you sound like you don't perhaps have the right people or communication skills to deal with people who are clearly very different to you.

She should get her senior staff who are working twice the hours for less pay to mentor them. That would be an interesting conversation.

It's slightly old fashioned but still correct to spell it this way. In UK English Not that the OP asked for feedback on her spelling.

fire them, or fire them into the deep end....they will learn that being holier than thou doesn't pay the bills

have they asked about WFH yet?

I wish I hadn't posted as I read through the thread before I saw BitOutofPractice had already replied so perfectly.

i am surprised the university don't have a placement coordinator or similar role that you could talk to. Perhaps you could ask them to run a lunchtime seminar on one of the topics they're concerned about? At least this way other colleagues would have to listen to them too.

Perfect. Just perfect 😁😁

My father had the same problem every year with graduates coming into his department & I remember him moaning about how they thought they knew everything & how to do everything better 'if only they were in charge' back in the 80s.

I suspect he was doing the same thing back in the 70s but I don't remember as I was too small.

He certainly was still doing it right up until he retired decades later.

It's not a new thing.

The whole bring your feelings to work, bring your politics to work thing is newish though which I think it makes it more obvious & kids seem to have expectations that they can lead a tv show life like those mysteriously funded teens who can hang out in a cafe for 3 hours a day affording all the food/drinks while still being an A grade student & having major relationship drama that other people appear to care about.

contact the university: I’ve always enjoyed immensely being part of your internship scheme, however these last two we have had at <company> just haven’t worked out so far. I have to ask if there is an option to interview the final candidate next round? If not I’m afraid I will have to drop out at least for a round as I haven’t the time or energy to carry straight on into another period of having a student do a fraction the work of previous interns while pontificating on what I am doing wrong in my job and life attitude.

to the intern: James/Jamesina, we need to reset a bit here. I have been giving you a pass so far in case covid has meant you are taking longer to get the hang of things than previous interns. However here we are half way through and im sorry to tell you that you are doing perhaps half the work we usually expect of our interns, and this is not sustainable. They have always delivered well in the past so we know it’s not the workload. I have put together a plan for the week and month which I will go through with you tomorrow morning. I’ve set up checkins with relevant staff for some of the items so you will have plenty of opportunity for feedback, and you and I can talk daily, with a proper progress meeting weekly. I hope this isn’t a surprise to you but at this point it has to be said.

Yes, are they women by any chance? I've had to consciously (try to) stop myself doing this and feel it was part of my societal conditioning as a woman.

I struggle with managing employees of that generation as well and I’m not that old. You will get accused of age discrimination on Mumsnet though! YANBU.

Giving them a smaller workload is probably not helping their arrogance and lack of real world knowledge. Give them a normal amount and they’ll have to get on with it

personally I would set up daily or weekly review meetings as a means of support. Give them clear written targets, bullet point what they need to do to achieve the targets and review progress of targets in next meeting. Provide them with feedback even if they say they don’t need it. One of their targets could be to be receptive to direction and information. Another target could be about developing positive rapports with those in leadership. Another target could be to expand workload in line with the normal apprenticeship workload. Then increase their workload, they will either sink or swim but at least they will buckle down or realise the job is s poor fit. Another target could be to ensure divisive cultural politics are kept out of the workplace unless there are concerning workplace issues or working practices which should be improved due to meet legislation. If all fails speak to the university and explain the issue and how you’ve supported them to progress and the issues.

i suspect they have too much time on their hands and need more work

Yep. All my friends who hire graduates say they same. One is an employment lawyer, one works in tax for an accountancy firm. They both say the same. Shame.

1. I think this is a trait of the young, no matter the generation, as a teen I definitely knew more than all the adults around me who were so old and stupid and did not understand the modern world.
2. They may be graduates, but if it’s anything like I’m finding at primary school, they are actually about 2 years more immature, both academically and socially to where I would expect them to be.

IME the university environment means that students don't mature in the same way that apprentices who don't go to university do.

You'd have more luck recruiting 16 or 18 year olds straight out of school.