Do today's teenagers/20-somethings lack resilience?

[ToutesetBonne]

Prompted by another thread, I'm reminded of the number of times, at work, when I shake my head in disbelief about the dramas some of the younger staff create out of nothing!

I work for a lovely organisation in beautiful surroundings, with some of the best 'perks' I've ever encountered. Our salaries are well above average and we have free lunches, parking, and private health care.

Despite this, so many of our younger staff throw complete wobblies if asked to do anything that they perceive to be outside their role description, and have close to a breakdown if a manager (I am not one - no-one reports to me) queries any aspect of their work or asks them to change something in a written paper, or suggests that they might need some help with a task.

Where is the resilience? I am a labour voter who cringes at the expression 'snowflake' but, gosh, I'm beginning to see where it comes from!

Younger generations feel under no obligation to mould themselves into the perfect workers for a system that doesn't care about them and won't reward them.

Well tough, I say, because unemployment is at a record high; it's not an employee's market and if people feel they're 'too good' for what's being asked of them, they'll be the ones losing out.

It reminds me of this poor lamb who is so tired from commuting that she has no life.

Yep. That’s life. Suck it up, buttercup.

https://www.tiktok.com/@brielleybelly123/video/7291443944347405614

Fair enough, point taken.

The other side of the coin is my son three years in a job, hasn't asked for or been given a pay rise. He's doing a masters now alongside his job. Still just above minimum wage. I've said once he's completed his masters look for another job.

A friend is a manager at a large DIY chain, some of the younger new staff only last a few weeks, a few left after the minimum 4 hour shift...just wandered off and had to be contacted to return uniform etc. He has a few really good youngsters but generally, most are hopeless. He also said how the younger Polish staff had lots of work ethic and initiative but had quickly moved on to better jobs or go home.

Fair enough, point taken.

Thank you, acknowledging something happens doesn't mean you agree with it.

I notice this a bit more in mc children rather than wc children. I think its because wc children have been told to just get on with it for probably the majority of their lives, are more likely to go to failing schools where to get decent gcses you must teach yourself and overall have been forced to learn the life lesson of if you want something do it yourself. Mc children i find have always had a safety net, mum/dad to cry to and try to put right etc. its probably why this subject comes up on mumsnet so much, since mumsnet is majority mc

I work in a university and employ students and in the main they have been fantastic. However this could be because its the more competent students applying for these roles and we're able to weed out the less able ones during interview.

I used to be a 'bad' worker in late teen/early 20s, I didn't care, I would walk off from jobs and could not be bothered.

It only changed when I got older, had my daughter and realised I needed to get my head down and work for my DD.

Some of these young people will hopefully grow to become more resilance etc,

I do agree, parenting is different now days...the mollycoddling but surely, thats more generation alpha (who not entered the workforce yet) not generation z?

Before anyone comes at me, it’s a generalisation based on what I’m seeing!!

But they can’t play, they can’t entertain themselves. They want constant praise for every little thing they do. They still use soothers/blankets etc, can’t self soothe, cry if you say no. Screentime is crazy. The parents do everything not to upset them. But on the other hand, they want their nails done, their hair pretty, they go out for Costa at weekends. It’s bizarre.

Yes another great post and completely agree.

As a university lecturer of several decades…. Unfortunately yes. The most resilient are always the mature students.

This isn’t my experience at all & I manage lots of young people aged 16-30. I often find they’re more conscientious, open to working additional hours & generally have a more positive attitude towards work/our employer than those of us over 40. They’re also definitely more IT literate & creative than us, they always produce great reports, detailed spreadsheets & engaging/varied social media content.

Yes and no. They are far more likely to stand up for themselves and so will push back on things extra work they don’t perceive as part of their role rather than get on with it and then whine on MN about it like so many do.
Sometimes I agree they’re less resilient but then you’re hugely deluded if you don’t think your parents and their friend didn’t say the same thing about you and your generation.

Equally some of the things on here people seem to cry about, are shaking about, can’t deal with absolutely blows my mind.

As a manager, the only time I have seen this is from someone in their 40s. The 20 something in my team are ambitious, but have clear boundaries.

Hmm. Well not sure why work ethic is always a good thing in a society which ruthlessly imposes a one size success narrative and forces people to toe the line in terms of tech use, rights, creativity, work and life balance despite the utterly false and hypocritical wellness bandwagon and the 'be kind' crew.
Who is their work ethic for when they cannot afford houses and some have little career development or prospects due to the gradual dominance of AI.?
The idea that working hard will bring success is totally flawed and yet it still is presented as the answer to everything.It is a lie sold to young people.
Nothing wrong with working hard in itself of course.
Some people will work hard and do well, some will be lazy and do well. some will do lazy and do badly etc.It is sometimes dumb luck,parenting,location, physiology,temperament but most of all it is class and money.The comments on mumsnet ( unless old Vlad or one of his juniors is sitting up all night in the Kremlin trolling on Mumsnet) or a bot etc show that people do not have the faintest idea what is coming, that they think that life can just go on as before and tweaking capitalism and building a shield for the sun will make it alright.
AI will replace our thinking but I can tell you the upper classes will know it all, tech and the old standards of education- analysis,logic,classics.They can move in both worlds because that is power.
They will be resilient

Overstructured, overscheduled childhoods so they grew up very rigid with no creativity, problem solving or critical thinking skills.
Overcontrolled playdates and interfered with, helicoptered, friends selected by parents social lives, so they grew up with few social skills and unable to get along witb others.
Never been told off or denied anything , so they are egocentric, selfish, even narcissistic, arrogant and very lacking in resilience.
Never allowed any stress or not feeling the centre of the world has resulted in once in real world they come down in meltdowns and develop mental health illnesses at the first hurdle.

Maybe these young ppl who cry and refuse to work, claim anxiety etc. have the right idea. If you work hard/go the extra mile, all that jazz, all that happens is you get given more work/end up doing other ppls jobs, you never get rewarded. So they might just be smart that they've worked this out at the beginning of their working life.

My dc are both adults with dc of their own.
As teens if they complained unnecessarily, imo, they got told life is tough and the sooner you realise that the better you’ll cope.
Seems to have worked.

Yes! Some of them revel in it all. They learn the jargon and have a tribe and a memorised defence to every request, no matter how trivial. I feel sorry for them as they never seem to mature, take personal responsibility or turn their focus outwards into the big, wide world.

One of the Gen Z employees in our office recently told his direct supervisor “I’m open to critique, but not criticism.” When she asked him to make a specific edit in line with our organisational style guide.

I was in earshot, she caught my eye and we were both 😳.

THIS ⬆️

I think that this generation are very suggestible and Tic Tic is their guru. Negative emotions being pathologised as disorders, stress is viewed as damaging and intolerable. Normal exchanges being categorized as unacceptable, bullying etc. I read an article this morning about the morning/bedtime routines of people in their early 20s - taking 60-90 minutes and them feeling uncomfortable if their was any deviation from it. These involved lengthy and expensive skin care regimes and going to sleep involving scent on the pillow, noise cancelling earphones etc etc. The source of all of this: Tic Toc and Instagram. They just lap it all up unquestioningly, have no tolerance for discomfort of any kind (psychologically especially) and seem to have lost all of their critical faculties.

The thing is, I can count on one hand the number of children I know raised entirely that way (and I know a lot of kids as I’ve worked in schools for over 10 years) . Nowhere near enough to justify looking down on an entire generation .

@DelboytrottersDnecklace
One young lady came to the interview with her mum holding her hand (she also works with us)
The same lass about a week after starting rang to say she couldn't be bothered to do that days shift,so could she do the same hours but the following day?
Was told no,so went crying to hr...

Surely the point at which she turned up for the interview with her mother holding her hand should have been when the alarm bells were ringing. Why on earth was she hired?