Youngsters now days are very entitled

[Themagicfarawaytreeismyfav]

Is it just me or are younger people now days very entitled? I work in an industry that often attracts lots of younger people mainly early 20’s ( im in my 50’s btw). Im noticing more and more that they have lots of entitlement and some bad manners/lack of social skills as well as a terrible work ethic. For balance i have 4 dc ranging from 20-30 years old and while all 4 have excellent manners the younger had a really bad attitude towards work for a year or two but is now a very hard worker and the elder 3 always have been. Anyway back to my fellow employees. They seem to know every single one of their rights but not so much about their responsibilities, they lack social skills and manners as well. Will happily talk over people during conversations, pick and choose what work they want to do, have appalling customer service skills and will never agree that something is their fault or they have done something wrong. My work is based heavily on seniority and usually the more senior a member of staff they get first choice in certain aspects of it. However the younger staff seem to completely disregard this and often push themselves to the front for these things and show absolutely no respect to those who have worked there for years ( fwiw im also very junior). Im finding it harder and harder to tolerate and beginning to detest having to work with them, but im wondering if its actually a “ thing” that others have noticed or its me and my perimenopause? 🙄

Thank you. I have an almost photographic memory for what people tell me - it’s not always a blessing at times!

‘O would that there were no age between fifteen and thirty, for in between there is nothing but stealing, fighting, wronging the ancientry and getting wenches with child.’

(obviously about young men!)
From which Shakespeare play I can’t remember, but IIRC one of the Henry IVs.

How does letting someone 'more important' than you go first in a queue equate to basic manners?

I think it's good that younger people are challenging outdated nonsense that this.

Because that’s the etiquette that is followed in this particular company and across most of the industry. Walking in and thinking that because you don’t agree with it that it doesn’t count is arrogant and rude!

There are parts of my job i don’t like/agree with but that doesn’t mean i simply ignore them or refuse to do them.

Back in the 80s we took on quite a few school leavers and graduates in the firm where I worked. We had all kinds of comments from our new starters similar to those, so it's definitely nothing new and not just the latest generation of workers. I suspect it's just more obvious and commonplace these days, but to say it's due to iphones etc is nonsense - probably just more common today. There've always been youngsters completely unprepared for the workplace. The key difference is that back then everyone else didn't bend over backwards for them, so they soon got used to the "adult" world and coped and soon forget their trivial complaints.

No, the company needs to change its attitudes and come into the 21st century.

Where else does this ridiculous thing happen? Hospitals? Schools? Offices? Retail? Most of these places are too busy to prat about with crap like this.

Absolute rubbish!! I worked for the NHS for years, if a student walked in and started treating a ward sister or matron like that they would get their arse handed to them!

Again, not sure what that has to do with their parents not having taught them good manners. You might think it's rude, they might think a pilot or whoever getting automatic right of way is rude. There's a difference between good manners and acquiescing to all manner of nonsense just because it's the 'done thing'.

The only way things like this get scrapped or changed is when people who don't agree with them stand up for themselves.

I worked as a teacher for 35 years. Student teachers and heads stood side by side in queues.

No one pushed to the front.

You were a teacher…your attitude is explained by that!

its basically seems like it is ment to be the captain leads then the generals and then everyone else etc, military i can understand but not the airlines

Thing is that we threw all this outdated bullshit away when we stopped treating consultants as gods.

I agree OP. I'm a primary school teacher and I see it in the classroom now with the kids and the parents. People are very entitled. I had a 5 year old tell me that her mummy said she can go to the toilet and get a drink in school whenever she wants too. If 30 5 year olds just got up and got a drink/toilet whenever they wanted it would be chaos. The kids already try and orchestrate it that one asks my classroom assistant for the toilet and another asks me and then they meet and have a wee mess about! 😂🙈

Homework doesn't get done either. Books aren't returned. We are blamed for not removing 'triggers' for challenging behaviour. If we issue a consequence we are shouted at etc etc. The support just isn't there anymore.

You also see a lot of posters/comments on her where people don't want to put themselves out for other people. Christmas being a good example where some people are happy to leave family members on their own for Christmas as they want a nice 'quiet' Christmas. Of course this isn't everyone. There are still lots of kind and helpful people out there but people don't support people like they used too.

That’s absolutely not true! I have many friends in the profession still and i only left five years ago!

Many of them are ex military…maybe that explains it 🤷‍♀️

How charming

Speaking as a 23 year old I usually disagree in this sort of situation this whole facade between the older and younger generation. I think it's easy for the older generation to misjudge and have less patience than in their youth and for the youth to disregard the elders. Ultimately there's a lack of respect on both parts. But despite this I agree to an extent on this. I'm 23 and my workplace has never been in such a dump as it is now that there's people who mind you are 3-4 years younger than me and lack a lot of manners, respect or common sense. I believe it's down to covid mainly as schools are the most important years to gain social skills and etiquette and hard working ethic and experience and in the peak of their education they have been shunned to stay at home, log into class calls that most of them turn the camera off for and sleep through (hence the unseriousness when it comes to school and now workplace) and a lack of socialisation.

I don't believe there's anything that can be done and take it from me the complaints toward your bosses honestly get nowhere nowadays.

But of course I cannot speak and tarnish the brush for all younger generation! You win some you lose some! x

A bit like your attitude

I wish all 23 year olds i work with were as sensible as you.

What "attitude", based on her observation that the staff, including the Head, and student teachers all took their turn in the same queue?

I recruited 55 apprentices in September and literally only 1 of them hasn’t worked out to date. The rest are a fantastic group of young people (age 16 to 25). Hard working, curious, polite etc. They work for a company with a great culture and no silly hierarchy from the 1970’s. They don’t need to ‘know their rights’ or be entitled as they are well looked after, supported, respected and trained well.

Absolutely i do and in fact dc number 3 who is 25 agrees with me about the apprentices at their work!