WSJ: Most-praised generation goes to work

The avatar helps the message, Bob.

 

I don't see how newsrooms are different for the gold-star-on-your-fuckin'-forehead generation.

 

It's not wrong to want a work environment where the supervisor doesn't curse endlessly, throw things at employees and shave hours off time cards.

Then again, making well under $30k per year, balloons and confetti seem to suggest "we're celebrating that you're too fucking stupid to find another job while we hose you."

Where's the median?

 

I've been thinking about this a lot. What happens with the next generation, the kids who are in K-12 right now? They are used to being constantly evaluated and receiving feedback, thanks to NCLB. They have hordes of people, from parents to principals, monitoring their every bit of progress. And if there is a perceived flaw, they're immediately signed up for Sylvan centers. This continues through college, with the "helicopter parents" phenomenon. I daresay these kids are going to have a much harder time in the workplace when they aren't being constantly monitored.

 

Having waited until late in life to have kids, I am hoping to avoid the pitfalls that my brother and sister made with their children. Brother has two boys, sister two girls and I have two very young boys, 3 and 5.

My brother's soon-to-be ex-wife (Thank God) is a licensed counselor. She raised both boys in a praise culture, particularly the past six years when my brother spent a great deal of time deployed. The 20-year-old is a perfect monster and you could see it coming when he was about 4. A man-child capable of nothing more than partying, getting arrested and sponging off any girl that will allow it. Most of the girls seem to allow it about two weeks. He has been arrested numerous times, has spent many months as a guest of the state of Louisiana and fancies himself a rapper-in-training. He is a 6-foot-4 pale white kid. He will be dead or in max security within the next three years. The 18 year-old is sweet and loving and a star soccer player. Good enough to get a scholarship from a good D1 school. He is so doped up on Ritalin and other prescribed mood drugs most of the time (his mother is convinced he is ADD) that he is terrified to get off them. He knows he must to make grades at the academically rigorous institution he is about to attend. None of us, including my brother, think he is ADD, he's just a boy. A high-octane and very bright one when he's not drugged. He will make it, despite wearing the ADD label his whole life.

My sister's two girls have been raised in wealth and have never done anything for themselves. The corpulent 12-year-old is too lazy to get her own juice. I do not ever recall her drinking water in it's pristine form. The 15-year-old threw a tantrum when she did not get a new Ibook for her birthday as requested. It was being saved for Christmas about three weeks later. My sister relented and gave up the IBook on the spot. Then the 12-year-old threw a tantrum because she didn't have an IBook. Yep, a trip to the store took care of that. Neither girl is special in any way and I fear for the sanity of anyone that ever hopes to marry one of them.

Indulgence is not part of my household, but it is rampant in the town I live. I know the 5-year-old will bring home that dreaded "We think he needs to see a doctor to find out why he is so rambunctious" letter from school one day.

I have already prepared my speech. It is, "Fuck off."

I fear that despite my best efforts, I will raise perfect little brats, too. Well, the 3-year-old is autistic, so if he's a brat he gets somewhat of a pass.

Somewhat.

There's nothing wrong with this current crop entering the workforce that can't be fixed with a few rounds of firings and layoffs.

I like something I once read by Michael Barone. The United States has the softest 20-year-olds on the planet. We somehow manage to transform them into the hardest 30-year-olds.

Let the transformation begin.

 

I'm a part of this generation. I'll admit -- I do enjoy a nice 'Well done,' but only when I've actually done something. The ME at my paper goes out of his way to compliment me nearly every time I see him. At first it was nice to feel like the ME knew who I was and thought I did a good job. But at this point, it's so constant that I brush it off completely. It means nothing.

My SE... the entire time I've worked for him, I've received nothing but silence and complaints. He either says nothing about me or my work, or he complains about it. I don't say criticism, because that implies some level of helpfulness, some attempt at making me and my work stronger, which is not at all what it is -- it is complaint. If I was to ever receive a compliment from him, I really don't know what I'd do, besides wonder what the hell was wrong with him.

 

That brings up a good point, Rusty. Where is the line between too much and not enough praise/criticism. In my line of work, awards (a piece of paper signed by a general and a piece of colored cloth) mean a great deal. But where and how do we, as supervisors or leaders, draw the line between cheapening the awards/praise and letting good work go unnoticed?

 

I don't need or want pats on the back, pizza parties, discounts at local merchants, silly awards, balloons, birthday cake or glowing reviews in the in-house newsletter.

I do need and want decent pay, decent benefits (including some fucking vacation time) and respectful, courteous behavior from my bosses.

 

Extremely well put, Irish. Let me order the cake and get the helium tank. Do you like yellow or chocolate? ;D

 

This is why I have infuriated local parents by refusing to cover youth soccer, little league baseball and middle school sports as though their kids are in the pros. I also won't do an in depth feature on a high school player unless their is a damn good reason (breaking records all over the place, best athlete to come out of the area in forever, or overcoming significant adversity). They just don't seem to understand. These kids should not be playing sports to get their picture in the paper "because they tried hard" or "they deserve it." They should be learning lessons about life, like how to treat others when respect when you win, or how to properly handle dealing with a loss. I'm part of the 20-something generation as well, and if someone lets me know that I do a good job when I've actually done a good job, thats enough for me.

 

As part of the 20-somethings, I want to know when I did something well so I can remember what was successful, and when I do something wrong or poorly I want to know how to fix things I didn't so I don't do it again. This whole empty praise thing has never done it for me. I want to know what to build on or to fix. Period.

I guess that is a need for feedback, but I would hope it's less intrusive than a need to constantly have my ego stroked.

 

Flavor of the cake doesn't matter so long as I get to see my boss wear a clown suit and make little dachshunds out of balloons. "That was a very good story, irish! Have some cake...take the corner piece with extra icing! It's got hydrogenated oils and it's mmm, mmm good! Would you like a pink or purple dachsund?"