What is wrong with middle aged people?

[tjkubota93]

Good help is very hard to find. We get people like that occasionally. But usually they come to interview, start the hiring process. Then it's excuses why they can't do something with the hiring process. Some say yup want the job, then never show up for the drug test.

It's in all age groups that this happens. I once took a job stocking shelves in a grocery store. Got hired on, worked one night. Next morning I got a call from a different place to start in a couple of days. Better job, couple bucks more an hour. Was pretty much a no brainer. Worked the second night stocking shelves and informed them when I went in that it was gonna be my last night.

Now I have taken a job before, worked a few days and left mid shift. Job was in a factory. Ended up being allergic to something in the manufacturing process. I was itching head to toe and couldn't take it any more. Told the shift supervisor what was going on and said I wouldn't be back.

That's the difference you didnt text them.

**** who knows maybe the dude was in the hospital because he bit his tongue so bad he couldn't talk.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

It happens everywhere. In my 35 year career at an electric utility, I saw employees come and go. Most stayed years, some a half day.

 

[atsah]

He might have called if his thumbs were sore.

I find texting to useful, but for some it’s an informal way to communicate and it kinda takes a little of the responsibility out of a live phone or face to face discussion somehow.. I don’t know how to put it but that’s the best I can describe it..

 

[kenmac]

If he's an experienced HVAC guy, He probably got stolen by another company. HVAC guys are getting hard to come by. None of the younger generation wanting to do things like this.

My two sons wanted no part of it.
One is a medic at a FD the other is a hospital administrator.

HVAC companies here, are having a very hard time finding people that want to work in the field.
They are advertising no experience required, we will train

 

[kenmac]

Good help is very hard to find. We get people like that occasionally. But usually they come to interview, start the hiring process. Then it's excuses why they can't do something with the hiring process. Some say yup want the job, then never show up for the drug test.

Believe it or not. Many can't pass a drug test, after that criminal back ground check, after that, driving record. Have to interview a lot of people to get one candidate that can pass all three

 

[atsah]

Believe it or not. Many can't pass a drug test, after that criminal back ground check, after that, driving record. Have to interview a lot of people to get one candidate that can pass all three

That’s pretty sad..

 

[goeduck]

While I never would quit after a day on a job, much less quit by by text message with no notice.

Having said that and as has been mentioned, employers regularly give no notice other than come into the office and bring all your company owned equipment with you when they lay someone off. I have seen this happen to 30 year employees.

I once witnessed a manager leave lay off notices on peoples chairs when they went to lunch.

It is a different world these days.

 

[plowhog]

It's very hard to tell or guess why a new hire quits after only one day. Better job offer? Did not like the crew or environment? Or maybe a sudden divorce or other change.

I can present another side of the issue being described here. I was an employer for many years. 90%-95% of people we hired were good. Maybe 10% exceptional, the rest good.

The remaining 5%-10% were the lowest most unethical lying stealing scumbags on earth-- who somehow got past our screening systems. That segment is never satisfied; always disgruntled and they tell EVERYONE about all of their complaints-- managers, co-workers, clients, friends, customers, whatever. Efforts to make special accommodations usually backfired-- triggering only more demands. One employee had back trouble, and picked out a $650 chair. She whined and cried about how unfair it was the company would not buy one for her. We bought one. The first day of using it she declared it a "P O S" and blamed us for not doing better research to find a suitable chair.

It was sickening how much time this small component of people managed to consume. I was an employer in California, so ... of course ... you could not terminate anyone. If you did, you would get sued for wrongful termination. So we had to do progressive discipline, documenting all the misdeeds, doing counseling sessions, etc. The finally you could drop the hammer. OK rant over.

 

[tjkubota93]

While I never would quit after a day on a job, much less quit by by text message with no notice.

Having said that and as has been mentioned, employers regularly give no notice other than come into the office and bring all your company owned equipment with you when they lay someone off. I have seen this happen to 30 year employees.

I once witnessed a manager leave lay off notices on peoples chairs when they went to lunch.

It is a different world these days.

I've had it done to me. Hey I need to see you in my office to discuss one of your dealers that's not doing right. Be sure to bring your computer. Then a guy in Detroit tells me I'm laid off over speaker phone. Oh by the way, you cant drive your company car, so call someone to get a ride. I was low in seniority and alot of people got the same notice that day.


My mentality changed then. I dont owe them a darn thing. I do earn my pay, but I dont owe my employer a thing. I do them a favor being a good employee. I haven't quit showing up on time ready to work, but I have had raises canceled or benefits decreased due to budget problems. I have 10 years here, if they decide to end our relationship then it would be a hardship to me. But I can go get another job and they can find another employee. If they dont care about me I dont care about them.

 

[two_bit_score]

Over the last 10 years or more until recently, folks tried to hang on to any job they could get. I read this morning that while jobs are up (yay), quits are also up. More people are quitting jobs now, the article went on to say folks are getting other jobs or are confident they can get another job. I don't know where I read the article or I would link it here.

I was on vacation when another manager filled an opening while I was gone. When I got back they introduced the new employee to me. I was not impressed with him.

Later that day the manager who hired him asked me if I would like to have the new guy on my team. I politely declined and said that since she had picked this one she should get to train and supervise him.

He rocked on for about just a little longer than the probationary period and things started to go south. Not major things just little incidents. Then we had some training scheduled where a group were going to have to show up at a classroom and be there for 8 hours a day for two weeks.

Well, the guy who was hired while I was on vacation and was attempted to be pawned off on me when I came back wound up staying until lunch and never came back. They searched high and low, no new guy to be found. That night he left his company car and equipment in the office parking lot with a resignation letter.

Turned out he had another job he was working concurrent with his job with our firm. When he had to stay in one place all day he could not take care of the other job and wound up having to pick one.

The whole time I was just smiling to myself that I had refused to take that guy on my team. My guys were all the same. Laughing but never showing it.


TBS

 

[Looking4new]

I was an employer in California, so ... of course ... you could not terminate anyone. If you did, you would get sued for wrongful termination. So we had to do progressive discipline, documenting all the misdeeds, doing counseling sessions, etc. The finally you could drop the hammer. OK rant over.

We have the same BS up here. There is a guy that works where I work that has done enough damage to equipment over the years that we could almost buy another tank trailer with what we've shelled out in repairs over his carelessness. He has been here for about 20 years, almost always late getting to the customer. He is on a first name basis with many tow truck drivers, they've pulled him out of so many ditches. The company can't fire him. Gotta give him a 'warning'.
I will just bet that if I did as much damage and cost the company as much as he has I would be gone in a New York minute.

 

[Dftodd]

That's the difference you didnt text them.

**** who knows maybe the dude was in the hospital because he bit his tongue so bad he couldn't talk.

Back when that happened texting wasn't an option. It was the bag phone era

 

[Shaneard]

I work full time, I'm a machinist, been here 23+ years. I run a 3 axis milling machine and do all our welding. We're a small shop, me and one other guy out here in the shop. My wife and I also own a store, she runs it. I open the store every morning before coming to the shop and work there every morning and Saturdays. When I work there I have so many people in so many fields asking me if I know anyone who needs a job. One guy told me about a year ago "you know what I've found, everyone who wants to work already has a job". <---That is the truth right there. A few weeks ago he said a guy came by for an interview, younger, and after the interview the guy ask him did he get paid for the interview? That made me laugh!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Best time to find a new job, is when you already have a job....

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I was on a project that was coming to an end, so for my loyalty for staying to the end, i was given a layoff notice, via VOICEMAIL. Thing is I already had a new job lined up within the same company, they still gave me the layoff notice. I keep a copy of the voicemail as a reminder of their ineptness. I left them 1.5 yrs ago, too many young inexperienced clueless managers. This is a large national company. They weren't winning bids for new work, so last yr they just bought a couple smaller, successful companies, so they can ruin them.

 

[YLee Kioti]

This culture begin many decades ago folks.

We had our 'burning platform' speech from our new CEO back in 92 or so.
Survived two rounds of lay offs. We were told we will treat everyone with dignity. Then later on engineers and other professionals were tapped on the shoulder by security and told to leave their lunch bag and they would get them later. Dignity , ha ah yeah sure.

During that speech back then, our union steward asked about loyalty. CEO told us, if I wanted loyalty I'd get a dog. Pretty much set up the tone and culture to this present day.

We've had numerous people retire or forced to resign or quit because someone overheard a joke or comment and was offended. No questions asked, one complaint and you were out period. Today the electricians and I&C are catered and coddled. Please take your work package and go get work start so we can perform these activities. Social media dominates the young ones. Those my age still working want to get the job done.

If it were not for the NRC no telling how bad it would really get.

I quit contracting three years after retirement. The work culture is so PC that it's like walking around the living dead.
Will the pendulum ever swing back to normal? From what I see nationally, don't think so.

 

[Looking4new]

The work culture is so PC that it's like walking around the living dead.
Will the pendulum ever swing back to normal? From what I see nationally, don't think so.

PC (politically correct) is for people that don't have balls enough to say what they are thinking. A whole generation of ball less people.

 

[shooterdon]

There are good people and bad. good employees and bad, good companies and bad.

Being with a bad company, does not justify being a bad employee or person. Find somewhere else to work and get out. You cannot soar with eagles if you flock with turkeys.

I know a guy who was released because he got to be too expensive to keep. He was 62 and had done very well for the company and himself along the way. They could hire two "good" people for what they were paying him. It happens, even in "good" companies. He had no animosity over it...understood the economics of it and they treated him fairly throughout the process.

 

[wagne223]

PC (politically correct) is for people that don't have balls enough to say what they are thinking. A whole generation of ball less people.

I dont think it is about balls. Saying what you think, or just saying "good morning ma'am" can come with major civil and possibly criminal consequences, depending on who you say it to.

 

[k0ua]

I've had it done to me. Hey I need to see you in my office to discuss one of your dealers that's not doing right. Be sure to bring your computer. Then a guy in Detroit tells me I'm laid off over speaker phone. Oh by the way, you cant drive your company car, so call someone to get a ride. I was low in seniority and alot of people got the same notice that day.


My mentality changed then. I dont owe them a darn thing. I do earn my pay, but I dont owe my employer a thing. I do them a favor being a good employee. I haven't quit showing up on time ready to work, but I have had raises canceled or benefits decreased due to budget problems. I have 10 years here, if they decide to end our relationship then it would be a hardship to me. But I can go get another job and they can find another employee. If they dont care about me I dont care about them.

After seeing My large fortune 500 company do exactly that: Kill people without a moments notice many times, including doing it to me I tend to agree. You owe employers NOTHING. I managed to get another job with the same company in another state pretty quickly.. Got killed again by a phone call from a distant state. And believe it or not got another job with them in a few months doing something different. When I got fed up with that. I called the boss and told, him I was done. Of course they wanted me out quick. They did give me a ride home in my company car though!

So hired 3 times, fired twice, and quite once. I am done with them, and more or less retired now, I still sell a little health insurance, so working for myself there. Happier too!