[horseman308]

I have to relate this story that I just witnessed about 1/2 hour ago. I went to the local McDonald's b/c it's freaking hot in my apartment and they had air conditioning. Anyway, I had to wait about 10 min. to order my food b/c there was only 1 cashier working the registers. During that time a line of about 12 people formed behind me. After I ordered, the manager (who I assume was trying to do administrative stuff) came out and saw that there was a huge line and only the one cashier, but that there were at least 3 people doing little bitty things, very slowly, apparently trying to avoid working the other register.

So the manager stops one and says "I need you on the other register." This person actually had the audacity to argue with the manager about whether or not she would work the register . She did not say anything loud enough to hear, but the manager had to ask (yes, she tried the asking/polite tactic) 3 or 4 times before the employee would comply. Upon doing so, the employee took a good 2 minutes to walk 3 steps, enter her code, and take an order.

Now, I've worked similar jobs, and hated working the register at rush hour. I don't expect anyone to like it. What I do expect people to do what they're managers tell them to, without question, especially when it's obvious that there is a great need. I'm sure I whined and moaned under my breath my fair share of times, but there's no way that my boss would have politely asked me to do my job or would have put up with my whining if I refused. I'd have been gone, and rightly so. What the crap has happened to people's work ethic? How do people get the idea that they are entitled to pick when and how they will do their jobs if they work for someone else?:confused2: I know, it's not everyone (probably not even most people), but it just drives me nuts. Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[Droptine4]

I hear ya man don't see too much of it and the same goes for politeness

 

[Spreggy]

The manager was at fault. He should have made it clear on hiring that s/he doesn't take alot of guff, because this person is hiring young people all the time.

First thing on walking out of the office: Why haven't any of you stepped up to the register?
Second thing, to the nearest person: This isn't a discussion, cover the register now, please.
Third, when the whining starts: I'm sorry, I need people I can count on to do basic, responsible work. Bye bye now, return your uniform clean to get your last paycheck.
Fourth, turn to the next employee, if by some miracle the register isn't covered, and have another go.
If you managed to hire that many morons that nobody steps up, then they are all expendable and you have a long afternoon ahead.

I don't think anything happened to work ethic, it has always had to be taught to every generation by their parents and community, often times the hard way. There was no "good old days" where everyone was wonderfully hard working and milk flowed from the faucets, as some would have you believe. :wink:

 

[Casts_by_fly]

At least there the manager stepped up and said something.

My last trip to the local taco bell/KFC was at 9:50, just before closing. There were half a dozen people in line in front of me, and another dozen came in behind me while we waited. There were at least 11 people working that we counted. There was one on the register (who was humping his butt to move customers along). There was one person on the drive through window and 2 people working the assembly lines for tacobell and KFC. That left 7 people that were standing around, BS'ing, watching, and generally doing nothing. When one person put my taco bell order in a bag, 2 people watched it sit there for 7 minutes. All I needed was an order of potatoes and I was out the door. Finally the guy trying to take orders (and generally run the show) saw the bag sitting there and asked why it was still there. After a few words I got the potatoes and was out the door. I didn't even see a manager, let alone have one help out anywhere.

Thanks,
Rick

 

[WIbow]

The manager was at fault. He should have made it clear on hiring that s/he doesn't take alot of guff, because this person is hiring young people all the time.

First thing on walking out of the office: Why haven't any of you stepped up to the register?
Second thing, to the nearest person: This isn't a discussion, cover the register now, please.
Third, when the whining starts: I'm sorry, I need people I can count on to do basic, responsible work. Bye bye now, return your uniform clean to get your last paycheck.
Fourth, turn to the next employee, if by some miracle the register isn't covered, and have another go.
If you managed to hire that many morons that nobody steps up, then they are all expendable and you have a long afternoon ahead.

I don't think anything happened to work ethic, it has always had to be taught to every generation by their parents and community, often times the hard way. There was no "good old days" where everyone was wonderfully hard working and milk flowed from the faucets, as some would have you believe. :wink:

Dam straight Spreggy!...slackers,I can't stand em'!

 

[Mark250]

Many companys today have to deal with that. Some of the young work force today thank you owe them a living. We had some summer workers come in last year and they were asked to pull weeds and they said no we don't have to.

 

[sailorman126]

one of the reasons is becasue they know that even if fired for not doing the job. the current job cant tell a perspective employer that they where terrible workers.
people have won law suits over that. so why bother doing a good job when you know that you can just get another job for as long as you want it then get fired collect uneployment then do it all over again.

 

[smallgamehunter]

kids now a days dont appreciate anything they think the world owes them something. i have worked since the age of 16 my wife had (and still does) everything handed to her by her parents. i earned everything i have and im proud of that. kids now think mom and dad should give them everything

 

[danceswithbow]

Too many fathers are out of the picture, work ethic is becoming a novel idea instead of a instilled quality.

 

[Hep]

This drives me nuts.The McDonalds here is the same way.Or the Super Wal-mart,17 check outs and only three open Then theres the Kwik Trip in town(I refuse to go to)Its rush hour in the morning,everyones trying to get to work,they have three checkouts,one open with a line of fifty people,while the other five employees are either out side smoking,or dickin with the movie rentals.:frusty: :mad2: man this really drives me absolutely crazy.

 

[JoBob]

And people want to increase the minimum wage so these folks can get payed what they deserve LOL

 

[Dredly]

You do have to wonder through... with so many people sitting on welfare, getting goverment handouts, and paying next to nothing for rent... what real incentive is there to work or have a work ethic?

Currently in the "projects" nationwide a conservative estimate of 6 out of 10 adults are not involved in the job market in any way. This means at least 60% of the people are not looking for a job or working. They live completely on goverment assistance.

 

[bsu_beginner]

Well a lot of it depends on the type of job and everything, a lot of it also depends on how work ethic's been modeled for you.

I'm 26, and my mom and dad are in their late 60's. Mom was a teach and dad built radio towers. I do not wish to speak dishonorably of them, but they are dinosaurs from an age when hard work was a prized thing.

Now I'm working at a facility for adults with severe and profound mental and physical disabilities. What an eyeopener!!!! I can admit i didn't nearly have the work ethic of my folks. Now I have to. When you're having to feed three people through tubes, you have to change about 6 people a day who've soiled themselves. And teach two activities a day. Oh and btw... keep one of the guys from hurting himself cuz he has self injurious behavior. LOL, I never knew I could work that hard in my life. And you know what? I've never slept better.

Mom first evaluation came back, I was percieved as being "strict but fair." Thanks mom and dad. LOL.

One of the interesting things about the facility I work in is that they have work crews for more of the higher functioning adults. And you gotta believe, that even though it takes them 3 times longer to do what i could do, they want to work. They wanna feel proud of the work they do. And for many of them, if I ask them to do something, they'll do it. I have a guy who's begging me for a job at McDonalds.

As a supervisor myself I can say two things make them work hard. 1) I treat them like human beings. Learn their names, ask them how they are doing. 2) I actually end up doing a lot of the harder stuff, to set the example. Cuz I know they'll respect you for it. Which is why I'd ask "why didn't the manager step up to the register?"

 

[ronpip]

The short version of this in my opinion is single parent homes, parents being afraid to dicipline their kids, affirmative action, and our litigous society. I'd better stop before this becomes a rant and I get too many people pi$$ed.

 

[Bob H in NH]

We were just out west for a vacation and were pleasantly suprised at the service most of the time, for example, my wife asked for a side of sauce at one place, after the food came, she was told "sure, but it will take me a few minutes because....", which was fine. About 1 minute later the side was there with an apology for taking so long. This kind of thing went on over and over, very polite, very helpfull, very efficient.

It is around. My fear with my two sons is their first jobs, I already told (and hopefully they've seen by example) that when you are gettign paid, you do your best at whatever it is, and do it without whining about it.

 

[BradMc26]

While I agree with you guys about service these days basically sucking.

You have to keep in mind that these people work fast food and the such for a reason. You are not dealing with the most intelligent life forms.

 

[bsu_beginner]

While I agree with you guys about service these days basically sucking.

You have to keep in mind that these people work fast food and the such for a reason. You are not dealing with the most intelligent life forms.

One thing I'd also like to add from the other side of the coin. I worked in a register job once and I'd really like it if someday there was a law that said that everyone needed to work at least a year at a job in customer service, at a resterant or a register. That way there would be a lot less pompus "the customer is always right" jerks in the world.

 

[smallgamehunter]

Too many fathers are out of the picture, work ethic is becoming a novel idea instead of a instilled quality.

:darkbeer: :darkbeer: amen

 

[Twisted Canuck]

I was talking to a kid the other day, (15 or 16 yrs) and he was telling me about his first job at a shipping company. He worked on the loading dock, driving forklifts, moving pallets and such, and he was boasting about how he was getting paid $10 or $12 (?) an hour for sitting around most of the time, waiting for trucks to come to load or unload....then he mentioned how he had been fired from this job. I asked him if he ever bothered to pick up a broom and sweep the floors, or clean up the lunch room or anything like that. His reply was "the manager didn't tell me too". I asked if he needed to be told to use his initiative, and he replied again "its the managers job to tell me what to do". ukey: I told him that I had fired two kids within a week of hiring them because they would stand around watching me work unless I told them exactly what to do, and even then they were slack in their attitudes and work habits. Then I explained to him about how I was taught working in my dad's shop that standing around wasn't an option, if no work was on the floor or coming in the door, it was time to clean up shop. I've taken that with me every job I ever had, and always ended up with the raise, being the crew head, or eventually managing. Now I have my own business, and no employees, because I can't stand staff dictating their terms of employment to the guy who writes their freakin cheques (or checks as they say in the USA...)...Better to work alone, have peace, listen to the radio station I like. THanks for listening to my rant too....:wink:

 

[FarmBoy]

4 Words

The Time Out Chair.
Kids have no respect for thier parents let alone some Joe Schmoe that just hired them. Spank a kid and they threaten to call the cops on you cause thier teacher said so. They CAN'T be disciplined at school anymore, against the law. Then they get in with the rest of the spoiled rotten losers and you lose control. Our local Taco Bell is like a cult. It sucks kids in and when the rest of the losers get through with them it's too late. Happened to my bosses son and when he told me about it I sort of blew it off. Huge mistake on my part. My daughter started there and by the time she turned 18 she was convinced to move out, not listen to a thing I said and had her mom (step mom) banned from the property for life by the local police. All they kept telling her was you're 18 you don't have to listen to them anymore. Needless to say she is still on her own with the white trash that convinced her to quit college and got her in the mess she is in.