READER FEEDBACK
LOSING THEIR WAY
During my 43 years of working in the field asa service technician/mechanic to managing multi million dollar businesses, I have watched as the workforce and companies shifted, from being a class of hard working employees who gave more time than they got paid attimes andif needed, and companies that really and truly cared about their employees, down graded to what we have today. Short term employees, boneheaded corporate leaders who pretend to listen to employees, conduct surveys for employee satisfaction and do zero to correct real problems.
In today’s world, it’s hard to find good help. Learning a trade means you sweat, work in the heat, the cold, and the rain to get the job done and you take pride in what you do. True, there are some, but not like it was 40 years ago. Today, the larger percentage of our younger generations want instant gratification, without putting in the time.
They feel they deserve the same equal pay and vacation days as the much older and much more mature and smarter counterparts, who put in the time to get where they are today. And just yesterday I was told a new word the millennials are using; “adul ting ,” meaning they’ re going to have to do grown up or adult things like washing the clothes or cleaning the house.Wow.
These young folks want everything now—no waiting around or working harder to get ahead. They spend way too much on company credit cards, feeling there’s nolimit. Just imagine how millennials will lead or manage in the next 10-20years.
As for the companies of today, they’ve lost their way on caring about employees. Theyt alk abig talk at times, but when it comes down to truly showing they care, they fall way short. Companies once offered pension plans to their salaried employees and some to their field workforce as well. Those days are long gone and so are the days of loyalty to employees and employers.
Companies look at employees as cost to the business, not assists to making the business successful. They area fraid of smart hard working employees leaving so they have their employees sign“non- compete” clauses, preventing an employee to seek and improve their lifestyle or for the betterment of their family. If companies would go back to being loyal to their employees and offer pension plans, that would entice the employee to stay working. Believe me, having a pension is worth it’s weight in gold.
—Roy Duke, Cypress