I am amazed at the character and the hard work of the millenials.

[Brian Kent]

I live in an area where there are teenagers from many cultural backgrounds and many socio-economic backgrounds. There are kids with every kind of lessons available - on sports teams and in musical groups, with good schools and high expectations. There are kids with poor families who can on afford what a school district rated "far below average" can offer. And in both areas and everywhere in between, they are polite and hard working, looking me in the eye and giving mutual respect.

In the whole region, I have only gotten fantastic service by those hired in stores and fast-food places. They are attentive. They get it right. They are not distracted by conversations with each other. They are working calmly and efficiently with each other. I have never seen any of these teens or young adults with a cell-phone out while on the job. This is in San Diego County but it was also true when I lived in Orange County and in Riverside County.

I have no illusions of perfection in them or in any group of people in the world. I am just impressed with their work and I wanted to thank them.

Brian Kent

[Ted Calver]

So there's hope??

[Brian Kent]

Yes. At McDonalds yesterday I got to the register where a young special needs adult was working.

Good morning sir.
Good morning. I'd like a cup of coffee.
What size?
The dollar size.
Cream and sugar?
Cream. No sugar.
We made the coffee about an hour ago. Would you like to wait for us to make you a fresh pot?
Sure.
A few minutes later, she brings the cup to me.
Here you are sir. Two creams. No sugar. Check the lid, because I don't always get it snapped on right.

Ideal service. So well trained that her special needs problems were not problems. All for a dollar.
And now when I think about our local McDonalds I think about how delightful that was.

[Matt Meiser]

The Taco Bell near where I used to work had what I believe to be an Autistic gal working there. She could MOVE that line because it was a very process-oriented thing. But you had to order her way--if you didn't, she'd just completely ignore what you said and ask her next question. Regulars learned to just follow the process because it worked.

[Mike Henderson]

"The world is passing through troublous times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress."
(From a sermon preached by Peter the Hermit in A.D. 1274)

The modern complaints about youth sound similar. For me, I'm just amazed at the quality of many of the young people I encounter. They work hard, get good grades, have lots of outside activities and appear to be respectful. Of course, not every young person is like that but a lot are.

It's similar to the kids when I was young, but maybe today's kids work even harder. They have to because they're coming into a world that is harder to be successful in than when I was young.

Mike

[Dave Anderson NH]

As Mike's quote implies, nothing has changed. Today's youth are both as bad and as good as past generations. Basic human personality traits remain static and unmoving. As always, there is a spread that mimics the classic bell curve and the things run the gamut for horrible to outstanding. Something to consider about kids who work is supervision and expectations. At a time in their lives where most youth are still teachable it is up to their adult supervisors to lay out both rules and a set of clear expectations. With relatively little life experience this guidance is necessary and helps put them on the right footing for life. The short version is that parents and other adults who supervise kids have the lion's share of the responsibility for shaping their attitudes, work habits, social skills, and behavior. As adults we are always both the solution and part of the problem.

[Brian Kent]

I agree that these kids must be getting some outstanding training and supervision. In California the unemployment rate has been higher than the national average. I think people know that having a job is a valuable thing, not easily replaced.

Another thing about California - everything you ever heard about California (good and bad) is true - somewhere.

[Jim Matthews]

Decent of you to pass this along.

I've found this to be very much the case.
My own generation (the tail end of the Boomers) could learn from this.

Make certain to praise the employee to their Boss.
They hear constant complaints, an "atta boy/girl" is appreciated.

[Kev Williams]

Near our place is a McD's, a derWeiner, DelTaco, an Arby's, and a BurgerKing. Whenever we get anything from these places and bring it home, the wife & I play a little game:

Guess which food item we ordered ain't in the bag.

It never fails. Never. Missing Fries. Or parfait. Or a chicken sandwich. Or a dessert. Funny, we've not once ever gotten something EXTRA.

FWIW, many of the people working in these places around here AREN'T teenagers. They all seem to work hard, but I've never been able to figure out why we never get what we ordered. (and no, I don't look in the bag first, that spoils the surprise!)

Me, I have no employees. Most of my customers are other businesses, and based on what I hear about younger workers.... I can only hope for the best! ;)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It's easy as we become older to become skeptical and pessimistic about the younger generations. I am sure my father shook his head at his oldest son who played bass guitar while singing lead in a rock and roll band and tried so hard as rock and roll expanded beyond the Chuck Berry rock-a-billy state.

As recently as last fall, a former coworker, his wife, my wife and I went to dinner at a local restaurant. Long story, short I remembered packing a spare battery for the sound processor for my cochlear implant into a special leather pouch I carry in my pocket. When the battery I was using died, I went to my pocket, no pouch, no spare. We looked for the battery under and around the table where we were seated. I retraced my path out to our car without seeing it. The battery is a special rechargeable battery with a replacement cost of over $200. Our waiter noticed my search, assisted me, took my personal information and said he and the staff would look after the restaurant closed. This happened on Saturday night. When I arrived home, there the pouch was. I had loaded it with a spare and set it down to pickup my billfold out of the tray on my dresser.

The following Monday night we came home to find a message on the answering machine. It was the young waiter saying the staff had looked for it, couldn't find it and he was apologizing for not being to help me.

An email to the manager of the restaurant related my story thanking the young man for his dedication to helping a customer. She responded and said she loved getting these kinds of emails and hoped I didn't mind if she posted it for all the employees to see!


Recently in a Rotorua, NZ, we checked into a hotel. After several weeks of eating in some fine formal foreign restaurants, I knew my wife was ready for some familiar USA food. My pre-trip research had given me the knowledge of a Pizza Hut next door to our hotel. During the bus ride from Wellington to Rotorua, I told my wife of the Pizza Hut's existence and location. She anxiously awaiting our arrival to the town. When we went there for supper, their menu was somewhat different. Only one teen was working, prepping food as it was a little early for dinner. My wife indicated to the youngster that she was interested in the buffet and asked about a specific pizza. He stated it wasn't on the buffet menu BUT he would make one for her and put it there. He did. When we paid our tab other workers had arrived and business was booming. When my wife tried to the tip the young kid, he turned it down but his smile and his eyes showed he enjoyed being complimented in front of his coworkers.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Like every generation - the jerks get the attention and the headlines, and the rest will change the world.

I was my Dad's worst nightmare when my ponytail and I were growing up, partying at the frat, smoking dope, flunking out of college, and arguing about any issue I could invent. The quintessential black-sheep-middle-child. Wore that badge with honor.

In my late 20's, I was stunned to see how much smarter my Dad had gotten in only 10 short years.

And now - I am the one that he turns to for help getting financial, legal, and life issues all settled out for him and my Mom for the few remaining years of the endgame. I still tweak him on occasion, just to get a short argument started - reliving the glory years, I guess - but I always end the conversation leaving them laughing.

[ray hampton]

I live in an area where there are teenagers from many cultural backgrounds and many socio-economic backgrounds. There are kids with every kind of lessons available - on sports teams and in musical groups, with good schools and high expectations. There are kids with poor families who can on afford what a school district rated "far below average" can offer. And in both areas and everywhere in between, they are polite and hard working, looking me in the eye and giving mutual respect.

In the whole region, I have only gotten fantastic service by those hired in stores and fast-food places. They are attentive. They get it right. They are not distracted by conversations with each other. They are working calmly and efficiently with each other. I have never seen any of these teens or young adults with a cell-phone out while on the job. This is in San Diego County but it was also true when I lived in Orange County and in Riverside County.

I have no illusions of perfection in them or in any group of people in the world. I am just impressed with their work and I wanted to thank them.

Brian Kent

there are two ways to thank them, a big tip or a special group of words

[Erik Loza]

My wife and I try to support local business wherever possible but sometimes, I draw the line. I go to Starbucks down the steet because the "millenials" who work there are friendly, remember my name and my favorite espresso, and are happy to chit-chat. The local coffee shop I would prefer to support, though, the "millenials" who work there look bothered to serve me and like they would prefer to be texting each rather than doing business. So, I give my business to the franchise rather than the local place. As everyone says, there is good and bad anywhere.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I work in a rather large factory; and there are plenty of young people around me who astound me with their work ethic (and attitude!), especially compared to some of the old-timer's I have to deal with sometimes.

Of course, I quickly realized a couple of things; the new folks that lack in these good traits quickly get shuttled out the door, because we just don't have time for it, and while it seems like the long-timers skew towards a worse group to work with, a lot of that is because the majority of the old-timers who've stuck around that aren't a pain in the rear to deal with are also the ones with the gumption and wherewithal to have worked themselves up off of factory floor, or at least up in the ranks a bit. The ones that astound me are the guys with 30 years on the floor who just blatantly violate all of the standards of work we set in place, and management lets it slide for a variety of reasons.

But really, the worst of the bunch can certainly stand out and color your opinion of any group!

But I've done enough training, and worked with enough folks, to realize there's good and bad ones in any group. I've had teen kids come in who are a delight to have on my team, and guys in their 50's who I'm not sure how they've made it this far without dying or going to jail, just lacking basic common sense or any concept of how employment is supposed to work. (You know, little things, like you actually have to show up if you want to get payed!) But I've had kids come in who are just terrors and old folks who are a delight.

I don't know, I've learned I'll never know a lot of the time. The only segment I can say that we've generally not had any bad folks from is some of the refugee populations, but I think a big part of that is that it's a bit self-selecting - it takes some work and gumption to survive and then to make it here and learn another language and culture - doing all that, and being well-versed enough at English to make through the hiring process to work on the floor means that you've got a certain character already. I think the texting-all-time not-wanting to work slackers we've seen and turned back out the door after a short while here wouldn't make it that far if the situations were reversed!

Certainly, however, I think when an establishment like a restaurant or a store or something puts up with a lot junk from terrible employees, it attracts more of them, and drives out the ones with a good attitude who want to work - no one wants to be the one picking up after a team full of idiots, and if it's a job you aren't super-attached to, why not move on? If the McDonalds is run terribly, and Taco Bell is paying the same, why not move over? And my experience with younger folks that are no good at the whole working thing, is that once one of them sticks for a little while, he brings in his friends. . . So there's certainly establishments that I just don't go to anymore, because the employees were terrible, and I can just watch it getting worse. The problem, of course, is that when you get a really good group, they aren't going to stay in an entry level job like that forever, so it can go in waves. But I've certainly seen the bar for employees go lower and lower at some establishments, and if you don't find out quick who the good ones are, and start turning the ship around, it's really easy to go under.

[Brian Elfert]

I don't eat fast food all too often, but I don't ever remember not getting an item. However, I usually go inside to order and almost never use the drive thru.

My friend's wife managed a fast food place and finally quit because the owner wouldn't pay enough and they got bad employees because of it,

[Curt Fuller]

There are way more good people in the world, from any generation, than bad. It's just that we tend to notice the bad, or at least have them pointed out to us everyday. You can't ignore the bad, but your day goes much better when you focus on the good.

[Brian Kent]

I really appreciate the recommendation to put in a good word for people who give excellent service. I have only been doing that at one place. I'll do it more now.

[Rich Enders]

We are in manufacturing and we have a cross section of employees including the millennials. I am all for promoting positive images, but I am concerned that the parents of the millennials may have underemphasized discipline and tough love in order to (over) build a child's self image.

[Jim Matthews]

That's not on the kids.

The problem with kids these days, is their parents.
My experience with Millenial kids has always been positive.

It's the ones with a tackle box full of hardware in their faces
that hold the doors open, say Please and Thank you.

It's the jerks my age that make living here such a treat.

[Jim Rimmer]

I really appreciate the recommendation to put in a good word for people who give excellent service. I have only been doing that at one place. I'll do it more now.

I try to do that more often. That is why, as has been mentioned, people think the younger generation is going to h*** in a basket. You remember the bad service or the surly kid but how many times have you gotten good, not excellent but good, service and just let it slide as something you took for granted.

I was recently in a doctor's waiting room and overheard the receptionist on the phone with a patient and in reality she was the patient (patient one). I could only hear one end of the conversation but I heard her answer many questions several times. She gave the person directions to the clinic at least 5 times. I think the clincher was when she answered, "No ma'am, we're not upstairs. Suite 110 is on the first floor." She was kind, gave the patient as much time as she needed and never got upset with her. I made sure I said something to the doctor about how nicely she dealt with the patient. It didn't impact me directly but I did notice it. And believe me, I have dealt with some doctor's office staff that were not so nice.

So having said all that, I make an effort to pass on compliments to the boss of employees that try.