Dear Aunty B,
I am so angry. I just asked our young new staff member very nicely to do the coffee run. Yesterday morning he did it, reluctantly. But this morning he flatly refused, saying he had not done five years study at university and given up two weeks of work to come and be an intern, only to walk across the road and get coffees.
I then sent the big boss to talk to him and he still refused to get the coffee. It was explained to him on the interview phone call that he would do the coffee run every morning and he agreed.
But now he says he thought that was just a joke.
Fortunately, someone else got the coffee so we are not all suffering from caffeine withdrawals as well.
Is this a Gen Y thing? Or is he a one off? Can I expect more Gen Ys to refuse to get coffee?
TL,
Perth
Dear TL,
What? You still expect Gen Ys to get your coffee? Are you nuts? Don't you understand that he is a young master of the universe? That he is doing you a favour by simply by turning up? That you are demeaning him, negating his status and undermining his potential by asking him to get coffee? That what you have to teach him and your time that you will spend at his side, gently teaching him the tools of your craft mean little because he knows EVERYTHING?
In fact, it is good to see that all those years of being told by the school system, his parents and psychologists that he is the centre of the universe and can do anything are paying off!
I was going to suggest you ask the coffee shop in future to deliver the coffee but then suddenly I came to my senses. You would probably get a Gen Y standing hands on hip refusing to deliver the coffee, yelling that he had not spent five years in Barista University to be a bloody delivery boy.
If I were you I would ignore it. Take it in turns to get the coffee for the next few weeks. And then when recruiting your next intern, make sure they are really, really happy to get the coffee by asking pointed trick questions like: What would you prefer? To come and be an intern and get the coffee? Or to bugger off, never grace our doors and NOT get the coffee?
Good luck!
Your Aunty B
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written by mmejia, September 14, 2009
This way you won't have to order a 'skinny flat white' because you would have done some calorie burning exercise on your way over.
Go on, the air will do you good and the exercise will help your anger.
written by reshet, September 14, 2009
written by kbear, September 14, 2009
Think of the positives, like having a reason to talk to the boss, you might ask for what coffee they want, and you get a 15minute run down of the issues they are facing and why they need a double shot... it is all learning and you cant pay for the sort of networking.
I recently parted ways with a employee over very simliar issues. Good luck and dont let him get away with it. It is part of the job, and he has to do it. I also had the problem that while i got the excuse 'I dont have time to get that because you asked for X,Y and Z to be done' there was a miraculous amount of time for texting and emailing friends that still managed to be squeezed into the "not-so-full" schedule. Play his bluff, and get him doing his job or he will use the excuse for all employers.
written by philipmt, September 14, 2009
written by Amanda Gome, September 14, 2009
Philip, I will send your question off to Aunty B and Uncle P for a bit of legal and ethical input. Stay tuned...
written by davomate, September 14, 2009
Firstly, lets do away with stereotypes - there are lazy so and so's dotted throughout the age spectrum.
Secondly, none of us wittnessed the event and it would certainly not be at any strain to consider that maybe the manner in which the coffee request was made may have been of a derogatory tone and that a person who has spent 5 years studying has no idea how to communicate within an office 'work' environment which may have shaped their response.
A persons age has nothing to do with them decling to undertake such a simple task as getting coffee. I belive this is someone who has never done any hard work in their life... for someone who has never slogged it out in the backyard, mowing lawns, fixing retic, cleaning pools, digging soak wells, etc. etc. simply has little understanding of 'work for reward' and in saying so they're view is one where all 'work' must be reciprocated by an equitable reward.
Unfortunately (and not to be hypocritical) the majority of Gen-Y's have grown up in a more densley populated suburban environment with both parents working and alot of these family unity paid local small busineses and handyman services to maintain everything around them, hence, alot of Gen-Y's see every task as something that can be outsourced and completed for a fee.
Furthermore, a lot of university students do have a very high image of themselves - why? because they were smart enough to get into uni and reckon they will leave the institution for an 80 grand job without hassle. Unfortunatley the real world is a little different and everyone must start at the bottom and work there way up: a thirty year old who made a career change would be in the same 's*%t kicker' position as any other 'junior' employee.
p.s. I'm a gen-y (on the younger end) and I hate it when young people are prejudiced by way of their age and I equally hate it when young people do things that strengthen the current sterotype.
written by konsult, September 14, 2009
written by Terry_2009, September 15, 2009
Don't waste your time trying to get someone to follow the rules.
There are other interns that will not challenge each request. For this intern, if you ask for a 5 page review, what will be the response? Doesn't want to write 5 pages? Too busy? Not part of the intern's view of the job description?
Fire the intern and don't look back.
written by lee0007, September 18, 2009
written by boomer1955, September 22, 2009
We also don't know what his job title or job description is. Maybe he's supposed to be the mail room/copy maintenance/refreshment fetcher. If so, and he doesn't like it, he never should have taken the job.
While I agree that none of us went to school for 2,4,6 or however many years we studied just to be errand-runners, know also that they most junior person in the department, no matter what their age, often does tasks the others either don't want to do or have grown out of due to seniority. If this kid was half as smart as he thinks he is he could prove it by getting the coffee and then using the delivery of it as a chance to find out what everybody's working on, and perhaps volunteer for projects, if he's got that kind of job. By showing interest in his bosses and co-workers he will develop relationships that lead to their trusting him with meatier assignments.
And then, there's common courtesy. My former VP would go and get coffee or ice cream for us when we were in the trenches working on a big project. Doing favors for the co-workers goes both ways.
Let's classify everyone according to their (randomly assigned) 'generation' and bestow them with all with the same personal characteristics.... genius!
And yes - this is a gen Y thing. All gen Y's were raised to be anti-coffee runners.
They also all like to watch Two and a Half Men at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings and are ambidextrous (this is why they can't spell properly).
Get over it.
Just make sure the 'big boss' takes charge of the next intern...
Sincerely,
sir bennington jnr III