Mailbag #1: Gen-X Managers Vent

06Feb09

In even the scant few days this blog has been up, we’ve gotten emails from other Gen-X managers out there who are fed up and need to vent.  Names are withheld, of course, unless the emailer specified otherwise.  Emails have been edited for style, typos, and the like.

Manager in Fashion Retail –

I am not sure what has happened over the last 15 years since I graduated from college. This generation known as Gen-Y may be smarter but they do not know how to work in a business atmosphere.  I truly believe that unless they are given a syllabus or specific instructions, this generation would not know to wipe their butts.

When I was 13, I was allowed to get a job at a local clothing store.  The manager allowed me to work on Saturdays only for a six hour shift.  After taxes and all that wonderful stuff, I was left with $20 a week.  I still did it because I loved the job.  After college, I decided that I would continue the love of retail and went to Bloomingdale’s.  (Please let me make this clear to all who think I work in “FASHION”. I do not.  I work in retail where it is all about sales and profit.)

Over the years I have had my fair share of crazy, unreasonable bosses.  One of my favorite experiences was at Nine West.  I was told once to get on a plane and fly to Seattle to get [the customer's] orders because they were late in confirming their orders.  I got on that plane the same day.  There was another time when I came back from a business trip and found that my desk had been moved.  It was definitely a “Sink or Swim” workplace.  Then there was the time that business was horrible, and the shipment had not reached Macy’s Herald Square.  It was going to be the busiest weekend of the year.  I was told: “Figure it out”.  I decided to “walk” product into Macy’s!  No one told you what to do.  It was your job to figure it out or you would be fired.  It was simple, it was clear.  Do your job or leave.

I am now in a position where I have to manage and I am not good at it.  It’s the first time in my career where I have difficulty.  Strangely, it has been with all of my assistants born after 1980.

Assistant #1 graduated from __________ College with a degree in Fashion Merchandising.  When given training in Retail Math, she complained that it was too hard.  QUIT.

Assistant #2 came from a previous company so was supposed to have skills.  But she couldn’t even book airline tickets.  Finished a project and didn’t give it to me because I didn’t ask for it. FIRED

Assistant #3 came from ___________ College.  This one told me one day that she had nothing to do, so I gave her a project.  She then said she didn’t want to do it and actually said “I would rather do nothing”.  FIRED.

Assistant #4 came from _________ College.  If we had her work until 6:02 she would actually come in at 9:02 the next morning.  She would not do ANYTHING unless you put it on her “to do” list.  Asked us why she had to do anything.  FIRED

Recently, 30% of my company was laid-off.  We kept the people who could do more and would do more.  I am now in the process of looking for a new assistant and I am wary of hiring Gen-Y to fill the position.

I don’t believe they should be given any preferences.  I don’t believe that they are entitled to anything.  If they truly believe that the workforce in America is now going to cater to their ridiculous needs and they think it’s our responsibility to do so, they need to buy a ticket to crazytown or see if they can crawl back into their mommy’s womb.  Because no one is going to tolerate it.

COO of Manufacturing Company(Note: the emailer had been a teacher for twelve years.)

“Dont have your homework.  Great:  Zero. Moving on…

What, you want to tell me why? No, sorry, we have 47 minutes to get through this lesson (that I spent 7 hours on, learning the Smartboard, making it interactive, etc) and talking to you about forgetting your homework is taking up that time.

Ugh. What? Your parents want to talk to me about your missing homework assignment? Umm… After school? When I have a meeting? Umm…”

These GenY (Gen Whine-ers) are the ones who were pampered as kids (they all got trophies for playing, no MVPS here…

Keep ‘em coming.  I know from talking to other Gen-X managers that we’re thinking the same thing, but afraid to speak out because of corporate culture or whatever.  But understand that you’re not alone, and you’re not crazy to think that some of this crap we’re seeing is just nonsense.

Of course, we welcome your comments too, but if you’d rather just email, send your emails to: genxm – at – yahoo.com.

-GXM

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