WorldWide Drilling Resource

What Have we Done to the Young Workers of Today? I just finished visiting a potential customer and was surprised to learn they were behind on production due to the inability to hire “good” workers. Not that the potential hires aren’t good at what they do, but they can’t pass a drug test; or the potential hire comes into a manufacturing facility (heavy steel hanging above and hot molten metal splattering on the floor) wearing shorts and flip flops. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard complaints about the new generation of workers. A man told me he had a customer come in wanting to buy a certain product to help his grandson start his own business. It was a large investment, so the man asked his customer, “First thing is, does your grandson want to work? Does he even like this type of business?” So in other words, you can lead a horse to water, but can’t make them drink. Indi- viduals have to find their place in life. If they don’t like what they are doing, then they will not be good at it. You can’t force work on those who don’t want to improve their lives. Another issue he had was with a worker not making it to work on time. He told him, “You know what would help you make it to work on time every day?” “No sir, what?” the worker replied. “Well if you would go out and buy a new truck, a house, get married, and have two kids, you wouldn’t be late any more.” Does this sound like anything you have experienced in your personal life or with your business? If so, what do you do? Do you just give up, throw your hands in the air, do you think our country is going down the drain with no way to slow it down? Or do you say, I think I can do something to help this young individual become a productive worker in society. We as a nation, need to look at what built this country - hard work. We need to decide if we are going to sit on the front porch and do nothing, or get up and do something about it! Well, I myself am not going to sit here and just take it. I am a retired firefighter and have my own business that relies on workers to keep it going every day. I have workers who show up on time or early but, when the work gets hard or the day is 100ºF (37ºC) with 100% humidity, they can’t work in the shade - let alone the sun. It was, “I want to work, but not that hard.” It reminds me of what my father used to tell me, “Son, I had to walk up hill both ways, in the snow, to and from school, with no shoes.” Of course this was an exaggeration of the truth, but it was telling us if you want to do something, it doesn’t matter what stands in your way, you will do whatever it takes to get where you want to be and push through the tough times. If you do, there is always something to look forward to at the end of the journey. I love to teach individuals what I know. I feel if we don’t teach the youth of today, then tomorrow there will be no one to teach the youth of the future what it means to be “worth your weight in salt”! If we can learn one new thing every day, doesn’t matter how small it may be (dang that pot is still hot after boiling water), we can continue to help this nation grow. The day we stop learning and adjusting to change, is the day we seal our own coffin and dig our own grave. So what I have decided to do is teach the teachable and guide the guidable. If there aren’t any out there, then I’ll go find them, or maybe we should look toward the group of men and women who know what a hard day’s work is - veterans or the individuals referred to as “overqualified” (meaning you’re too old for this job). If we would allow these people back into the workforce, it would show individuals who do not want to work hard, that there are people who do! We don’t have to put up with the lazy or the “I don’t want to learn” or “That’s hard work” or “I can’t get up that early” workers! We will be like the wild again which has survived for millions of years - survival of the fittest. Signed, Worried American Business Owner Editors note: For more information about the younger generation, take a look at the WWDR Generation “Y” series online now. Do You Know Y? - August 2015 page 18 Getting to Know Y - September 2015 page 26 Connecting with Y - October 2015 page 43 8 APRIL 2016 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®