Career Action Group

Here is a blog I posted 8 years ago. It is a good read and has anything changed in 8 years or has it gotten worst? Enjoy the read anyway.

I posted this blog in June 2010 and re-read it recently. It is well worth a re- posting. Not much has changed in the last 4 years. Enjoy the read.

Have you noticed that it is next to impossible to find kids to help with summer work around the house. I have tried for the last 3 years. It is unbelievable what the kids expect and there are so few of them that want to do outside work. They refuse to work at a fast food place for minimum wage yet want to do minimum work. If you do find someone they are slow, can’t think for themselves and you have to watch them and tell them in detail what to do. What would they do if they lived in the U.S. where there is no minimum wage law? I know times have changed but as a kid I would jump at an opportunity to do work for a neighbor and make a few bucks. I had to work on the farm for my Dad for free or as he would say ” You have to earn your keep or who do you think is feeding you? ”

Here are some of my experiences in recent years while either trying to find some help or with the kids that I did hire but did not last long.

1) Yes sir, I can rake leaves, wash cars, trim trees, wash windows. I charge $ 20.00 an hour and $ 25.00 an hour if there are black flies.

2) Yes I can cut lawn. What kind of a riding lawn mower do you have? I don’t, I have a push mower with no motor. No thank you sir?

3) Start time 9:00 am. Arrival 12:00 noon. Sorry I am late my mother slept in and did not wake me up.

4) Start time 9:00 am. Arrival 1:00 pm. Sorry I am late my brother had a bonfire last night and invited me to the party. I only got 4 hours of sleep.

5) Can I work with my head phone?

6) Could I have something to eat and drink I did not bring anything.

7) After 4 hours of work. I did not realize you wanted me to work all day.

8)  At lunch time. Can you pay me tonight for my work? How much will it be anyway?

9) I can operate all sorts of equipment and power tools. Can you use a rake, shovel, push mower, clippers, hammer, etc.? Reply: Are they powered?

10) Would you take this hand saw and cut those tree branches? Don’t you have a chainsaw?

11) Please wash all my outside windows. Here is a bucket, water and rags. Don’t you have a power washer?

12) How often are my breaks? I have to check my text messages.

13) Do I have to work this Saturday?

14) I can’t work any night after school because I hang out with my friends.

15) Don’t tell my mom I am working for you. If she finds out she’ll want me to do the same work at home and she won’t pay me.

16) Can I bring my girlfriend? Will she be helping you because I only need one person? No she will just sit and watch me.

17) Will you pick me up? My car is broken. What about your bike? I have not ridden my bike in years even my motorized bike is broken. Oh, you will get them fixed with this money. No, I want a new cell phone.

18) Pick and move these rocks. Don’t you have a tractor to do this?

19) Paint this porch, here is a paint brush and a can of paint. Why don’t you buy the spray cans?

20) I can’t accept your job because my cell phone does not work at your place.

There are many more reasons and examples but I am getting frustrated just writing about these incidents. Bottom line, I am no longer looking for help unless is shows up at my door step. Instead I have accepted the fact that kids do not want to work so I will take my time and do it myself. If the work gets done great if it does not get done that is OK as well.

Originally posted December 2013 but still food for thought.

     As a kid I used to read a lot. Over the years while raising a Family and running a Business it has been hard to read leisurely. There was always lots of “have to” Business reading. The last 2-3 years I have been getting into more leisure reading. I am not a novel reader but I love to read History, Geography, Nature, Animal, Travel, Discovery and Exploration books and magazines. This past summer I bought at a yard sale a 50 lb. box of 20 year old magazines for $ 3.00. I have been enjoying reading what writers had to say on events pertinent to the time and comparing the information to today’s realities. I have 2 subscriptions from the U.S.; one is called “Farm & Ranch” and the other “Country”. These magazines have great pictures and interesting articles about both the present and the past. I was born and raised on a Farm and these readings bring back great memories. I find these articles bringing me back to my childhood. While growing up I felt like most other kids that life was tough, unforgiving, never ending, wishing for better days and my parents were unsympathetic tyrants. My parents were actually great and loving but it took me into early adulthood to appreciate and understand what they taught me. These magazines do allow me to go back to a simpler and happy time in my life. These publications are American but it is amazing to learn how many people in all of America had identical upbringings and experiences. The other satisfaction I get from these readings are the real great and memorable things we did as kids. Building forts anywhere we could in ditches, in buildings particularly barns, in and under trees, old culverts, in miles of snow which lasted from October to April. We made things like tools to help us build, bow and arrows, clubs, spears, bats and more. We made things to reach high in a tree, long sticks to poke, clubs to break things, sticks to dig, etc. We were ingenious and spent hours creating. We did even more than all of this but we were active and outside and happy. The world was ours to discover. These moments were also done after a long list of duties, responsibilities, homework and church. Then it dawned on me! What will the kids of today remember as their favourite memories?

         Let me speculate what today’s kids will remember and cherish 40-50 years from now. They will most likely remember the video games they conquered, the computers they hacked, the pictures they posted on line, the farm or business they built on line, the friends they harassed by phone, the world they explored but never visited, the hours of surfing on the internet, the great pictures they took and lost in cyberspace without ever getting their hands dirty or getting a cut or scrape, weathering the elements or creating things with their hands instead of drawing them on a computer. I am probably over cynical but it does beg one to wonder what it will be like when comparing to our experiences and memories.

Written 1n 2012 but still applies today

Someone told me recently an interesting story about a particular company hiring policy. This gentleman started a new job driving a truck for pickup and deliveries covering a very large territory. His new company has a fleet of 12 trucks with a garage for repairs and a small office staff. This company apparently has been in business for many years in fact the General Manager has been with the company since High School. After a week on the job, this gentleman got to meet most of the staff, other drivers and was a driver’s assistant to learn the ropes and routes. His opinion was the company was well managed, caring to employees, open to questions and suggestions, trucks were very well maintained ( clean inside and out ), all staff ( office and truck drivers ) were known on a first name basis, nice uniforms, etc. Everything looked perfect except for one thing so he decided to ask the General Manager about his observation. He asked him why all employees including new hires were over 40 years old. The reply he received was: “ We do not hire younger people anymore. They are slow, often late or absent, no sense of urgency, poor customer relations, always want overtime, no loyalty, no pride in their work and most of all, they spend most of their time on a cell phone. We have given opportunities to younger people and even hired some as a driver’s assistant but none rose to the occasion. In fact some drivers wanted to do their routes alone rather than babysit these kids.”

Is this not a shame? Opportunities exist but the younger generation do not accept responsibility. I have a client who refuses to consider local hires because of the lack of reliability and is now considering importing immigrants to do his work.