I was there in the 90s. Working full time. There was a noticeable difference in the work ethic from then to today.
Ok. I’ll bite. Even though I believe this conversation will go nowhere.
Differences I have seen in work ethic between the 90s and today:
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Constantly complaining about being broke but refusing to work any overtime.
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Refusing to do anything outside the scope of their job duties. Even if it’s something small and won’t take any extra time or energy off their current job duty.
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Demanding or taking long breaks causing others to pick up their slack. And then acting like the victim.
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Overly emotional about deadlines and jobs duties. Making decisions based on their feelings and not the job/project at hand.
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People then would usually figure out solutions to problems without any supervision. Ingenuity was rewarded and favored. Today, people seem to prefer to be micro-managed. This could also be a change in employer culture as well.
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Entitlement culture/attitude. More people today believe they are owed something without earning it. Hierarchical structures were more rigid, with clear distinctions between management and staff. Respect for authority was expected.
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Employees were more likely to stay with one company for years or even decades, building loyalty and expertise within their organization.
I guess I could go on. And not all of this is due to employees, rather, management issues that have gotten worse over time. But I still believe the root cause is a negative change in people’s work ethic. This is obviously not all inclusive. These are just some examples of what I’ve noticed between now and then. I have been working full time since the 90s. Yes, it’s anecdotal. But you asked me. This is my opinion. It’s okay if people don’t agree with me. But I would find it hard to believe most people would disagree with all or some of these points especially if they have been working as long as I have.
If people were payed more most of those problems would evaporate. There used to be a middle class in this country that made enough money to justify dealing with their boss’s bullshit expectations. Now everyone is getting the bare minimum and management wonders why they’re getting minimum effort. If you want people to have a better work ethic it has to be worth it for them. Dangle a fuckin carrot once in a while, you know?
I think you are mixing up cause and effect. Corporations stopped valuing their employees but expect the same kind of loyalty from when they used to actually pay enough. It’s normal for employees to feel demotivated and give less energy to a job that doesn’t respect them and is over eager to threaten and replace them.
If this is what you’re seeing, the problem isn’t the employees.
If you can say with a straight face that employees prefer to be micromanaged, that’s the biggest, brightest, blinding red flag I can even imagine.
If you’re seeing this, your company has a major issue.
I didn’t downvote you even though I disagree with you.
All of the examples you gave of differences have a distinct difference between working in the 90s and now. In the 90s we did all of the things you cite aren’t happening today because it paid off with something better later. It could be a raise in pay, a promotion, or even just experience that could be leveraged at a future job earning more. It was also the time of the final Gen-X’ers entering the workforce, and there were far fewer of us than prior generations that age. This meant there was at least a form of scarcity of entry level workers so anyone that wanted a job could get one that would cover their basic bills. Employers would also train entry level people because there weren’t other options for bodies to do the jobs. We put up with being treated like crap in the hierarchy because we saw that if we worked the hierarchy we would rise. We took risks professionally that would be innovative or creative that created a great product for our employer that would frequently work out. If the professional risk didn’t pay off, we’d likely still be employed or at worst could get another job of near the same level without issue.
In short, we did all of those things in the 90s for the promise of a better tomorrow, and back then, there was one. Workers today know there isn’t a better tomorrow, likely only a worse one. So why should they take the same risks we did professionally if they are not only far less likely to benefit, and are in a much more precarious position with far higher debts (student loans) and far few resources (lack of savings or real estate ownership)?
- Salary Exempt, overtime doesn’t bring in extra money.
- Job descriptions are vague. If you get this then you are asking the wrong person completely.
- You mean like lunch?
- So asking for clarification and telling them the deadline they pulled out of their ass is unrealistic.
- Just because ChatGpt says it can be done doesn’t make it so.
- Agile, but who forced that on everyone?
- I guess killing pensions and having layoffs whenever the line didn’t go up killed loyalty as it is a two way street.
Not accepting shit from bosses isn’t bad work ethics. Corporations did it their fake personhood.
Its not my business but do you mind saying what industry you work or see this in?
Sounds like a problem with your company culture. I don’t think your description fits the industry as a whole.
It kinda just sounds like cool and interesting people don’t want to hang out with you. I wonder why.
