Sympathy for younger employees

[Condo Guard]

We've talked about / griped about younger, entry level guards and their various deficiencies on other threads. An editorial in my local paper today was an eye opener - the tradition of a summer job or part time job for high schoolers to give them "soft skills" doesn't work when those jobs are filled by adults who have been displaced by the recession.

Our industry, being an entry level profession, should adapt to this new trend. While it may be more work, there might be lower turnover rates and less headaches for managers and supervisors.

The only other option would be to try to teach the skills in high schoool, but given that we're ranked #37 world wide in public education, I'm not seeing it.

Here's the link to Mr. Davis' editorial: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/201...ed-are-taken--

[SecTrainer]

We've talked about / griped about younger, entry level guards and their various deficiencies on other threads. An editorial in my local paper today was an eye opener - the tradition of a summer job or part time job for high schoolers to give them "soft skills" doesn't work when those jobs are filled by adults who have been displaced by the recession.

Our industry, being an entry level profession, should adapt to this new trend. While it may be more work, there might be lower turnover rates and less headaches for managers and supervisors.

The only other option would be to try to teach the skills in high schoool, but given that we're ranked #37 world wide in public education, I'm not seeing it.

Here's the link to Mr. Davis' editorial: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/201...ed-are-taken--

There's a tremendous amount of discrimination against 50 to 55+ people in the workplace today. Security jobs require maturity and good judgment, and I don't see much of either of those in the younger workforce today. It makes more sense to have "sympathy" for mature workers whose jobs have disappeared forever - and who are the ones with the mortgages to pay, etc. I'd be a lot more certain about their reliability - and also their longevity, because they're also more likely to be able to tolerate some of the adversities of the job, including in many cases the boredom that would inevitably turn a lot of "kids" into short-timers. There also aren't many who would tolerate some of the ill treatment and/or ridicule, the "rules", etc. that people in security jobs have to put up with - and certainly far fewer of them that you could entrust with a weapon of any kind.

No, I think kids should stick to flipping burgers. Your idea sounds good on the surface, but not when you examine it more closely. Nobody needs a security force that can't go five minutes without consulting their Facebook page or shooting "selfies" to send to their friends on Twitter.

[Soper]

^^^this^^^

[zm88]

The younger generation seems to lack the work ethic that was taught/beat into me growing up. I can get some of the young guys to give me a million reasons why they can't (don't want to) do something instead of spending the 10 seconds it would take them to do it. At the same time we pay crap, and retention is horrible because of that.

[SecTrainer]

The younger generation seems to lack the work ethic that was taught/beat into me growing up. I can get some of the young guys to give me a million reasons why they can't (don't want to) do something instead of spending the 10 seconds it would take them to do it. At the same time we pay crap, and retention is horrible because of that.

Look at more mature applicants - especially those who have been out of work awhile but had good records before losing their jobs. This is another "layer" of discrimination against mature workers (long period of unemployment, when very often it's not their fault at all that they can't find work). These people would be thrilled to be hired, and you might just solve some of your longevity problem despite the crappy pay, because they're not going to have many other prospects - if any - and they also know the meaning and importance of loyalty.

[zm88]

I have no problem hiring anyone AS LONG AS they can meet the physical expectations of the job (standing for long periods, walking, running and restraint and application of handcuffs). My issue now seems people are 'scared' of confrontation. I'm also no longer a supervisor and have no say in the hiring process anymore. I don't care how old someone is, I have a few young guys that are no where to be found on calls and some that are always there.

[Condo Guard]

Agree on all points. I can tell you part of the discrimination has to do with the insurance companies - my co. has a hard time getting health insurance coverage at affordable rates because our worker population averages out as "older." I am glad to say that they do show some loyalty - as long as you're doing the job and doing it right, they will keep you.

[Caedes]

There's a tremendous amount of discrimination against 50 to 55+ people in the workplace today. Security jobs require maturity and good judgment, and I don't see much of either of those in the younger workforce today. It makes more sense to have "sympathy" for mature workers whose jobs have disappeared forever - and who are the ones with the mortgages to pay, etc. I'd be a lot more certain about their reliability - and also their longevity, because they're also more likely to be able to tolerate some of the adversities of the job, including in many cases the boredom that would inevitably turn a lot of "kids" into short-timers. There also aren't many who would tolerate some of the ill treatment and/or ridicule, the "rules", etc. that people in security jobs have to put up with - and certainly far fewer of them that you could entrust with a weapon of any kind.

No, I think kids should stick to flipping burgers. Your idea sounds good on the surface, but not when you examine it more closely. Nobody needs a security force that can't go five minutes without consulting their Facebook page or shooting "selfies" to send to their friends on Twitter.

I don't necessarily agree in whole here. I've had employees of all ages who have shown maturity and ability in their roles, and I've also experienced employees in the same span of ages that have displayed the opposite. Perhaps our vetting process is successful in weeding out the immature younger people, but of those we hire, I witness a lot of good and bad in many people, regardless of age.

I mean, absolutely there are a lot of immature younger people out there. There's a lot of extremely capable young people too. The older generation, I can find extremely capable people, and I can find others who can't even operate an electronic device at even a basic level - which is a very important part of the job, with our firm. It's also easier to develop a younger employee than it is for an older one. This is probably due to extensive life and work experience, but we operate a specific way, as focused by our executive team in terms of strategy.

In short, I don't really see age as a determining factor in any way. I'm sure we all see a variety of different types of people in all age groups, and for us, as long as you are eligible for a position, you have the right to apply and be considered for a position.