I'm not exactly sure what I want out of this, but I think I’m looking for some insight to the younger generation.
I just hired a young man fresh out of the army he seems to be a really bright guy. He did a tour in Iraq and a tour in Afghanistan as a cavalry scout. He got out in January of 10 and I hired him a few weeks ago. The second day at work he came to me looking a little green around the gills and asked if he could go home that he was sick. Now I don’t want him infecting the whole crew so I tell him go home and come back tomorrow. The next day he brings a doctors note, I believe him and tell myself that I will not hold it against him.
He is working real well and showing that he is a good worker. Then on Thursday he comes in and ask if he could take off for a little while ,that his dog had just died in the front room of his house and he did not wish for his wife and kids to have to deal with it the rest of the day .
I also felt that I would not want my wife and kids stepping around a dead dog all day ( big dog) so I told him go and take about two hours get the dog out and come back to work that I would have things for him to do to make his time up after hours ,the plant operates 24 hours a day so this would not be a problem.
To make a long story short he did not come back the rest of the day.
That’s two strikes even though on the first one I believe him, thinking about having a come to Jesus meeting with him on Monday.
Anyone have any thoughts?

 

I would ignore the first event but it could show a pattern. I am guessing he is still in a probationary period and that he must know that even legitimate reasons for missing work look bad. Take some time to talk to him and ask him what he wants out of the job he has. How is his attitude in general? Is he prompt or just in time? Is he first in the break room and last out during breaks?

It is impossible for us to really tell you what you feel in your gut about the guy but if you fill in a few blanks maybe we can help. Not that it should matter but how old is the guy and did he say why he got out of the military?

 

Be up front one more strike and he's OUT... Just because he is a Vet does not make him a good worker or above the rules . I always gave a Vet a break in the hiring process but after that they have to show me.

 

I agree with Scott. Just because he served our country doesn't meen he has a good work ethic. My wife works at the VA & veterans have priority when hireing. Some work hard & others feel that Uncle Sam owes them a cushy job that they can kick back on.

 

Reading between the lines ... it sounds to me like there may be some issues (other than his health) at the homestead that he is dealing with.

With the long (extended ) deployments, he and his family may not be adjusting as well as one would hope .... he may be covering the real issues.

When a soldier/sailor/airman leaves momma home to deal with EVERYTHING for months or even years at a time ... often times there is a severe role reversal that tries to happen when the vet becomes a full-time family member again. They try to "make up" for all the time lost and inconveniences by stepping in to handle it themselves ... often without regard to the consequences IE: work.
Those kind of adjustments don't happen very quickly if at all.

Not saying this is what's going on or that it is even your problem as an employer ... and I know there have been millions of other vets who haven't had a problem at all ... I'm just saying that maybe it's worth looking into a bit.
As a soldier ... he is used to "come to Jesus" talks and he may privvy you to a few things, provided you ask the right questions.

You might even see if there is a possibility that he was exposed to something as a Scout that is affecting his health ... that he hasn't pursued taking care of. They are still learning about the effects of war in these locations and I don't think we know 1/2 of what's going on ... but that's another story.


Cheers,
PISTOL

 

Being in Iraq I've seen firsthand what the back to back deployments do to some of the soldiers.

If it were me, I'd reach out to him and let him know he's walking a thin line but you're willing to help, but also let him know you're not bending over backwards for him either.

 

Thanks to all of you.
I just needed a little outside input from some non bias sources. Hopefully he is going to come around. In most other areas he is a good employee and works hard. So at this point I’m hoping to salvage him. He takes his breaks but does not linger and goes right back to his assigned task.
The only other thing I have noticed is he seems to get a lot of text messages, he does not answer them immediately but I am going to mention it in our little chat.
For years I have allowed the carrying of personal cell phones so long as the privilege was not abused I hate to penalize the old timers that only get a call on occasion and then only say what is necessary and go back to work but it may come to that.
This is not just a problem with this man, it seems to be the norm for the younger generation.
I guess I’m just getting to old, I promised my boss 4 years but I would like to make 7 years 6 months 11 days before retirement. Then someone else can deal with it. My one goal when I leave is that my replacement does not cuss me more that once a day for the first 6 months.

 

I'd tell him because he's a vet, he just spent his warning for not calling back to inform you what was going on. A normal person on probation would've been canned for that (whether true or not, just a scare tactic). If he IS having trouble adjusting to the new home, it's hard for you to be helpful if you're not kept in the loop. It may not specifically be your business, but would help you maintain an open mind. Making up stories won't help either if that's the case.

 

This took care of itself at least work wise. He came in on Monday morning and before I could have a meeting with him he walked off the job. I had to go to his house to get a radio.
I hate it when that happens .But better now than later.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but this generation seems to have a work ethic problem....not all but definitely some of them. This is why some companies hire the Hispanic workers they don't seem to have that problem.

 

This is sterotypical, racist and also not true.

 

I would not say that this is anything to do with race it covers all races and nationalities. The perception from my view as a manager is the younger folks seem to want to start with a position not a job. Then only push buttons without understanding what that button is starting or stopping. I think it was a comedian a few years back not sure who but he said 5% of the kids today give the other 95% a bad name. I am beginning to thing the % has climbed to around 20% but maybe not.

I must put a disclaimer that this is a generalization and not an individual outlook on life and is not intended to sound racist or any other way. Its just one mans observation.

 

I understand....or at least I think I do. I don't think race has anything to do with being lazy. I just know as a business owner that most of the younger generation doesn't have the work ethic the older generation has. I also know from experience that it is getting harder and harder to find good help. Around here in my neck of the woods most employers will tell you they don't seem to have that problem with the Hispanic workers.(I don't think the fact their Hispanic is the reason. I think they may be more appreciative of the opportunities in America) I will say this I've had some workers that weren't worth their wages from all races. Any way just my two cents.

 

As an employer of almost 200 people, I can tell you for a fact that the young gens have a larger percentage of kids who have the "what have you done for me lately" attitude and a real pee poor work ethic. They want to start out making a 100k for sitting on their butts playing internet video games or texting their buddies.

I have one engineer who is trying to adjust to life outside of the sand box. He sees a councilor and is getting help with adjusting. He was right up front with me about having to be at appointments and what exactly it was he was doing even though I didn't have the right to know all of the details. We are very good with each other and he does not take advantage of the leniency showed to him and he makes up his time which is not expected as he is a salaried employee. I have a soft heart for vets as I served too. They are generally very motivated, well desciplined and hard workers with high loyalty. That being said, we are all people and we do make mistakes and we do have extra baggage sometimes we need to work out in time or by trials.

I think this situation was handled correctly for what it's worth.

 

It seems to me that allot of the younger folks want to start at the top. That's fine to want to but the reality is it's not reality. Not many jobs start a young or inexperienced person very high up the scale except the military. Another factor that rears it's head with young service folks is that they just came out of an environment where they may have been in charge of a multi-million dollar piece of equipment or supervising several people and it's mentally challenging to be placed back at the bottom. It tales allot of inner strength to make that change and adjust without causing a rift. Like pistol mentioned, the home life as well has at the least 'changed'. After months of having to be the head of the household, some spouses may not take stepping back into their old role or sharing the decision making process like they had before the deployment. I realize this is already resolved, but you may find another nice young man waiting in the wings and he may suffer the same struggles.