Every time a new generation enters the workforce, we hear the usual: “Oh, they just don’t want to work,” or “They’re too demanding.” Most of the time, though, these critiques only come up because, surprise, surprise, younger people are demanding their rights.
Millennials were criticized for being narcissistic in the workplace, with unrealistic expectations. Then Gen Z came along, and we're painted as unprofessional and obsessed with boundaries. While I don't think those traits deserve the negative connotation they often get, today's story does show a young Gen Z'er giving the generation a bad reputation.
Read more: Reddit
It's not surprising that the younger you are, the less disciplined you can be, but not to the point where everyone finds you unbearable to have around
Image credits: Kireyonok_Yuliya / Magnific (not the actual photo)
But a 19-year-old actually had a hard time with her new 17-year-old hire, who was always disrespecting and ignoring her requests
Image credits: myasiavision / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Aside from her attitude, the woman also created a health hazard within the establishment by dropping silverware and even using dirty rags on food
Image credits: gstockstudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Despite the 19-year-old's efforts to help and teach the teen, she was always reluctant and downright refused to do what she was told unless a manager was present
Image credits: taras.nagirnyak / Magnific (not the actual photo)
To the woman's surprise, however, one day the teen asked for help throwing the trash out, which the 19 year old refused to do due to her workload
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Turns out, the teen's dad had been waiting for the woman, and ended up threatening her despite the fact that the teen quit the job that same day
The Original Poster (OP) of today’s story is a 19-year-old woman who works at a food establishment. As she explains, the company had just hired a 17-year-old who had been working shifts with her, but things weren’t exactly going according to plan. She says that while she’s usually a good fit with new hires, as she’s patient when teaching them the ropes, this teenager was the complete opposite.
The list of complaints was long. The OP says the teen was constantly distracted by her phone, prioritizing personal matters over the work that needed to be done. She ignored her coworker’s requests, was rude and dismissive, and failed to follow the health standards expected in a food establishment. Essentially, she was clearly insubordinate and didn’t seem to want to be there.
However, the OP says that whenever managers were around, the teen was helpful and on her best behavior. Even so, the managers still noticed the issues. Their boss never really took the opportunity to warn or fire her, so the situation just kept getting worse. Then one day, at the end of their shift, the teen asked the OP to accompany her outside to help take out the trash, but she refused because she still had work to do.
And it’s a good thing she did, because that’s when the 17-year-old’s dad showed up, completely livid. In an aggressive manner, he told the OP she had been "relentlessly bullying" his daughter. At that point, the 19-year-old was afraid she might be physically attacked, so she FaceTimed her boss. After some time, they decided that the teen would quit that very day, and father and daughter finally left.
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The OP was shaken, but thankfully, she and the teen never crossed paths again. That’s probably for the best, because dealing with a helicopter parent is difficult enough — let alone an aggressive one. After all, professionals say that overinvolved parents raise children in a feedback-sanitized bubble, leaving them unable to accept constructive criticism and more likely to interpret any negative feedback as bullying.
At the same time, the teen and her father weren’t the only ones at fault. The boss also failed to protect his employees, whether the threat came from within the workplace or from a third party. Experts affirm that leadership roles are generally expected to provide a work environment that is free from physical and psychological harm, yet that clearly didn’t happen during the confrontation.
While the OP says she doesn’t want to leave the job because she enjoys it and it’s close to both her school and home, security experts generally recommend documenting everything by creating a clear paper trail. While the events are still fresh in her mind, she should write everything down in chronological order. That way, if the situation resurfaces or escalates, she’ll have a detailed record of what happened.
Similarly, netizens were quick to urge the OP to take preventative measures. If she ever saw the man again, some suggested carrying a safety item, like a spray or even something like hairspray. Others encouraged her to report the incident to the police or to someone higher up in the company's chain of command. So, what do you think the OP should do? Let it go, or take it a step further?
Ultimately, they never saw each other again, but netizens still said the woman should seek ways to keep herself safe at all times
