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Employer Quotes
The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Transportation
They are talking about this topic: General Skills
The quotes below are about this issue:
New hires often lack an appropriate level of professionalism. This includes work ethic, quality of work, and realistic workplace expectations.
| "The person on the lube rack had better do a really good inspection and know the importance of that inspection so when the service advisor talks to the customer, they didn't make a mistake, 'oh, we missed a brake light.' The customer knew their brake light was out, they're trying to sell them a belt and a hose and a flush, and yet, you know, they missed something as simple as a brake light. You have to make sure of all the little things, the detail. If there's a brake light out, they think, `what did you check?'" | Metro |
| "So I think the communication skills, just dressing and tucking your shirt in, thanking customers for their business, those are things that aren't even about fixing the car or truck." | Metro |
| "The techs [have] got to understand you may be working nights this week, days next week, that's what the public expects." | Metro |
| "When you're the new guy, you don't get Monday through Friday 7:00 to 3:30. You get nights and weekends. Most of us shake our heads—we all did that. These young kids are looking for flexibility, and me time, and people time. And we look at them and we say, okay, well, we need to adapt to that...you know, these kids are going to be running our businesses, right. But I have a hard time thinking that that's the way it's supposed to be. We're supposed to work hard. You're supposed to work long. You're supposed to pay your dues, but the immediate gratification that young people expect right now is amazing. One of the things that I find that they ask a lot during interviews is opportunity for advancement. And then, you hire them and after three months they say, 'Well, where's this opportunity we were talking about?' And I'm like, 'Three months? What are you talking about?' So I think that there's a real disconnect in the younger generation coming into the workforce with the expectation that we should adapt to the way that they want to be. And I tell you what, that's flipping us out a little bit because it had nothing to do with technology, or anything else. It's being here on time and tucking in your shirt. I mean, those things are important. We're employers and that's a culture shock with somebody who's been here a year or two." |
Metro |
| "I didn't want to work Saturdays, but I was there every Saturday. Now, they don't want to work Saturdays and they quit." | Metro |
| "Well, to me, it's quality of work. They have to do their job and they have to do it right every time." | Metro |
| "Like you say, they don't want to work Saturdays, they don't want to work overtime. They just want to come and do eight hours and...go back home." | Northwest |
| "Just looking back at the four people that I've let go in the last two years...that's the biggest thing, right there: they don't have the drive to want to be the best they can be." | Northwest |
| "You could teach them how to think, rather than just throwing their hands up and going asking for help. If they have a plan, a diagnostic plan that they follow every time, there's something to fall back on." | Northwest |
| "But you also have to have work ethic. You have to be willing to do the hard work." | Northwest |
| "So we've heard the need particularly for techs, to have the...soft skills or critical [thinking] skills, teamwork, showing up, getting along with the person you work next to, problem solving, kind of thinking through things, finding answers." | Northwest |
| "Q: So when you interview folks that have that two-year degree, are they pretty much good to go? A: It depends...are they the type that have taken their own initiative to learn more and continue their own education, or do they walk in the door expecting to be taught by somebody...waiting for that information to hit them?" |
Northwest |
| "I'd say the supply of techs is tight. We've been fortunate. We have a full shop. But they don't want to work on a Saturday. We were going to put a late shift in, and the people I might get would be students. They would not be too happy coming to work by themselves." | Northwest |
| "We want kids that want to be here every day. Somewhat of a challenge these days is to entertain this generation that we're dealing with. I see a little bit of this with some of the younger people that come in. Responsibility, it's a big thing. When I was younger, I wanted to impress my employer. I wanted to do a great job, because I didn't want someone to replace me. I didn't want them to have a reason to say, 'you know what, things aren't working out and I'm sorry I'm going to have to let you go. You know, I've got 25 more applicants that are ready to take your position.' I didn't want one of those people to take it." | Northwest |
| "No drive or ambition. Getting to work on time. Showing up for work. Being willing to go the extra mile." | Northwest |
| "And another thing that I notice, I guess, is work ethic. The younger generation doesn't seem to have that." | Northwest |
| "Work ethic, productivity, communication and people skills." | Northwest |
| "From an employer's standpoint, it's like, 'look, this is when you show up at work, this is what you do at work, this is your list of responsibilities and this is how much time you've got to do it.' And their attitude is, well, I've got Facebook, I've got Twitter, and I've got it taken care of.' So, there is a little bit of that element." | Northwest |
| "[The attitude is that] I can do it tomorrow. I have a hard time with that, the younger people, I guess. I don't blame them, I really do have a heart for the younger people, but boy I tell you what, it is a dismal world out there. It really is." | Northwest |
| "This has been discussed the last few weeks...that employers will not hire people with tattoos that are visible, because certain customers feel very threatened by people with tattoos, especially female customers. If that tattoo cannot be covered by long sleeves, they probably will not hire them." | Southwest |