“People just don’t care anymore.” Those words were spoken by the man behind the counter at my new favorite coffee shop. I assume he is the owner, but I am making an assumption. He made this comment when we were discussing why the coffee shop has reduced its hours. He told me how eight people just left over the last month and did not return to work without any notice given. While he also said there isn’t enough business to warrant the coffee shop staying open later, he said the main reason for closing earlier is staffing.

Do people really not care anymore? Are people taking jobs they really don’t want and then leaving when something they think is better comes along? Are people being hired without references being checked from their last place of employment? Do hiring managers not know that if someone leaves their previous job without working out a reasonable notice they may repeat this behavior in their current job? This is similar to the person who has an affair not realizing that if it was done with them, it can be done to them?! Go figure!

It goes without saying that work is more complicated than ever before, especially as it relates to how to recruit, train, and manage those in the younger generations. Younger people are different indeed. They expect a different workplace, and they are in position to demand it. More and more people want to work remotely, or at least, have a hybrid situation. Work does not hold the same value for many people today, at least not to the same degree it once did. Given all this, managers need to change their expectations.

Work needs to be FUN and provide incentives other than financial to attract and retain the talent needed in many jobs. While loyalty was important in the past, not as much so today. Younger workers are as interested (I hesitate to say “more interested,” but possibly!) in what the job can do for them than what they are expected to do in the job. And can we blame them? Most companies do not offer an incentive for long service, or retirement benefits. It seems that we have subconsciously bought into the premise that the company is no longer loyal to employees, so why would employees be loyal to the company?

What do you think? Am I right? If so, what are some of the solutions to the dilemma for both workers and management? What is happening isn’t working, so what can?

As for my coffee shop, remote work or hybrid work is not possible. My barista needs to be present to prepare my cappuccino.