Young people in the workplace?
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Young people in the workplace?Well I started a new job today, I work in an Office as an apprentice. I'm pretty much the only male there and I feel I get all the demeaning tasks. I work under a woman in my department and I'm now basically her personal slave. She makes me get her stuff off the printer, make the whole office tea and do pretty much everything she orders. My question is.. is it normal for the younger people in a workplace to get treated like this? I'm just waiting for her to force me to feed her grapes whilst she works now -.-
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Re: Young people in the workplace?That's pretty much what admin staff do, to be honest
Making tea, fetching printing, filing, photocopying, franking the post. Its not "demeaning", it's a basic office job. Once you move 'up the ranks' as it were, you can ask other people to do your copying, make you tea etc.
You have to start somewhere, and quite honestly as an apprentice I'm not sure what else you expected to be doing. -
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Re: Young people in the workplace?You're the gopher. Their job is 'more important' than yours, so they stay at their computers doing it. You're the one who's employed for the odd jobs that fill the gaps. Being the tea b**** is one of them.(Original post by AaronBoyyo)
It's just the whole tea thing that baffles me. Seriously I don't understand it. Why doesn't everyone just make their own tea as and when they want one?
However, a good way of getting out of making the brews which always served me in similar situations: make them very badly the first time, they don't ask you again. My excuse was I don't drink tea or coffee. Has worked for well over 15yrs of employment
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Re: Young people in the workplace?Could be worse. You could be my friend who was assistant to the post woman but not actually trusted with the letters, so he sat next to her on a stool all day with the occasional errand to go and get her milk (from the shop, before disgusting comments follow
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Then again, he did get revenge by getting her full fat... -
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Re: Young people in the workplace?To be honest, in most offices tea runs are dealt with in turns or shifts, so if there's an apprentice around they'll use you as their excuse to be lazy. They're too busy to make their own tea when an apprentice is around(Original post by AaronBoyyo)
It's just the whole tea thing that baffles me. Seriously I don't understand it. Why doesn't everyone just make their own tea as and when they want one?
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Re: Young people in the workplace?You have a job. Make the most of it. Half the young people in Spain and around a million young people in the UK do not have one, most of whom would be happy to have the same opportunity.
And it's British to make tea, be proud of it! -
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Re: Young people in the workplace?I wouldn't say 'happy' is the right word. I don't have a job but I wouldn't say I'd be 'happy' to be someone's tea bitch.(Original post by barnetlad)
You have a job. Make the most of it. Half the young people in Spain and around a million young people in the UK do not have one, most of whom would be happy to have the same opportunity.
And it's British to make tea, be proud of it! -
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Re: Young people in the workplace?In my old work I began doing very basic tasks, but as I began to prove to them that I would take anything from them and do it without any fuss I began to get given more work.
They probably don't know what to do with you right now, in our office we were offered the use of a boy on work experience but he ended up filing our Miscellaneous paperwork in alphabetical order because everything else either required system access that would take weeks to come through or it required a very complicated explanation that would take most of the day to understand. -
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Re: Young people in the workplace?No, they see you as the lowest on the hierarchy and the first step on the ladder, which you are. They have been in your shoes once. At this stage, you are utterly replaceable with any Tom, Dick or Harry.(Original post by AaronBoyyo)
I guess you guys are right. I just don't understand the whole attitude towards younger people in offices. Do they actually see you as a slave and themselves as better than you? o.0
Once you've been there for a while, and shown the bosses that you are good at that and can handle more responsibility, you'll be given it. You work your way up the ranks, and each time you become more valued, and less replaceable, and get more responsibility.
Everyone has to start somewhere, and quite honestly, doing a bit of filing and making the tea is probably a piece of piss compared to a stressful, pressured "proper job", you should enjoy it while it lasts
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Re: Young people in the workplace?Couldn't agree with this more.(Original post by Vohamanah)
No, they see you as the lowest on the hierarchy and the first step on the ladder, which you are. They have been in your shoes once. At this stage, you are utterly replaceable with any Tom, Dick or Harry.
Once you've been there for a while, and shown the bosses that you are good at that and can handle more responsibility, you'll be given it. You work your way up the ranks, and each time you become more valued, and less replaceable, and get more responsibility.
Everyone has to start somewhere, and quite honestly, doing a bit of filing and making the tea is probably a piece of piss compared to a stressful, pressured "proper job", you should enjoy it while it lasts
Having worked in HR for the last 5-6 years, I can confidently say that you're not the only one who is experiencing the same kind of treatment. Old or young it doesn't matter... you're the newbie. It gets better. If you can't prove your competence at menial, basic tasks then how can you be trusted with anything more important?
Just prove yourself & be friendly and positive then in time you will see things change.
Well done for having a job and good luck.
Last edited by LadyAz; 31-05-2012 at 20:10. Reason: ****ty grammar after a 10 hour slog!
