I took a seminar the other day.  One of those “sit in a hotel event room for six hours and try to absorb something useful” ones that work felt would be a good idea.  They were right.  Good stuff, good instructor, some nifty tricks to utilize at work…but best of all, this little nugget about what’s going on in some work places.

I’ve ranted before about 20-somethings and don’t get me wrong: they ARE the future (until they’ve been in charge for 20 years and then the next generation will replace them).

Seriously, I’ve got two kids that are Gen-Y’s and while I’m pretty proud of what they’ve accomplished, I’ve noticed some negative traits that I wish they would recognize for their own good. Things like “you are NOT owed anything, you have to earn it”, “your way isn’t the only way”, “you don’t really know it all”, etc.

But sit down before I pass this along.  Our instructor said he had discovered a certain phenomena first inCanadawhile teaching classes, but that now it was showing up down here in the states. When some of these Gen-Y kids were having a hard time at work and, since they still live at home, complained to their parents—THEIR PARENTS WOULD ACTUALLY CALL UP THE KID’S BOSS AND HAVE A TALK WITH THEM.

Are you kidding?  Seriously?  I don’t know how wide-spread this practice is, but if you have ever called your kid’s boss because of their troubles at work, you are messing them up for life. 

We all have to go through less than perfect conditions.  It happens, we survive, it shapes us, we learn from it and move on.  Work happens. Life is unfair.  Sorry, but not everyone gets a trophy when you put on the big boy pants.

Maybe you’ve heard of this happening before, but to me, it was a shocker.  I think back to some of the crappy bosses I’ve had to deal with and some of them, I wouldn’t even want my parents knowing that I worked for those kind of people.  Hey Gen-Y’s, this is your captain speaking: Grow up and learn to do things for yourself.  It will serve you in the long run and prevent you from having to get on the phone some day with your kid’s boss.

Tim Hunter