By J.T. O’Donnell
My friends over at Adecco (a staffing company that helps people find work) just sent me some of the results from their “American Workplace Survey’ that indicate the recession has employees thinking more about being dishonest. Yikes! Sounds like the ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’ theory is going in the wrong direction.
Here are a few key stats:
“28% of people would do something dishonest to keep their jobs (examples included blaming co-workers for mistakes, blackmail, and flirting with a superior).”
Wow – I’m thinking there’s a reality TV series in the making here. “Today on As-the-Job-Turns, Mike blames Jill for losing the XYZ account, but Jill has the last laugh because as she spends time behind closed doors with bossman Fred and manages to convince him it was Evan’s fault.”
Okay, I shouldn’t be joking about this because I know it’s true. People do tend to take uncharacteristic action to keep a job when they think they might be losing theirs. Especially these days, when finding a new one could prove tougher than usual. Not to mention,the survey numbers get worse. Check this out:
“Leading by far is the Generation Y demographic of which 41% would do something dishonest. Leading all groups, 44% of men between 18-35 would do something dishonest.”
So, are young guys are more likely to be dishonest? Appears so. Hmmm. This is the second survey in the last month that I’ve received that has thrown male workers under the bus. Gentlemen, defend your honor! Are you seeing this in the workplace? Do you think A) young people are more likely to be dishonest and B) that men are even more likely to?
Share your thoughts and experiences below!
About CAREEREALISM
Garbage! I've worked in MANY professional environments within my industry that are dominated by women; don't think for one minute that this is even close to being accurate, and I'm not a woman-hater by any stretch of the imagination.
Even women who work in my industry will tell you–they are far more manipulative and dishonest than many men; many women I've talked to will avoid working in places that are dominated by women due to the notion that women will try to destroy one another if given a majority stake.
This is wholesale crap.
This is quite surprising! I fall into the larger category and I am proud to say I have not yet gone that far…I only steal staplers :) just kidding
It doesn't matter – people are out for blood now-a-days just to keep thei job.
I think people say and do dishonest things, not just at work, all the time to get ahead in life. But on the other hand, if you do rat someone out your boss might fire you for not being a team player and/or a tattletale. I think it’s a lose lose situation: a) you rat someone out and they lose their job or b) you rat someone out and you lose your job for being a snitch.
Bottom line, don’t do dishonest things “desperate times call for desperate measure,” yes, but at least be honest with yourself, show some dignity, and don’t throw your values and morals out the door just to keep your job. At the end of the day be pleased with yourself and your actions.
As sad as it is, people will do what it takes to keep thier job. Especially in today's economy, if an employee knows he or she did something wrong and may get fired, he/she is more inclined to blame someone else for their actions.
I am currently in college, so I do not know if these results hold true or not but I am very curious to hear from others who do hold jobs in the workplace…
Andrew, I think that people almost always look for a way out of a bad situation, and blaming another person is just one of those ways. With the economic crunch and the current job market, I think people would do just about anything to keep a job. Reminds me of the old Klondike Bar commercials (What would you do for a Klondike Bar?), but instead it's “What would you do to keep your job?”
Integrity is very valuable. It's hard to build and easy to destroy. My advice is to start early building your own “honesty policy,” and your reputation will sit solidly on that base. :-)
I just noticed that a fellow blogger put up today's post, and it ties in with this nicely. It's called “How the Best Leaders Build Trust.” Might be worth a read (I haven't checked it out yet). http://www.jobacle.com/blog/2009/3/5/how-the-be…
I think many of the young people want to work hard! However, there are a few bad apples, just like with any situation. Maybe part fo the issue is that the survey only gained a good population of people 35 and Under, because people 36 and older don't spend time filling out surveys.
I am 37 and I do see a big difference between a 27 year old and myself, when it comes to work attitude, but this survey doesn't prove that people 36 and older are not pulling some of the same crap identified in the survey.
I think I've just had a few too many run-ins with the bad apples, Mark. There are good and bad at every age, and I'm just worried that it's going to continue getting worse as people feel more and more entitled. No company “owes” you a job, but I know a lot of people feel that way.
Maybe I'm setting myself up for life as a curmudgeon. :-)
yes, you are so right. No company owes someone a job! And people who take having a steady position with a company for granted are going to be sorely mistaken.
I hope you find some good apples soon! Good luck!
“Good apples” is the funnies and most interesting phraseology I've heard in a while. It brings up interesting ideas. I think I'm going to have to blog on that one, so thanks for the idea, Mark!
Most young people don't seem to want to work very hard, and I don't think it's honest of them to fritter away their workdays on Myspace or Facebook. Too bad nobody in charge here seems to care very much about that.
I wrote an article on a similar topic recently for Jobacle. It talked about how approximately 60% of former employees admitted to stealing data from the company. 60%?!? That means that 6 out of 10 people are thieves! That's crazy. http://www.jobacle.com/blog/2009/2/26/are-you-a…
I have to disagree with you Ben when you say that “most young people don't seem to want to work very hard.” I feel the issue isn't in Generation Y's work ethic but rather in their upbringing. Growing up with two Baby Boomers as parents, I have been nurtured and coddled since I was young but I have also been programmed with the most current technology. This makes Generation Y high-maintenance but also high-performance.
Katy Patterson, a 23 yr old assistant account executive at Edelman Public Relations, says, “We are willing and not afraid to challenge the status quo. An environment where creativity and independent thinking are looked upon as a positive is appealing to people my age. We're very independent and tech savvy.” http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-11…
On another note, I feel that we are actually more suitable for the current job market than many Generation Xer's. Besides the fact that we can respond to a manager's email on our iPhone while researching online and typing up a TPS report, Generation Y is ready to adapt. Generation Y doesn't expect to stay in one job, especially right out of college, because we've seen the recent scandals in companies like Enron and are amidst a recession. With these events in mind, it's hard for a college grad to believe in “job security” and “employee loyalty”. This is why career advice sites like Careerealism are so great for the young crowd. The information is straight and to the point-just the way we like it.
I wish I didn't feel that way, Brendan, but I've seen too many people my (our?) age that couldn't care less about the work they were expected to do. I am not that way. It looks like you're not of that vein, either. However, I feel like we're in the minority. You say you were “nurtured and coddled,” but you turned out okay. Too many have been treated the same way by parents/teachers and will not end up like you or me.
It's from personal experience, nothing more, so all of the experiences I've had at places that I've worked could be completely backward. Or maybe I'm actually seeing the truth.
Just because we're good with tech doesn't mean that jobs will be tailored to allow us to use it. That would be a great move by the corporate world, but for now, many companies are still mired in policies that worked in the past.
Too many stories (like the linked news report) have happened for me to be totally wrong.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/CareerManagement…
Wow, Brendan, that article is 4 years old! Great research! Companies do have to re-invent themselves in order to appeal and retain the new batch of employees. There has to be a limit to these practices though. I guess that is what scares me…what is that limit?
Mark, you're right that the article is 4 years old, and I took that into consideration when I referenced it. Since I wasn't using statistics, rather a quote from a woman who happens to be from Generation Y, I didn't think that 4 years would make a difference. Her opinion about the Gen Y workforce probably hasn't changed much considering she is part of that generation.
In regards to your question, I honestly don't know where the line should be drawn when appealing to the new batch of employees. I guess it depends on the amount of demand for their skills and that company's financial standing through this recession. That's a good question though. Tough to answer.
Hello Brendan. I didn't mean for the “4 years” comment to come off as negative. I was actually impressed with your research on the subject and finding that article from 4 years ago.
Have a great day! Mark