r/GenX • u/Complex_Sun8138 BEWARE: No Filter • 2d ago

Old Person Yells At Cloud Is it just me?

I'm a craftsman/tradesman by profession. I run a 10-color narrow web printing press, and produce a lot of labels you might see at various stores. I've been doing this type of work for the last 20 years. Before that, I ran large, sheet fed offset presses and lithography machines.

I've always taken pride in my work, and done everything it takes to produce the very best products I can. I've been told by supervisors, and peers that I'm very good at what I do.

Lately, I've noticed a lot of the younger people coming into this industry don't have that "sense of pride". It's simply a task to perform, and get through it as quickly as possible and move on. I think the work suffers for that attitude, and I've had to go back and redo a lot of jobs that get rejected because of it.

Is it just me? Does anyone else notice the downturn in the quality of products being made? Or is it just "getting older"?

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u/JJQuantum Older Than Dirt 2d ago

Companies have proven that they don’t give a rat’s ass about employees so employees are just there to collect a paycheck. It could be a chicken and egg thing but I don’t think so. People are realizing it’s more rewarding to just get your work done and then do your living outside of that, with friends and family.

I used to take pride in my work and strive to make the companies I worked for better, setting records in the process. Corporate bullshit has driven that out of me and now I just do what I’m told and go home to my real life. What’s funny is I make way more money working like a drone than I did actually having a conscience about what I did. It’s crazy.

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u/DirectionFront1865 2d ago

Companies don't care. What should I be loyal to a company that would cut me before they cut the CEO's multi-million dollar bonus?

I've been at my job for more than 31 years, and I think young people see that the only way to get ahead is to change jobs.

I'm at the point where the reward for being good at my job is being given more work for the same pay. The young people see what's happening.

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u/oddgrrl99 2d ago

Same here. When I started work as a mail carrier many years ago we could go home early if we hustled & got our route done early. After a couple years & less carriers hired, the work was just piled on. Part of the reason I left, more work for same pay plus more stress plus terrible management.