Young people afraid to make calls??

traveller0101

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

But then, there is also the problem that many systems and apps are designed by twenty-something guys to work well for twenty-something guys. If your eyesight isn't so great, or your hearing, or your fine motor control allowing you to click small on-screen buttons or whatever - it will often be difficult to use technology. All of these issues are easily fixed, particularly if considered early in the design process.

A lot of those apps aren't launching to a wide audience that includes people with those problems. It would be solving a problem that doesn't exist.

AndrewJRenko

traveller0101 wrote: »

A lot of those apps aren't launching to a wide audience that includes people with those problems. It would be solving a problem that doesn't exist.

What apps aren't launching to people with sight loss? Or people with hearing loss? Or people without fine motor control?

Are you like the shopkeeper who says that he doesn't need a ramp for the steps at the door because he never gets any wheelchairs in the shop?

mdwexford

traveller0101 wrote: »

How is it pathetic? That's a bizarre opinion. Whenever someone rings me they're taking me away from what I am currently doing. I don't give people that right. I'll decide when to get in contact if you need my time. I keep my personal phone on silent at all times and encourage people to email me instead of ringing in work.

Also, most conference calls contain an insane amount of wasted time.

Christ. What a ridiculous post.

Trust me, you have the bizarreness going on here.

ongarboy

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Batgurl wrote: »

I’m their manager. It’s my job to ensure they have the right skills to do the job. That includes a thick skin because as much as I’d love the world to be nice and kind to them, it’s not.

Bit patronising. The world being tough, nice or kind or whatever is not really your place to be "teaching" them is it? That's the job of their parents or guardians. They are paid to do a job. Yes, you can tell them how you like things done (even though your phone-only for sick leave is a bit pathetic), but it seems you personally are trying to "toughen them up" or "knock the corners off them" for the real big bad world.
Not your place. Be a boss, not a control freak?

How can you have issue with sickies to be phoned in rather than texted/mailed in if sickies plummeted after this measure was introduced? If someone was genuinely sick and couldn't make it in (eg bedbound due to flu etc), they'd phone in regardless whereas if they were just pulling a fast one, they might think twice if they are not good at bluffing verbally which seems to be the case here.   How can this be associated with being a control freak or being tough if someone was pulling a fast one over you?   The poster was addressing a frequent and clearly abused privilege and her measures had the desired effect.
My own take on phone calls is that when I started at work in the 1990s, email wasn't even widespread, Instant messaging was non existent and virtually all communication was by phone, in person or via posted letters. You would still be nervous in a new job dealing with someone on things that you weren't trained up on or knowledgeable about.  All interaction outside physical meet ups with friends, dates, ordering a pizza etc was through the phone. You can communicate all these things online or through messaging now.   I sense the younger generation find phone calls more intimidating because of this.

Workplace culture has changed as well. I get dozens of IM (instant messages)s a day, 100+ emails yet only a handful of calls. 10 or 15 years ago, it was dozens of calls per day. I find IM to be the best form of communication as it allows you to be somewhat informal, real-time updates but also have a record of information if you need to refer to something in the future.

It's like the doorbell. When was the last time someone you knew rang your house unannounced without them telling you in advance by text they were calling? Friends or family will always give me the heads up. It just means there is no element of pleasant surprise anymore although the upside is getting advance warning.   The only people who ring my door unexpectedly nowadays are charity sellers or utility sellers asking me to change my provider. Hence I generally ignore the door then.

AndrewJRenko

The much-publicised new Microsoft building in Dublin has no desk phones. They can use VOIP to talk via their computer and headset, or use their mobile, but no more need for desk phones.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

HandsomeBob

OldBean wrote: »

I get annoyed when people won't work over email. I have no personal issues with working over the phone or making phonecalls, but I find it leads to white lies and people forgetting their commitments. If it's over email we both have a record, a timestamp and can work on that. In my experience, people (Young and old) that only deal with calls are a red flag that they're afraid of commitment, they're afraid what they write can get them in trouble with superiors, and invoicing is going to be awful hassle.

I've found that also particularly when someone is making a complaint or looking for an "angle". They're insistent on doing everything on the phone because they know if they bully someone enough they might force an error when there was none. That's the kind of thing where emails are best and companies will have procedures where escalation of such matters cannot be done by phone.

I don't think the phone thing is necessarily a youth issue as I can see people of all ages avoiding calls in my place. We're on a hunt call line so you can see when someone isn't picking up when they're at their desk; being busy has been established as an unacceptable reason to not field it if you're there. And there's the boyos and wans who strategically put their DND on when they can hear a call flying around the place. /rant :pac:

So for me people will do what they think they can get away with. Batgurl for example pointed out that she takes the line with her team that under no circumstances can someone email in sick (think that's bad try receiving a WhatsApp).

That in a nutshell is what needs to be done; stamping your authority on the team because if you don't, no one will end up respecting you. Not the ones who take the piss already at every opportunity and ultimately not the ones either who actually do their work and end up picking up the slack of their sh1t colleagues too.

Phone calls aren't a big deal to me anyway as sometimes the situation just demands picking up the phone. You need to have the mentality that most people will actually be decent when picking up the phone. You'll get the knobends of course but you learn to get yourself into the zone dealing with them, just keep focusing on them is the key really.

RobbieTheRobber

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

The much-publicised new Microsoft building in Dublin has no desk phones. They can use VOIP to talk via their computer and headset, or use their mobile, but no more need for desk phones.

Microsoft sells a voip offering which can integrate with or replace a pbx system. Offering users all the services of a pbx and desk phone from their pc.

Their voip allows the ability to make and recieve standard desk calls from a pc.

Stheno

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

The much-publicised new Microsoft building in Dublin has no desk phones. They can use VOIP to talk via their computer and headset, or use their mobile, but no more need for desk phones.

Weve no desk phones where i work its all voip

Mongfinder General

Patww79 wrote: »

It was actually the most sensible post in the thread.

If only I could invoke this. Absolute wnkers walking over to my desk asking me about the email they sent me 20 mins ago. Get the fcuk away from me.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Batgurl wrote: »

I agree with OP. Modern day workers have almost a fear or phobia towards making calls but it’s part of a bigger issue of people no longer being able to deal with conflict and (on a grander scale) being unable to cope with the unexpected or as they call it “ adulting”.

As a manager I’ve implemented a strict “if you are sick, you have to call” policy ie no texting or emailing, and the sick leave has plummeted.

I’m slowly trying to educate them in dealing with conflict and growing a thicker skin but it’s baffling. I genuinely had someone ask me yesterday if I could not tell them about all the mistakes they make and instead could focus on the good things they do as they needed the validation. I’m all for a happy balance but WHAT?!?

That's genius.

Going to suggest doing the same where I work.

mdwexford

traveller0101 wrote: »

How is it pathetic? That's a bizarre opinion. Whenever someone rings me they're taking me away from what I am currently doing. I don't give people that right. I'll decide when to get in contact if you need my time. I keep my personal phone on silent at all times and encourage people to email me instead of ringing in work.

Also, most conference calls contain an insane amount of wasted time.

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

The bolded part is some of the most wankerish talk I've ever heard. If you agree with it then you are equally mental.

traveller0101

mdwexford wrote: »

Christ. What a ridiculous post.

Trust me, you have the bizarreness going on here.

mdwexford wrote: »

The bolded part is some of the most wankerish talk I've ever heard. If you agree with it then you are equally mental.

I've obviously upset you. If you had a job that requires concentration and focus then you would understand. Please write back before you're banned


Posts: 10,629

mikemac2

Batgurl wrote: »

Which I fear is what we will be left with if we continue to raise a generation of people who need constant validation and praise; the “instagram generation” who desperately crave the little red heart on their phone screen to feel needed.

If you want an example of how these people can be so easily preyed upon, look no further than Trumps success. He appealed to his audience by telling every single one of them that “they are right. They have been slighted. He will fix it for them.” He gave them the attention and validation they required and got to the most senior position in the US Govt as a result.
.

Clinton got 55% of the 18-29 year olds vote while Trump got 37%

And turnout for them was only 50%

It was people your age group who decided that election and got swayed by messages

Wanderer2010

Mongfinder General wrote: »

If only I could invoke this. Absolute wnkers walking over to my desk asking me about the email they sent me 20 mins ago. Get the fcuk away from me.

Thats a very odd response to someone asking about an email I must say. Unless you absolutely despise your co workers, or you had a very bad experience with email, your mindset is oddly out of whack with conventional thinking.

I can understand someone being annoyed by a worker who constantly wanders over wanting updates but a simple reminder about an email, even if to say not to worry about it now, would not make me instantly think "get the fcuk away from me"

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Batgurl

mikemac2 wrote: »

Clinton got 55% of the 18-29 year olds vote while Trump got 37%

And turnout for them was only 50%

It was people your age group who decided that election and got swayed by messages

Are your figures based on a specific state? Or a nationwide average?

Mongfinder General

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Thats a very odd response to someone asking about an email I must say. Unless you absolutely despise your co workers, or you had a very bad experience with email, your mindset is oddly out of whack with conventional thinking.

I can understand someone being annoyed by a worker who constantly wanders over wanting updates but a simple reminder about an email, even if to say not to worry about it now, would not make me instantly think "get the fcuk away from me"

I need to get **** done on a daily basis. I need to separate what is urgent from what is actually important. What I don’t need is some bone idle geebag trying to manipulate me in to doing her work. The amount of nonessential **** sent my way every day is ridiculous and a distraction from real work. Meetings are another colossal waste of time and anything said in them can be manipulated post context. So yeah, keep away from me man...

mikemac2

If a young person isn’t confident on the phone then they need training not a blasting.

I’ve worked with older people and if you ask them to read a procedure on any tiny IT issue or learn a new system they throw their hands in the air and declare they can’t do it. They can do it but it’s easier to wait for others to step in. And maybe they are lazy or maybe they have have no confidence and don’t want to show it.

If anyone is on the thread thinking a generation is useless will guess what, the generation before you said the same