Keep my mouth shut?
 

We hired this college kid, a senior to preform some grunt work and he wanted to learn his way around the construction site or industry. His father works for a friend managing his subway sandwich shops. We took him on only because, one he needed a job and we needed a runner that are willing to pick up small items and order general stuff and to open up for other trades early in the morning. We pay him 22 bucks.

This kid do not know how to stop btiching. I hear him around lunch hanging around the guys complaining about money and how the youth or college grads today will never be able to buy a home and their lifestyle will be hampered by society and inflation. Bla, bla, bla. The typical complains from someone that had not has their ass kicked by the working world.

Mornings, always a Starbucks or similar coffee in his hand as he comes to work. Ok, I do that too but I have coffee brewed on the job site and the guys make it when possible. For lunch, he drives, eats out and at times, he will bring back and eat with the guys. Its always something pretty expensive from a restaurant, around 15-20 bucks. Mid day, Its coffee times and sometimes, if he busy, he will get that cold sweet coffee drinks delivered. I get it its hot.

For the few times when I am around, he talks about being broke and saving for a large item such as a car is extremely difficult and to buy a home is a rip off due to socal high prices. He hate real estate investors, that would be me but most don't know that and do not need to know it. Should I say something about his spending habits? This dumb kids burns 35-40 bucks daily ( more if you count the mid day coffee delivery) on just food and that doesn't including dinner. Most of the guys make twice or more then he does and 3 of the 4 own a home. Should I tell him to stop his btiching and stop spending on dumb things like coffee delivery while we have it here at the job or his lunch spending to he can wise up and save for a home or the future? I am just tired of people complaining about the same thing and does nothing about it and I'm sure the guys are tired of listenning to it. If he is here to learn something, that's the one thing he will hopefully take away with him. Maybe too young to realized it? He's 23 and he's not going to learn siht about the industry by ordering light switches and plywood.

New guy on the job?
Deserves some hazing. :D
Tell him everytime a new hire *****es about something, company docks a dollar an hour of his wage.

edit- bonus points if you can get him to sing camptown races, or you can work in "mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all, so tell me why should it be true
That I get a kick out of you."

Maybe enlist some of the people he's complaining to to tell their sick of his whining and STFU.


I wouldn't tell him to stop btching, it seems to be in his makeup. Maybe do something more constructive like offer to help him set up a budget. He's never going to own a car or home if he pisses his money away randomly - you know it, his co-workers know it, but does he?


He might have a future in politics!

He's making 22 bucks an hour. At the end of the day, just pull him aside and ask him to add up the costs of everything he purchased that day --morning coffee, snacks, lunch, afternoon coffee, --whatever that cost comes out to be - say 40--50 bucks, tell him he essentially worked (2) hours that day for free. The lightbulb may go off.

You should keep quiet.

He's probably b!tching to try and fit in. Plus, his complaints sound pretty legitimate for someone who's 22. But the best reason to stay out? You have no dog in the flight.

^^^ Correct.

^^^ Incorrect.

IMHO, of course ...

_

Time, Money, and Priorities.


Everyone's value system is different.


Every wallet is grown differently.


1st world problems.


My Grandmother grew up in the early 1900's during the depression and had my Mom when she was only 16. Tough Times.
Watching her while I learned how to cook, she could glean the last 1/2 gram of any chicken meat off any carcass and would boil the bones for broth.

When you are truly struggling, like people on wagon trains and building Sod Houses with a dirt floor, the human spirit perseveres.


Lets see how his troubleshooting skills are during a freak out event. HAH. Put a long 16" zip tie around his cars' drive shaft so it goes thwap thwapp thwappp every revolution. He heh heh. Leave a pleasant post-it note by it too with anonymous words of wisdom.

He's spending more like 2.5 hours pay when you figure what he gets after taxes, ssi...

I would say something but rather than criticize his complains, I would approach him with some empathy and offer to help him build a strong financial future. He needs to learn to 'pick your pain'. Have some restraint in spending now or you may never get the house and have to still be working when hs is 70 just to pay bills. Some get it, some don't but ultimately it for him to decide.

As far as the constant moaning, wait until one of his co-workers says something in your presence and encourage that person to tell him to quit whining.

This is what I would do. After that the ball will be in his court.

It's really his parent's responsibility to help him UNDERSTAND the VALUE of saving money and budgeting towards purchasing GOALS.

OK - well it NEVER hurts for a kid to have other - role models - provide POSITIVE influence in their lives. Hell - most of the time it is actually one their PEERS, whom they look up to. In a perfect world it's the peer who handles things in a MATURE fashion.

So Jeff.....pull him aside and give him the talk. Some of it may actually sink in - although it usually takes time for the youth to fully appreciate what they were told and shown while growing up.

Kids need guidance. Sometimes....the right kind can really make a difference.

And it won't cost you a cent to at least share the wisdom...after all....all of us were in that kid's shoes at one point and dollars to doughnuts can look back and appreciate those who did speak up and lend us some of their wisdom.

Does he do his job?
If talking interferes with his job tell him to STFU, otherwise you're not his father so let him be.

It is funny you wrote that. I agree, btw, but that would be it other than have the other folks tell him to STFU. Baz is on the money as well as others.

My first two squadron tours I did tax preparation for other squadron members, enlisted and officers.

Most of the young men had cable, probably $50 a month in those days. I would show them, I know it sounds simple, that $50 a month is $600 a year just to watch TV.

That $600 was also about the amount of two weeks take home pay for some of the younger enlisted.

"Oh."

I had about a 25% impact rate:)

Depends on the relationship with the kid. If he's just *****ing to other people then let him gripe. If he's taking it up with you and you get the impression that he values you or your opinion, point out the spending vs. hours of labor thing.

This is the kind of talk, though, that only works if there's some level of mentor/mentee relationship building. If there's no relationship then it's "whatever boomer you don't know what it's like".

Either way he'll grow up once he's living on his own.

Edit: Oh! Oh!!! I almost forgot a different point that's pretty important. Never try to convince him that actually you had it just as bad. Prospects are different for the younger generation and arguing that is just a shortcut to coming to loggerheads. Better to say that you don't know what life has in store for him, but you've got general advice on how to save money, budget, etc., that will help no matter what sort of financial challenges he faces.

He's right about affordability and if you asked me what the biggest immediate domestic threat to the American dream is right at this moment i'd say corporate ownership of housing. Perhaps not exactly what he's *****ing about but who knows.

So as i sit here after 51 years of life, all of the professional years spent in accounting/tax work, I'd say what this kid would benefit from is pointing out the wasteful spending and how it adds up. He would also benefit from being pulled aside and taught some empathy for his coworkers who are probably older and see a college degree as something for rich kids. And of course he should understand no employer wants employees who constantly complain regardless of subject. Teach him the rule of 72 and show him some examples on an investment calculator. That's what todays kids are missing.

I would tell him to go home. I'm quite sure with his skills that he can find a good union job where he can make top dollar and still complain. Possibly start his own company, LOL. His bad attitude will slowly influence your other people.

You can offer advice but expect it to go in one ear and out the other. By the age of 22 he's already been offered plenty of life advice. Most people have to learn real life the hard way and he's no different

Yea, no advice will be taken.

I worked with a guy that said he "needed" a new car as his current car was up to almost 100,000 miles. He had not yet paid it off. The ONLY criteria for his next car was the monthly payments. He did not care what it was, only that monthly payment mattered. He ended up with an 84 month loan on some econobox.

He had a huge collection of Beatles memorabilia. He spent all his available money on more Beatles junk. I told him to sell it all, and pay off his car, then his house. I may as have well told him to sprout wings and fly.

I pointed to my El Camino that had over 200,000 miles on it at the time. He only said I was "lucky" because I could work on my own cars. I replied luck had nothing to do with it, just maintenance and keeping it in good shape. His car was almost never washed and he put off all maintenance.

not spending money on coffee is not going to solve the affordable housing crisis.

thats insane.

$3000 per year on fancy coffee may not completely solve it, but everything adds up.

Brew your own, take your lunch and in a couple years you can have an OK down payment on a starter house/condo/townhouse.

Are you saying he should just squander money because it won't make a difference on the long run?

i would call him into the office and tell him he does too much talking and not enough working and You’re Fired! and i would advise him to look for a government job

no, i said exactly what i said. it is insane to think that not having coffee will solve the affordable housing issue.

the median house price in the state of California is $904,000.

so, not having coffee, in 301 years he'll have enough to buy the median house. :rolleyes:

making macro economic problem into personal finance problems helps no one.