Disappointed in junior staff

[Anonymous]

My company allows working from home 2 days per week and we have to be in the office for 3 days, however employees are allowed to choose their days. That said, it has been made pretty clear that when there are business needs to be in the office the expectation is that you are.

Last Friday our team had a catered holiday lunch in the office that was put on by the head of our group, my boss. She apologized in advance for the lunch being on a Friday since it’s a day most people typically work from home, but asked everyone to please plan accordingly to come in if at all possible and she will make it fun and worthwhile for all. She did not want to make it mandatory though. On my team of 10 people, the 3 most junior employees did not come in on Friday and they gave me a variety of “excuses” as to why they HAD to work from home.

Today, our entire division has a cocktail party in the office from 4-5:30pm and again the request was made for everyone to please come in so we can celebrate all together. Well, 2 of the 3 people who didn’t attend on Friday are working from home again today and not attending this celebration either. My boss made a comment about it this morning and said she won’t forget who isn’t coming in for these things.

I feel like these junior employees don’t “get” that you do everything in your power to show up for these very few in person events to show face and be part of the team. I don’t know what they “had” to do that couldn’t be moved - these events had been on the calendar for at least two months.

Do I bring this up in their year end reviews? Any advice on how to best communicate that it’s very much noticed when they are not there for these things and why it’s important? I mean, it seems obvious to me.

[Anonymous]

Wow, where do I begin?

[Anonymous]

Millennials won’t work a minute longer than they are being paid to work. They have a time clock mentality.

[Anonymous]

You and your boss sound awful.

[Anonymous]

Why do you care?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Millennials won’t work a minute longer than they are being paid to work. They have a time clock mentality.

I'm not a millennial and I'm not coming in on a Friday for a lunch. Nor am i reworking my WFH days for a cocktail party in the office. Thankfully my company is not like this and as a result we have an incredibly high retention rate.

[Anonymous]

If it’s obvious why it’s important to attend these events, then you should be able to articulate the negatives consequences of not attending them couched in terms of how it’s affecting their work, rather than their absence from the in-person events themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Millennials won’t work a minute longer than they are being paid to work. They have a time clock mentality.

I’m a millennial and this doesn’t ring true with me at all. But I’ve always been a highly compensated professional. How much are the millennials you’re referring to being paid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Millennials won’t work a minute longer than they are being paid to work. They have a time clock mentality.

Can we cut it the the Millennial bashing already. Most Millennials are mid-career professionals in their 30s now, not junior employees.

[Anonymous]

I would not put this into the formal review process because these events were not mandatory. I think it is fine to pass on the information informally that the higher ups like folks to go to these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Millennials won’t work a minute longer than they are being paid to work. They have a time clock mentality.

Junior staff aren't millenials. They're Gen Z. I am an executive and also a millenial.

[Anonymous]

How junior?

My son told me that at his company's holidays events it was almost exclusively recent graduates and managing directors. My guess is that people in the middle have kids or maybe other commitments, so only those who live to work or have nothing else yet show up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it’s obvious why it’s important to attend these events, then you should be able to articulate the negatives consequences of not attending them couched in terms of how it’s affecting their work, rather than their absence from the in-person events themselves.

This. Even if the work effects are intangible (ie, perception of being not a team player which would factor into promotions), that’s how to frame it. If you don’t feel comfortable staying that, consider your workplace practices around non mandatory events.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Millennials won’t work a minute longer than they are being paid to work. They have a time clock mentality.

I'm not a millennial and I'm not coming in on a Friday for a lunch. Nor am i reworking my WFH days for a cocktail party in the office. Thankfully my company is not like this and as a result we have an incredibly high retention rate.

+1

This sounds like a terrible place to work. Hopefully the junior associates were updating their resumes.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t go to my firms holiday party last Friday. I’ve never gone. I’m 47. No big deal.