There's a kid (age 22, tops) sound asleep in our now-deserted reception area. I believe he works in our mailroom, but he's not our mail carrier so he doesn't belong on this floor at all. He's curled up in a ball in one of the oversized leather chairs, impervious to the PING! of the elevator or the CLICK! of the door whenever anyone enters.
At first I was annoyed. He is soooo going to get caught, and undoubtedly reprimanded. Perhaps even fired, if this has happened before. It's unprofessional and stupid and not exactly the image a Michigan Avenue ad agency likes to project.
Then I got sad. How unprepared for the world is this kid? Hasn't it occurred to him -- hasn't anyone explained to him -- that the reason why the reception area is now deserted is that WE HAD LAY OFFS, and could again? Hasn't it occurred to him -- hasn't anyone explained to him -- no one else here just picks a big chair and dozes off? How many times is he going to be stalled in his progress, or worse, how many jobs is he going to lose, before he figures this stuff out?
I'm not being superior here. I'm no slouch at sloughing off during work (as evidenced by this very entry, being posted on company time). But I know when/how to do it! And besides, our positions are different. I'm expected to work evenings and weekends at a moment's notice, he's expected to be out of here at 5:00 PM.
I'm tempted to go out there, sit down in the chair beside his, put my feet up and explain the facts of life. If he's not feeling well, he should tell his boss. There are places he could lay down. If he's just bored, he should either ask for something else to do or (if he's in a sloughing off mood) go to the 39th floor, where the vending machines and TV are. But he should most emphatically NOT be sleeping in the reception area!
But he has no idea who I am and, if he's not ready to listen, he won't hear it. He'd either be embarrassed or, worse, angry at me for waking him, dismissing me as a dumb old fart. Still, shouldn't someone prepare him to make his successful, autonomous way through the world? Isn't that what parents and teachers are for?
It really is sad.
Sometimes you just have to stand back and allow people to do their thing. There might be a legitimate reason that he's there, asleep but chances are he's just not being professional and he won't learn about the "real world" until he experiences it for himself.
ReplyDeleteTeachers do the best they can, but without parental support, it's all for naught. We can only parent them from 8:00 to 3:00, Monday through Friday. It should be that our classroom procedures and rules reinforce the home routine. Unfortunately, too often it's the other way around.
ReplyDeleteI know school teachers face a Herculean task. But back in the stone age, when I was in high school, those of us who weren't heading to college were given classes on how to interview, how to dress for the workplace, what to expect on the job. We had HR reps from various companies come talk to us to reinforce this. Does this still happen? Or have these courses gone the way of many music and phys ed classes?
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