4 ms·

what do you mean by "stable work environment"? Regardless of how you've defined it, according to your definition, it's something that is (at lest sometimes) bey

what do you mean by "stable work environment"? Regardless of how you've defined it, according to your definition, it's something that is (at lest sometimes) beyond the control of management ("If the nature of your business is such that this is impossible...."). are you saying that it's your experience that older workers tend to "blame everything" on the manager--even when particular instability is beyond the manager's control? i should think the more experience one has, the more likely they are to understand the source of a given impact on their work and the more patient they are likely to be--ie, they've seen it before, and don't take it personally. at the same time, if indeed the instability is in fact the manager's fault, then i suspect one with more experience is more likely to identify that fact and bring it to the manager's attention.

danieltillett 9y ago
I am saying that people who are struggling in their job blame their boss as the cause. If you put a person into a job that is beyond them they will find an external factor to blame. In my experience this is most commonly management. This is something both young and old do. While I am not claiming to be a perfect boss (far from it), most of the causes of rapid change my employees have faced are external factors totally outside my control. Small companies are by their nature prone to being buffeted by outside forces. It makes things exciting, if not predictable.
- talmand 9y ago
  Maybe the reason they are struggling in their job is because of the boss? Such as "If you put a person into a job that is beyond them..."? In my experience if there are external forces beyond the manager's control causing problems for the workers, then the cause is likely someone further up the chain than the manager. Eventually you have to reach someone that is responsible for what happens inside the company.
  - danieltillett 9y ago
    Yes the boss has to take responsibility for putting a person into a job they are unsuitable for - I have done this thinking I could put smart and hard working older people into jobs that required a lot of context switching. I take full responsibility for the result. My only defence is I was young and inexperienced. I thought I was being smart by hiring the people other businesses discriminate against. I did at least learn.
    - phd514 9y ago
      It's unclear to me that all the variables have been accounted for in a way that justifies the conclusion that younger workers handle high context switching better than older workers. It's entirely possible that younger workers are simply unaware that frequent context switching is very inefficient so they simply uncomplainingly though inefficiently plod forward in such situations. Sure, that makes for less immediate negative feedback to their immediate managers, but it also makes for less long-term value for the company. As a middle-aged employee, I am at least somewhat more aware of the situations in which I am highly productive and the situations in which I am less productive. When the latter types of situations are more prevalent without good reason, I raise those as problems to my manager since he or his managers should be aware of them. In my experience, my managers have appreciated my proactive feedback rather than my silently plodding through inefficient cycles of work. Perhaps there are situations where the latter is preferable, but I have not encountered them.
      - danieltillett 9y ago
        All I can go on is my personal experience which was putting older workers into jobs that have inherently high rates of context switching didn’t do well, while younger workers doing the same job thrived. I agree with you that there maybe other confounding variables and that there are certainly older workers that are able to thrive in such jobs, just my experience makes me wary. I am also wary of putting younger workers into positions where sustained focus is required. Ultimately neither old nor young workers are bad, they just have different strengths and weaknesses and you need to match the best person to the job.

danieltillett 9y ago

I am saying that people who are struggling in their job blame their boss as the cause. If you put a person into a job that is beyond them they will find an external factor to blame. In my experience this is most commonly management. This is something both young and old do. While I am not claiming to be a perfect boss (far from it), most of the causes of rapid change my employees have faced are external factors totally outside my control. Small companies are by their nature prone to being buffeted by outside forces. It makes things exciting, if not predictable.

talmand 9y ago
Maybe the reason they are struggling in their job is because of the boss? Such as "If you put a person into a job that is beyond them..."? In my experience if there are external forces beyond the manager's control causing problems for the workers, then the cause is likely someone further up the chain than the manager. Eventually you have to reach someone that is responsible for what happens inside the company.
- danieltillett 9y ago
  Yes the boss has to take responsibility for putting a person into a job they are unsuitable for - I have done this thinking I could put smart and hard working older people into jobs that required a lot of context switching. I take full responsibility for the result. My only defence is I was young and inexperienced. I thought I was being smart by hiring the people other businesses discriminate against. I did at least learn.
  - phd514 9y ago
    It's unclear to me that all the variables have been accounted for in a way that justifies the conclusion that younger workers handle high context switching better than older workers. It's entirely possible that younger workers are simply unaware that frequent context switching is very inefficient so they simply uncomplainingly though inefficiently plod forward in such situations. Sure, that makes for less immediate negative feedback to their immediate managers, but it also makes for less long-term value for the company. As a middle-aged employee, I am at least somewhat more aware of the situations in which I am highly productive and the situations in which I am less productive. When the latter types of situations are more prevalent without good reason, I raise those as problems to my manager since he or his managers should be aware of them. In my experience, my managers have appreciated my proactive feedback rather than my silently plodding through inefficient cycles of work. Perhaps there are situations where the latter is preferable, but I have not encountered them.
    - danieltillett 9y ago
      All I can go on is my personal experience which was putting older workers into jobs that have inherently high rates of context switching didn’t do well, while younger workers doing the same job thrived. I agree with you that there maybe other confounding variables and that there are certainly older workers that are able to thrive in such jobs, just my experience makes me wary. I am also wary of putting younger workers into positions where sustained focus is required. Ultimately neither old nor young workers are bad, they just have different strengths and weaknesses and you need to match the best person to the job.