Kids these days. They waste time chatting with co-workers. They show up for their shift in shorts and T-shirts. And they take the afternoon off to go skiing. You just can't rely on them. But as the Baby Boomers retire and with too few Generation X workers to fill the void, this is the staffing pool employers are left with. And it's making things difficult for supervisors. Welcome to the Brave New World of Generation Y.

Dispelling the Myths About Generation Y

We're all creations of our environment and this next generation of workers, Generation Y, aka the Millennial Generation, was raised in an environment of instant communications, Starbucks and American Idol. Their opportunities are endless. And their work ethic, "Live Then Work," reflects a social evolution that's been taking place over the past 50 years. So how do safety supervisors integrate this new generation into the workplace? Well, first, they have to challenge their preconceptions.

Successful team leaders get the best out of their team members when they know who they're dealing with and where they're coming from. Let's start by dispelling a few of the myths surrounding Gen Y.

Myth: Young people have no loyalty.
Truth: Young people are loyal to people, not to organizations. Gen Y's parents were the victims of corporate downsizing. This is just one of the reason the Gen Yers don't have the same sense of loyalty to the company as Baby Boomers do.

Myth: Young people have high expectations and don't want to pay their dues.
Truth: It's not that they don't want to pay their dues; it's that they've always been told that they can do anything - dues were never mentioned.

Myth: Young people dress inappropriately.
Truth: Young people dress according to the latest fashions.

Myth: Young people need constant praise.
Truth: Young people have always received accolades regardless of their performance. They got trophies just for showing up at sports day.

Myth: Young people always seem irritated.
Truth: Young people are bored with working.

Myth: Young people don't have a clue.
Truth: Maybe they don't - at least not as far as workplace etiquette is concerned.

Myth: Young people are bluntly expressive.
Truth: They're the "just do it" generation and not accustomed to self-censorship.

Myth: Young people lack respect.
Truth: This generation has been raised to respond in kind, not according to hierarchy. They've got what's been called "self esteem on steroids."

Myth: Young people will quit without notice.
Truth: Well, that is a truth. With so many options available to young people and no visible consequences to quitting without notice, young people will go when they feel it's time to move on.

Conclusion

It's not all bad news, of course. Generation Y workers have many noteworthy attributes. They're adaptable, efficient and competitive. They're innovative, resilient and not easily shocked. And they're accustomed to teamwork. But the fact is, just as organizations adapted to the new workforce in the 1970s, today's employers will also have to make adjustments. Next week, we'll look at how you can get the most out of the Gen Y members of your team.

The Picnic Train Tragedy, July 17, 1856

THIS DATE IN HISTORY
July 17, 1856

By Ted Morrison

The “Picnic Train Tragedy” was the worst rail disaster of its time. It was primarily a failure of communication that killed 60 people, most of them under the age of 19.

The special picnic train had been contracted by a church in Philadelphia. News reports state that she carried between 1,100 and 1,500 people. She left Cohocksink depot, overloaded, at 5:10 a.m. July 17.

The train was late leaving, and the engine, named Shakamaxon, was notorious for low steam, forcing the engineer to stop several times to build up pressure. She was scheduled to arrive at the Wissahickon station at 6:00 a.m. and the engineer was trying to make up for lost time. He knew another train was coming, but hoped to use a siding near the station to pull aside and allow the other train to pass.

Meanwhile, at the Wissahickon station, another engine, the Aramingo, was preparing to leave. The conductor could have telegraphed to Cohocksink, but decided against it. After waiting 15 minutes for the Shakamaxon to arrive, the Aramingo pulled out onto the single track toward Cohocksink at 6:15.

At 6:18, coming around a blind curve, the trains collided. Both boilers exploded with a noise heard five miles away. The first three cars of the picnic train were destroyed outright. But most victims were trapped in the derailed cars, which caught fire.

The wreckage burned so hot that even though bodies could be seen protruding from the wrecked cars, no rescuers could get near. The local fire department arrived after a delay and doused the flames. But 60 people were already dead or dying.

The Aramingo’s conductor blamed himself for the tragedy and after reporting the accident, he returned home and killed himself with arsenic. The ensuing investigation, though, faulted the Shakamaxon’s engineer, who died in the wreck, for gross carelessness.

Following the wreck, railroads began to implement telegraph procedures to verify departures and arrivals. They also worked to twin tracks so that no two trains would have to share the same one.

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