Your teen got fired from his McJob. How could that have happened? The job is so simple you don't even have to know how to read or write; the company's training manual is all pictures. What could have possibly gone wrong?
In the big scheme of things, getting fired from an entry-level job is not a huge deal. Your teen does not have to put it on his resume and no one has to know. It is only a problem if it happened within a consistent pattern of poor choices and difficult behaviors.
Before you do anything or lose your temper, examine the context in which your teen got fired. It may not have been his fault:
Was your teen asked to do something out-of-bounds? A Kentucky jury awarded a young McDonald's employee $6 million after a fake police officer falsely accused her of stealing and performed a strip-search. One boy got fired because he complained too often that gang members were harassing him to give them free food at the drive-through window.
Was there a personality clash between your child and his boss? This happens in business all the time. The boss may truly be an unreasonable person, and your child may be perfectly capable of pleasing someone else.
Did your teen have a problem with the nature of the business itself? Teens can be idealistic and hypercritical of adults and society, and they manage to communicate their attitudes in a variety of ways that upset employers. Such teens can do better at jobs more suitable to their views. For example, a radical environmentalist may openly object to how her old employer handled trash but become a fine employee of a local park system.
If the answer is none of the above, was getting fired your child's fault? Most after-school jobs require punctuality, civility, honesty, and a good work ethic. Did your teen fail to show up or did he show up late too many times? Once on the job, did your teen cop an attitude of hostility or laziness? Worse yet, did your teen steal from her employer? These are the most common reasons teens are let go.
Was having a job your teen's idea, or did you push it on him? If your teen truly did not want a job, that underlying attitude probably came through to his boss. If this was the problem, you need to sit down and talk to your child about why you believe having a job is so important. Let your teen have some say in the matter and give you reasons why he does not want to work after-school. Does he have good ones, such as he wants to participate in drama or sports, or that he can't keep up his grades while working? Can he find a job he likes better? Do you allow him to keep some of the money he earns? Letting your teen participate in such decisions will make him a better employee.
Finally, is losing this job just another piece in a pattern of poor choices? Teens who want to sit in their rooms all day and play video games, who are failing at school and show no interest in anything may be suffering from depression. If she stole money at work, she may have an underlying drug abuse or gambling problem. If he is always losing his temper, he may need anger management therapy. If losing the job was in the context of such negative behaviors, then you may need to address your teen's problems with a counselor or other mental health professional.
Labels: responsibility, jobs
Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments