AO, I agree that dtrammel works hard and exhibits a great work ethic regardless of his youth and “retirement” status. And I agree with dtrammel that the coronavirus stats may introduce more bias/age discrimination against older workers.
IMO, a lot of young people work hard and exhibit great work ethics as well.
All three of my adult children are under age 30. One is a manager in food service (small owner-operated business) and has had “work ethic” difficulties with only a few of her high school age employees. They were let go, sending a clear message and standard regarding employer expectations. The other workers are very dependable, eager to work and are in college or working another job. Business has slowed considerably and they’ve modified service for take-out only. She volunteered to take the next few weeks off (she’s self-isolating) and allowed others to who opted to work to take her shifts. This is a financial hardship for her, but she (and I) felt this was prudent. She’s finishing her last undergraduate semester, now on-line. Understandably but sadly, official graduation ceremonies are on-hold until a future date given pandemic concerns.
My eldest son is probably the youngest employee in his outfit, which requires teams to go into sites for surveys, assessments and such-which requires canvassing different terrains on foot sometimes in remote areas or construction sites. Invariably he is the one doing the most rigorous work as several of the age 40+ workers are physically out of shape. A few older workers have not kept-up with their professional training so he sometimes needs to compensate (diplomatically) for their gaps in knowledge on behalf of the team. He strives to learn whatever he can from all his co-workers regardless of age, education or job title.
My middle son works in a big box store nearly fulltime in addition to going to college fulltime (now all on-line due to the lockdown). He continues to add to his skillsets and credentials through whatever training is offered by his company. He tells me his store is packed with shoppers on some days despite the pandemic restrictions. He does his best to minimize risk, but not everyone (customers and workers) are as careful.
All three of my children are among the thousands of workers that are paid less and work hard–sometimes harder–than many of their middle-age and older counterparts.
Thousands of these younger people are now serving on the frontlines of the pandemic. Most are minimum-wage hourly or “gig” workers in/from stores, gas stations, and other “essential” businesses and services. The home delivery workers provide a lifeline of support to vulnerable self-isolating citizens and others at home, whether voluntarily or not.
While I haven’t traveled widely and interviewed small business owners regarding their experiences and perceptions of younger workers and their work ethic (or lack thereof), my experience in interviewing and supervising 72 college-age workers annually gave me quite a different perspective than yours. I found that, with three notable exceptions, these were very reliable, conscientious and hard working employees with a tremendous work ethic. Many exceeded expectations and requirements, putting in more than “a day’s work for a day’s wages.”
Given the pandemic, it is clear that thousands of hourly and gig workers are not being paid or rewarded commensurate to their level of effort, risk and contribution to society and the economy.
So tip them well and provide gloves, sanitizer or even masks to you can spare one as appreciation for their service during this crisis.
Instacart shoppers plan strike over treatment during pandemic
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/28/tech/instacart-planned-strike/index.html
(Embedded video of retail store employee interviews features adults of all ages.)