In my org, all the important tasks are carried out by the long-timers that are close to retirement and the younger employees donćt seem too eager to learn and move away from the simple tasks. That has been going on for a while and I heard from a friend that works in another part of the company that it’s pretty much the same story over there. The managers are aware of that so I’m just wondering how things are going to get done when the long-timers retire or leave?
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Absolutely! Happened to me when I retired several years ago!
@2lnx+1b60WOSp
“Everyone is looking for ways to make themselves more useful”. Are you sure you work for EM?
Exxon always liked to hire, 30 years ago as well as recently, many young arrogant and insecure people who are desperate to show that they don’t have anything to learn from anyone. That perennial inclination for this type of difficult personalities is now amplified by the Hunger Games work environment, in which if you don’t step on others they will back stab you.
Boomers are by far the least helpful group at Exxon. If you ask them anything they scoff at you as if you should know it. And then I get on here and tout their self importance when in reality they’re only employed because of fear of a lawsuit. I’m in my 40s and I don’t know one young person that is not eager to learn especially during a time of high anxiety like this. Everyone is looking for ways to make themselves more useful. If no one is trying to learn from you it’s probably because you’re a bad teacher or your job is not as important as you think it is.
What happens when long timers leave? Well, those so called “up and coming” brilliant ones ring your da** phone off! Why? Because they thought they knew it all and wanted you out of the way so, like a polite guest you left the party. Now, you get 10 calls a week from the youngster that replaced you asking for help! Ha! Yeah, yeah, yeah…. I got this is all I heard. Sorry not sorry. Figure it out OR go ask that brilliant Napoleon manager…he knows it all.
hopefully you leave sooner than later, those tasks are probably already automated and they're just waiting for you to leave so they can stop pretending you do real work
Unsurprisingly, the same set of insults from arrogant young people who can’t see the writing on the wall. If any of you smart a$$es would have been around long enough to have seen another major downturn (not the 2013-2017 one), you would know that in such circumstances a lot of nasty things are fair game - massive outsourcing, repeated major layoffs, long years without promotions and pay rises. However, there are things that no normal management does; there’s a core that you can’t outsource and experienced workers you can’t just completely eliminate - otherwise it would have been done long ago. What is being done now has no equivalent in the past of Exxon or the industry at large. Yes, nobody is irreplaceable. You can shoot your foot and then replace it with a wooden one - it’s also not irreplaceable, but what do you think, after that you’re going to be running at the front of the pack or just limping along ?
I assure you that no one finds those tasks important but you, and you only do them because it’s the only thing that you know how to do, not because you’re the only one that knows how. Humble yourself, boomer.
Don’t worry, the art of PowerPoint has been already transferred to the younger generation. And for every old timer that works, there are 10 milking old relationships to retire on the job,
We will get better. Stayed too long for our own good.
@OP The same thing that happens everywhere else: automation, outsourcing, and offshoring.
There’s a reason everyone in the industry is moving large parts of their operations to places like Bangalore and Shenzhen (hint: it isn’t because they can’t find skilled workers in the US). Determining which major party the people doing the offshoring donate to will be left as an exercise for the more partisan readers.
Depends on the group but expect mistakes and be concerned if they are in financial roles such as Controllers. Mgmt Is sending the signal they aren’t too worried about the integrity of our financials if this happens. Experts leaving and younger, inexperienced replaces them.
Nothing will happen. When they leave, the younger crowd will learn the tasks and carry on. If anyone thinks they’re irreplaceable in this company, they’re fools. The machine never stops for anyone. Another note is that the younger crowd has no incentive to learn these tasks, as the older crowd has a tendency to hold things close to their chests in fear of their shine being stolen. So there’s no point in making efforts to learn until they leave. I’m on that very boat myself, with an old head stuck in his ways, but struggling to stay relevant at the end of his career. Can’t tell the guy anything without his ego being hurt.
The same thing that happened when the last batch of “irreplaceable “ long timers left… absolutely nothing.
Sounds like a myth that is being pushed by some old farts who are not capable of learning new stuff…..