How do young people ever get any work done? They’re always so distracted

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the issue of distraction and lack of concentration among young workers, particularly in the construction industry. It contrasts the author's own experience as a distracted worker in the 1980s with the observations of a fire safety worker who struggles to train young employees due to their constant phone use and inability to focus.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Author's Past Experience

1. What was the author's job in 1985? The author was working for the family firm, doing scaffolding work on a housing estate.

2. What mistake did the author make during this job? The author dropped a steel coupler through someone's veranda roof.

3. How did the author's colleagues respond to his limitations? The author's colleagues, including the "erection manager" named Alan, were free to point out the author's many limitations in his scaffolding work.

4. How would the author's performance have been affected if he had a smartphone at the time? The author believes he would have been an even worse scaffolder if he had a smartphone, as it would have further distracted his already scattered mind.

[02] The Fire Safety Worker's Observations

1. What was the fire safety worker's job? The fire safety worker installed sprinkler systems, though it was not his dream job.

2. What issue did the fire safety worker have with young workers? The fire safety worker said young people were the problem, as they were too distracted to learn the job properly. They constantly reached for their phones, even when the worker tried to ban phone use, and their minds seemed to wander elsewhere.

3. How did the fire safety worker feel about the young workers' distraction? The fire safety worker felt frustrated with the young workers' lack of focus, but also felt a bit sorry for them, as they seemed incapable of concentrating long enough to learn the job.

4. What were the potential consequences of the young workers' distraction in the fire safety worker's job? The fire safety worker noted that the consequences of distraction were more immediate and potentially grave in construction-related jobs, compared to white-collar work.