20 Jul Why Are People So Terrible At Their Jobs?

Is it just me or does it seem like everyone is terrible at their jobs these days? Not trying to sound like a grumpy Grandpa, but seriously; I’m actually shocked when someone does a good job at what they were hired to do. This is especially apparent in anything customer service related as Gen Z has gotten a lot of flack for not giving a sh-t. Before we jump to conclusions for who’s to blame, let’s analyze the situation and break down some of the reasons why it seems that people are terrible at their jobs today.

They Don’t Care

One pattern I’m seeing repeatedly today is how little people care for others. Individualism has fostered an “it’s all about me” attitude with little room for community. This has trickled into the workplace where people no longer care about customers, their coworkers, or the very job that is providing an opportunity for them to live. It’s “how do I get mine” instead of “how do we take care of each other”. I’ll tell you a little secret, this never ends well.

As humans, since the beginning of our existence, we have been social animals dependent upon community to survive. Our entire evolution has been based on this fact and has dictated how we act, interact, and even how we develop biologically. Our survival was dependent upon how well we took care of each other and that dependency is still intertwined in our society today no matter how much we want to “do it ourselves”. In survival terms, not caring about other humans is counter productive to your own survival.

So it’s sad to see a customer service worker treat the customer with unwarranted rudeness, the fast food worker not caring enough to get your order right for the 5th time in a row, or the executive so caught up in their ego that they tank the whole company along with the staff’s livelihoods that depend on it. It’s born out of selfishness and its source is our individualistic culture itself.

They Aren’t Qualified

Just because you decided to go tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and got a degree does not make you qualified. This became extremely apparent when I began hiring people for my recording studios. We would get graduates from colleges that knew all the terms, but had no clue how to run a recording session or deal with a client. They were wholly unprepared for the reality of the situation because they had only trained in the theoretical. Basically, they could test well, but they couldn’t execute to get results if their life depended on it. A common theme I see from most college graduates today.

This same situation sadly applies to professionals and some “experts”. People assume because they have a “Dr.” or “expert” on their profile that they must be good at what they do. Sadly, I’ve seen otherwise. I’ve met with more terrible doctors than good ones, sometimes begging the question “How the hell did you get hired??”.

And don’t get me started on social media “experts”. As someone who works in marketing consulting for multiple companies and brands, I’ll tell you, 99% of influencers are anything but an expert. They mostly have an ability to get people to buy into their brand rather than true expertise in that particular subject matter. A simple way to tell the difference is to see if they spend most of their day “influencing” or working in their actual field of expertise. The way I see it is that if they have time to be on social media all day, they probably aren’t someone I’d like follow and learn from. I want to learn from the people doing it, not talking about it all day.

It’s Not Their Area

Time to correct a common misconception; not everyone was meant to do everything. Yes, your mom was incorrect when she held you when you were 5 and said you can be anything you want to be. Everyone is good at different things, it’s what allows communities and society to function with different people being good at different jobs. Some people are good at executing and some are better at supporting others.

This particular type of relationship goes all the way back to our hunter gatherer days where the men would go out hunting while the women supported the tribe community. One was the master of the physical world while the other was queen of the social world. Both needed, both important for the tribe’s survival.

Sometimes people are not good at the job they are trying to do because it simply is not their thing. They may have only taken the job or gone into the field because of the money, or their parents forced them, or an emotional attachment to that job’s perceived importance (enter insecurity). Society, communities, and individuals for that matter function much better when people focus on their strengths and use those to contribute to the group.

It’s Not The Same World As It Was

The reality is that today is vastly different than it was before. Previously, it was a standard to be able to do your job well and was something to take pride in. Our culture has gone from one of unity and national pride to one of selfishness, narcissism, and not caring how your actions impact others. Childish behavior from people who have yet to grow up and see that we need each other, and that we only survive long term when we work together. We need each other, and selfishness is a short term game and a long term destroyer. We can do better.

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