Those Were The Days

I hear Mary Hopkins in the background singing "Those Were The Days." The song, released in 1968, reflected a mood of youth in the day. The tone of growing away from friends, family, and moving out of the old neighborhood.

Throughout the years I heard this phrase countless times. My family and friends used the phrase to recollect days gone by. Listeners usually follow the line with rolling their eyes in anticipation of hearing about "the good old days."

In 1968, workplace learning usually occurred on the job. Tech schools popped up after World War II, so plenty of vocational training provided more technical related skills. At the workplace, we usually learned safety, workplace civility (more on this later,) teamwork, and engagement came from more senior employees. How we should behave in the workplace, the importance of completing assigned work, and producing quality merchandise or services came by way of experienced employees. We learned neighborly behaviors at a younger age.  Senior employees continuously reminded younger workers the importance of these values.

For those so eager to put senior employees to pasture, you miss the very essence of senior values. I am not placing senior employment issues at the feet of employers, but the hiring/releasing trends point to a loss of seniors, the hesitancy to reemploy seniors, and thus the loss of senior values in the workplace.

Our training cannot solve all workplace issues. On-the-job training is not tethered solely to human machine interfaces or pure production. On-the-job training includes social skills, work ethics, workplace civility, and because we now have courts in our workplace, those regulatory issues mandated by lawmakers.

• Social Skills - this is not about Facebook, Classmates, or Together We Served. We frame social skills as the very heart of appreciating others and what others bring to the table.
• Work Ethic - work is a four-letter word. It is not always fun, delightful, or even sunny. As Larry Winget says, "It's Called Work For A Reason."
• Workplace Civility - perhaps one of the most forgotten or ignored aspect of teams and (to some extent) production. How we treat others, respect, apathy, empathy, and as Rodney King asked, "Can't we all just get along?"
• Mandates - why so many mandates? We failed to recognize the first three. We lost sight of how to treat others. We lost respect for our bosses wanting more than a fair salary. We wanted what the boss had.

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end . . ." but unless we embrace change older workers can, and do, instill those days will end sooner for many.