Disclosure: Said young man is our Grandson aged 17 at present and turning 18 in the first week of November. He has been living with us for the last six years after a relationship breakup. Over the years his high school attendance became more and more infrequent – truancy officers were involved on our initiative. After the first Covid lockdown in 2020 he went back to school for one day and then stayed away because on that first day back the school headmaster said at a full school assembly – `do not come to school if you have a cough, cold, sore throat or are feeling unwell in any way’.
Now to the guts of the post.
When he turned 16 grandson got a job with a national retailer and has been there almost exactly two years on a part time basis. He has enjoyed his job and his attendance has generally been good but he only has 26 hours a week and he has finally realised he needs more hours. So in the last two weeks he has applied for full time jobs at two other retailers. In both cases he got interviews which he said went well.
Then this happened.
On Thursday of this week mrspdm and I had a couple of late morning appointments We knew his mother who lives about 2 hours away was going to be in town and would probably be taking him out for lunch. We were about ten minutes from home when he phoned me and said – `I am going home with mum and will be back Tuesday’. My immediate response was what about work – its okay I have been in and told them I would not be there – his usual hours were on Friday 7 hours, Saturday 7 hours and Monday 4 hours and he will (should) be back for his Tuesday and Wednesday shifts.
Now here is the kicker:
He has three referees for his new job applications and two of them are Supervisors in his current place of employment. Given he has buggered off from his job without proper notice what will they say? His mother would have known of his work commitments and given either it or his employment future no consideration whatsoever.
Would you as one of the two businesses that interviewed him employ him if his referees told you what he has just done?
No Minister 
Sadly – because you hate to see young people without work and aimless in life – but the answer would have to be no.
Sadly, Mum has destroyed his chances of getting a better job until he can rebuild his credibility with his referees. Most employers will give a young person more leeway than normal, but there are limits and leaving them short-handed with no warning is pushing it.
Sadly
mum' has been a disaster since she came into our sons life. One day I may do ano names’ post on the damage she did to our son and their three children. Said son is probably not blameless but he put up with more shit than he should have and my post above reflects the harm done to just one of their three children.No He’s all good.
There is such a huge shortage of labour in NZ he’ll get another job. In a couple of years time when the recession has hit, yes it would have been a problem,
I never read references, i never use recruitment agencies, I go off face to face interview.
Installers, if I accept them, especially young ones, get you are a dick head speech, you get 3 chances and on the 3rd you are fired.
Its as good as any system, as i have some losers who turned their lives around because of me. I reckon somewhere between 5 and 10 guys. It gives me one of the best feelings ever of being an employer.
As long as he is honest and says I was dumb and young please give me a chance as at 17 guys like him are dick heads.
Good Luck. If he lived in Wellington I would sort him out, or rather my crew of installers and Operations Manager would!!
It’s weird, there seems to be a section of NZ society that has completely opted out of what 20 years ago was normal, study, get a trade or a uni degree and support a family. Somehow they think that the government will look after them forever. It won’t end well, the best will move to Aus and rest will slide into a South Pacific Venezuela, or worse Haiti.