Are today’s generation of employees so bad they can’t even be trusted to work in fast food?
That’s the gist of TikTok user Amanda’s (@amandabarndt) viral video that accrued over 46,000 views on the social media app.
In her clip, she complains about the poor customer service she just received at McDonald’s on a simple order of soda and nuggets. Numerous folks who responded to her video stated that they, too, have encountered similar behavior from workers.
What is going on with fast food workers?
“What is going on with these fast food workers?” she says to start the video. “I just ran into McDonald’s because the line’s too long. To grab a large coke extra ice. That’s it, no big deal, that’s it. And when I got in there obviously the chicken nuggets were calling my name so I got a four-piece too.”
Amanda continues her tale, stating that an employee didn’t even assist her in processing her transaction. “I had to order off of the kiosk cause, can’t bother them to take your order. And then she brings it to me, or at the little counter, she brings it to me,” she says.
The TikToker was shocked at how terribly the employee messed up her meal. The first issue: a glaring lack of additional ice cubes placed inside of her drink. “She sets a large coke, not extra ice, they didn’t even add extra ice.”
She explains that the coke order mess-up wasn’t even the worst part, however. The worker’s demeanor left a lot to be desired to hear Amanda tell it. “And a bag down. Doesn’t say a word, and walks away,” she says.
Her fountain drink was also missing a straw. After looking around the establishment to see where she could get one for herself, Amanda came up short. She says, “No straw. There’s nowhere to get a straw in the lobby of McDonald’s anymore, apparently.”
She then grabs her bag of food from the front passenger seat beside her and begins looking through it. “I bet I don’t even have ranch in here for my nuggets. Why people gotta be so rude?” she asks.
Working with Gen Z
Amanda caps off her video, rhetorically asking the fast food worker who fumbled her order so badly a question. “You weren’t paid more money to do less work? What is the world coming to?” she concludes.
There’s been a lot of discussions surrounding Gen Z’s place in the workforce, with many decrying them as being lazy. Several outlets have referred to surveys and commentary from workplace managers and businesses. Yahoo wrote that “many employers have concluded that the Gen Z workforce is toxic and the ‘least reliable’ among all generations.”
The study referenced in the aforementioned piece was curated for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton strategies. 1,500 adults were queried as part of the study, and 38% of Millennials and 45% of Gen X-ers said co-working with Gen-Z’ers was a nightmare. A good amount of Baby Boomers, 41%, agreed with this anti-Gen-Z sentiment.
The most beloved generation to work with? Millennials, apparently. In the same study, 42% of all people said folks from this era were the easiest to get along with.
Difficult to manage?
The same Newsweek piece also indicated that folks though Gen Z employees posed significant managerial issues. However, Ajla Brama, who is a Gen Z business owner, expressed that these kinds of metrics paint an unfair picture of Gen Z.
To illustrate her point, Brama spoke to a core difference in how work culture is perceived between Gen Z’ers versus previous generations. Brama seems to suggest that the idea a person could love their job is a foreign concept for Gen Z. Furthermore, it would seem, so is developing a talent one enjoys honing to such a high acumen they can be paid for it.
Brama was quoted as saying, “Gen Z doesn’t put up with the BS of ‘work culture vultures.’ We see work as a means to pay for expenses, not as a lifestyle. This makes it hard for employers and older employees to understand our perspective because we’re not willing to go above and beyond for a job that likely won’t compensate us fairly.”
Forbes reported similar numbers to Newsweek while referencing a study conducted by Resume Genius. However this analytics firm focused primarily on hiring managers: 625 of them to be exact. 45% of surveyed individuals stated “Gen Z is the most challenging generation to work with.”
TikTokers agree
In the comments, it seems a lot of people think Amanda’s assessment of modern workers is spot on. “It happens everywhere anymore, no pride in their work ethic,” one person penned.
Another highlighted what they found to be an ironic shared trait among lots of modern employees today. And it’s the expectation of gratuity. “Don’t forget they put a tip jar out now too!”
One user on the application thought that Amanda’s story was just a clear cut example as to why she should stop eating fast food altogether. “This is a sign to stop going to fast food places,” they wrote.
As Amanda pointed out, however, “the literal caption of [her] video” stated just this.
“Reason 39272719 i need to stop eating fast food…” she penned.
@amandabarndt Reason 39272719 i need to stop eating fast food…
♬ original sound – Amanda
The Daily Dot reached out to McDonald’s via email and Amanda via TikTok comment for further information.
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