Parents; do you think this workplace is suitable for my 16 year old daugher?

Question

My daughter has recently started a CO-OP program at a newspaper company. She comes home each day to say that there has been a lot of swearing, a bit of racist comments, constant bickering, and negative attitude. I have contacted my daughter's school right away when she told me that she heard a racist comment. I asked her to switch CO-OP placements, but she says no. What would you parents do about this situation? (Rude comments will be ignored.)

Answer 1

I would leave your daughter where she is. Have the racist comments been directed towards her? If so, that is a different story - and I doubt that anyone would refuse your request to switch CO-OP jobs if that were the case. In fact, that would be cause for some big time repercussions for her employers.
Talk to your daughter about how these things concern you but they are part of the world of work - because they are! Good thing she's learning that.
Tell her that your concern is that she doesn't start swearing, making racist comments or having a negative attitude herself.
It's a good thing you contacted the school. Not because they would be shocked but because it helps them get a better profile (which changes all the time) of a place they send students to.
I know a little bit of what I'm talking about. I have a daughter who applied, with no experience in the work force, at many local businesses for a summer job. The only place that offered a job and took her on as an employee right away was a convenience store. She has been working there whenever she can for about a year (summer and holiday breaks). Here are some of the things that happened to her on the job over that time period: a customer forgot a bag of cocaine at the counter, a customer had a heart attack, two employees got into a fight and one tried to throw the other over a counter. Not to mention some sexual advances and some casual drug use (the store's in a diverse neighborhood and right in the middle of everything.)
Do you think I would mind, compared to that, 'negative attitude', 'bickering', 'racist remarks'? I have let her continue to work there because she is 17 and I know that bad things can happen anywhere. Not to mention the fact that if I judge what is bad, I'd have to follow her 24/7 to be able to be that judge.
I envy her friend who has a job in a little boutique in a quaint part of town but frankly, now I know that bad things can happen in good places too. What counts is being able to say you had a job, you did it well, you came to work every day and you saved your money. So far, all those things are true about my daughter.

Answer 2

It's very sad that this happened and is happening,but the truth is,it can really happen anywhere.I would let her stay or a little longer,it could just be an icolated thing.If your familys ethic background is the one at the jokes expence,I would notify the work place,in person with your daughter.If its not about your ethicnisty,I would talk with her and reniforce that it is wrong.As far as the swearing,im sure she hears that at school,so although its not polite or somthing you want her doing its not a big issue.As far as a negitive attutiude and bickering,as im sure you know somtimes this (sadly) happens at a job,and altough these people may be a great assett to the company,they are less than nice to work with.Your daughter doesnt want to leave,and as her being 16 you could make her,but I think as long as it doent get way out of hand she should have atleast some say so,somthing I see you giving her.Keep her positive and show your trust and pride in her by telling her how proud you are that shes sticking to this.Let her know also that if she desides to leave but has good reasons,you will be ok with that too.
I really hope I helped in some way!Good luck!

Answer 3

I can understand your concern. Other than asking her to resign, there isn't many other options. If she needs this job or loves this job, I'd sit down and talk with her about how to handle the situation. Even though she is a teenager, she has the right to request people to watch what they say if it makes her uncomfortable. It is part of life that some work environments have more cursing and coarse language. I have found that mentioning that it bothers me to someone at work can really make the situation more tolerable. Your encouragement may give her the confidence to do that. Another option might be to give her a headset to wear at work, so that she can't hear what's being said. If her job is routine, she doesn't need to be "listening" to do the job, then a headset might be a good solution. It's tough seeing your sweet child enter the "dog eat dog" world, but it is good experience for her and a wonderful teaching moment for you to help teach your child what NOT to be when they enter the workforce full time. Best of luck to you.

Answer 4

I don't think that I would want my kids to ever work there! But, this is all up to your daughter. If she feels that it is okay (make sure that it's okay of course), then let her work there. Maybe she thinks it's fine. The only time that you need to worry is when your daughter is in real danger or if she can't handle this situation anymore. If those issues come up, contact the school (or the authorities if she is in danger) and ask about switching her workplace. One of the comments on this page that I thought was good was telling the people to "cool it" with the language. It is true; if you stand up for yourself, people will have more respect for you. Just talk with your daughter and give her advice about how to deal with these issues. It's okay to just talk with her. We can't always proctect our children, but, now she's sixteen. She'll be an adult in just two years! Let her learn about this and she will be just fine. Good luck!

Answer 5

Well....I wouldn't want MY child to work there, but, then again, it wouldn't be a bad idea. She needs to learn how to handle these situations because almost every workplace has this problem. No matter where you go....there is going to be swearing, rude comments, negative attitude, etc. The one thing that should not be ignored is the racism. Racism is totally wrong. But, if this continues to worsen, I would pull her out immediately. Talk with her about how to handle these problems; it would be a good tool to have when working in the real world. Good luck to you!

Answer 6

Hello real world!. Sounds like most work environments. You should let your daughter know that there are other people out there that have been raised differently. You cant shelter her forever. Now is the time to talk with her about her values and how she will handled this type of environment. Either join in or strive to be a better person by not stuping to the same levels. She is going to have to deal with people like this eventually.

Answer 7

Not suitable for a 16 yr old. Someone should talk to the policy representative for the newspaper company about enforcing appropriate workplace behavior (ie: no sexual harrassment, racism, bad language if someone finds it offensive etc.) cause it sounds like the rep isn't doing their job.

Answer 8

Your daughter will have to deal with this behavior in the work place at sometime in her life. The whole purpose of this is for life experience on the job isn't it? I agree there are things that people will do and say that are wrong and she has to learn to tell them just that. My elementary age child would think nothing of telling someone even an adult,( that is just wrong) as she puts it. You can't run from issues you have to stand up and speak your mind sometimes. People will respect her for it too.

Answer 9

Well, how does your daughter feel about working in that environment? I'm sure it has to be stressful. Misery loves company. So.. maybe she should try to get her feet wet somewhere else. I would discuss this with her and help her come to the decision that this place may not be the right fit for her.

Answer 10

As much as we want to protect our kids from everything bad out there, we just can't. I think letting your daughter continue to work there will only help prepare her for the real world. I would however insist that she stops if you are worried about her physical safety. Hope this helps you a little, good luck, from one parent to another.