Situation

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(Read aloud.)

"One of my kids, one time he worked probably four weeks, got two paychecks, and then we didn’t see him for a week. He took those two paychecks and then disappeared to Florida to stay on the beach. He wouldn’t tell us, no warning. Just didn’t show up."

What Do You Think?

(Discuss for 10 minutes.)

• What would you do as a mentor when the youth returned?
• What issues does this situation raise?
• What are some different possible responses to the situation?
• Think of at least two reflective questions that would be appropriate in this situation.

The Mentor's Response

(Read aloud.)

1. "I told him, ‘Look, if you’ll tell me beforehand that you need some time to go party, I understand. But you can’t just not show up. This is a sixty-man department. Twenty of the sixty is your shift. So I’ve got to have you here when I expect you to be here. Otherwise I don’t make product and get it out of the door. If I don’t make product and get it out the door, everybody else loses their job. Work with me. Let’s make a schedule that you can stick to.’"
2. "You don’t resort to threat tactics or leverage or disciplinary action until you’ve tried to talk to them and shown them in good faith that you will work with them. That’s the first step. I’d say probably 60 percent of the time that works."
3. "Then you get the kid, he hears you and he goes through the motions. But then he drops back into his old behavior after a couple of months. And then you have to go to the next step."
4. "‘Okay, look, I’ve tried to work with you, but you’re not working with me. So here’s what we’re going to do. Here’s your schedule. I expect you to be here on these days. If you’re not, I’m going to treat you just like I would treat a regular employee, and I’m going to give you this many hours. After this many hours I’m going to start disciplinary action, and if I have to have a disciplinary talk with you three times, I’m going to suspend you from the project.’"
5. "That’s basically a copy of our work rules."

What Do You Think?

(Discuss for 10 minutes.)

• How was the mentor’s response different from those in your discussion?
• Were there similarities?
• Is there anything you would do differently after reading the mentor’s response?
• Are the work rules at your workplace different? If so, how does that affect your response?
• Would you respond differently to this situation with a youth than with a regular adult employee?

Role Play

(Allow 5 minutes to prepare.)

• Devise a two-minute role play that you will perform for the rest of the group.
  • One person play the youth, the other the mentor.
  • Try to portray a realistic situation that raises the key issues you have discussed.
  • Incorporate both your own and the actual mentor’s responses to this situation.
  • Feel free to change the situation to closer resemble your own.
• Both role players should be prepared to explain the reasons for their words and actions.