Preparing At- Risk Youth for Workplace Success “Kids These Days!” “Kids These Days!” Preparing At- Risk Youth for Workplace Success Dr. Steve Parese Danbury, NC 06/23/11

Part 1 Soft Skills What soft skills do employers demand? Why do some young people fail to use them? 06/23/11

Why are so many youth unable to fit in with the workplace culture? Part 2 Cognitive Conflicts Why are so many youth unable to fit in with the workplace culture? 06/23/11

Part 3 Successful Interventions How can we help youth adapt to the workplace? 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Let’s Play Teen Lingo! Let’s 06/23/11

Teen Lingo Workin' It Out “BAKED” = Stoned “His eyes are all messed up, man… I think he got baked last period!” 06/23/11

Teen Lingo Workin' It Out 2. “CHEDDAR” = Money “She hit it big on the slots last night! She got phat CHEDDAR now!” 06/23/11

Teen Lingo Workin' It Out 3. “FLOSSIN” = Showing off wealth “That fool got a new ride… now he be FLOSSIN’ all the time!” 06/23/11

Teen Lingo Workin' It Out 4. “GEL” = Get along with “Me and her… we really GEL, y’know?” 06/23/11

Teen Lingo Workin' It Out 5. “GRILL” = Your smile or mouth “Shut up or I’ll bust you in your GRILL.” 06/23/11

Teen Lingo Workin' It Out 6. “KRUNK” = Wild & exhilarating “That party tonight is supposed to be totally KRUNK, man!” 06/23/11

Teen Lingo Workin' It Out 7. “NINE” = 9mm pistol “I got my NINE tonight… nobody’s gonna mess with me!” 06/23/11

Teen Lingo Workin' It Out 8. “PUNKED” = Stolen “Ronnie’s car got PUNKED last night, and he’s is kirkin’ out!” 06/23/11

Teen Lingo Workin' It Out 9. “PIMPIN” = Trying to pick up girls “Look at him over there PIMPIN’ on Tessa. Isn’t he goin’ with Jamie?” 06/23/11

Teen Lingo Workin' It Out 10. “SPRUNG” = Obsessed with “It’s sad. Vanessa is so SPRUNG on Todd, she’d do anything…” 06/23/11

What soft skills do employers demand? Part 1 Soft Skills What soft skills do employers demand? 06/23/11

Defining “soft skills” Workin' It Out Workplace Soft Skills: “The personal and interpersonal skills needed to successfully adjust to the SOCIAL environment of the workplace.” 06/23/11

Team Activity Workin' It Out Work with your partner to brainstorm 5 SOFT SKILLS NEEDED TO SUCCEED AT WORK. E.g., Time management 06/23/11

Work-related “soft skills” Workin' It Out Self-control skills: √ Handling stress √ Managing anger √ Controlling body language 06/23/11

Work-related “soft skills” Workin' It Out Communication skills: √ Listening effectively √ Expressing a complaint √ Dealing with criticism 06/23/11

Work-related “soft skills” Workin' It Out Social skills: √ Interrupting a conversation √ Joining social activities √ Empathizing with others 06/23/11

Work-related “soft skills” Workin' It Out Problem solving skills: √ Prioritizing problems √ Avoiding assumptions √ Predicting outcomes 06/23/11

KEY POINT #1 Workin' It Out Workplace success requires not only strong vocational skills, but mastery of a range of social skills as well. Many at-risk youth have serious difficulties with these vital skills. 06/23/11

Part 2 Cognitive Conflicts Why are so many young people unable to fit in with the workplace culture? 06/23/11

Why do so many youth fail to use important soft skills? Workin' It Out SKILL DEFICIT MOTIVATION DEFICIT COGNITIVE INCOMPATIBILITY 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Sweeeeeet! Imagine you are a teenager who’s been hired at a clothing shop (Abercrombie & Fitch) in the mall. 06/23/11

Would you mind hanging up these new dresses for me, please? Workin' It Out Would you mind hanging up these new dresses for me, please? How about running down to Starbucks and grabbing me a latte on your next break… I need you to pick up my son from daycare and spend an hour at the park with him… 06/23/11

@#$% this!! Enough is enough! Workin' It Out @#$% this!! Enough is enough! You’ve reached “COGNITIVE INCOMPATIBILITY!” 06/23/11

What beliefs drive youth behavior in their PERSONAL LIVES? Workin' It Out What beliefs drive youth behavior in their PERSONAL LIVES? 06/23/11

Personal Beliefs Survey Workin' It Out In our personal lives, we use our personal beliefs to judge the appropriateness of our actions. 1. Life should be fun! 2. Family comes first. 3. It’s okay to take a break when you’ve worked hard. 06/23/11

Personal Beliefs Survey Workin' It Out In our personal lives, we use our personal beliefs to judge the appropriateness of our actions. 4. Friends should help each other out with problems. 5. Personal appearance is a personal decision. 6. No one has the right to boss you around. 06/23/11

Thomas’ Home Situation Workin' It Out Thomas has a fight with his parents when they criticize his choice of clothes. 06/23/11

Thomas’ Home Situation Workin' It Out “Pull your pants up! Change that shirt! Take out that earring! WHY CAN’T YOU GUYS JUST LET ME DRESS MYSELF?” 5. Personal appearance is a personal decision. 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Lori’s Home Situation One night. Lori decides to have a few drinks with her friends and stays out past her 11PM curfew. When she gets home, her aunt is furious with her, but Lori blows her off. 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Lori’s Home Situation “It’s MY life. I’m old enough to make up my own mind about what I can and can’t do!” 6. No one has the right to boss you around. 06/23/11

What beliefs drive employers’ expectations of behavior in our WORK LIVES? Workin' It Out What are their “UNSPOKEN RULES?” 06/23/11

Workin' It Out “UNSPOKEN RULES” You hire a babysitter for the evening to watch your two young children. What expectations are so “common sense” you wouldn’t bother to state them out loud? 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Unspoken Rules of Work At work, employers use unspoken professional expectations to judge our actions. a. Work comes first. Don’t let home issues get in the way. b. Do what you are asked to do, even if you don’t want to. c. Do your best to fit in. Don’t act or dress TOO different. 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Unspoken Rules of Work At work, employers use unspoken professional expectations to judge our actions. d. Always stay busy, or at least LOOK busy! e. Work is work. Don’t expect it to be fun. f. Stay out of other people’s problems. 06/23/11

Conflicting Rules of Home versus Work Workin' It Out The rules which guide our PERSONAL LIVES often conflict with employers’ UNSPOKEN RULES. Compare the lists on pages 4 and 5 to find the opposing rules. 06/23/11

Conflicting Rules of Home versus Work Workin' It Out 1 The rules which guide our PERSONAL LIVES often conflict with employers’ UNSPOKEN RULES. Life should be fun! Work is work. Don’t expect it to always be fun. 06/23/11

Conflicting Rules of Home versus Work Workin' It Out 2 The rules which guide our PERSONAL LIVES often conflict with employers’ UNSPOKEN RULES. Family comes first. Work comes first. Don’t let personal issues get in the way. 06/23/11

Conflicting Rules of Home versus Work Workin' It Out 3 The rules which guide our PERSONAL LIVES often conflict with employers’ UNSPOKEN RULES. It’s okay to take a break when you’ve worked hard. Always stay busy, or at least LOOK busy! 06/23/11

Conflicting Rules of Home versus Work Workin' It Out 4 The rules which guide our PERSONAL LIVES often conflict with employers’ UNSPOKEN RULES. Friends should help each other out with problems. Stay out of other people’s problems. 06/23/11

Conflicting Rules of Home versus Work Workin' It Out 5 The rules which guide our PERSONAL LIVES often conflict with employers’ UNSPOKEN RULES. Personal appearance is a personal decision. Do your best to fit in. Don’t act or dress too different. 06/23/11

Conflicting Rules of Home versus Work Workin' It Out 6 The rules which guide our PERSONAL LIVES often conflict with employers’ UNSPOKEN RULES. No one has the right to boss you around. Do what you are asked to do, even if you don’t want to. 06/23/11

KEY POINT #2 Workin' It Out Most employers have unspoken expectations which they seldom explain directly to new employees. These often conflict with the beliefs young workers use in their personal social lives. 06/23/11

Part 3 Successful Interventions How can we help youth adapt to the workplace culture? 06/23/11

COGNITIVE- BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS Workin' It Out COGNITIVE- BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS CBI focuses on promoting positive self-change by developing: 1. Awareness of the thinking and beliefs which drive one’s unproductive behavior (cognitive); and 2. Stronger interpersonal and intrapersonal skills for managing difficult situations (behavioral). 06/23/11

“Seek first to UNDERSTAND, Stephen Covey, author of “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”: “Seek first to UNDERSTAND, Then to be UNDERSTOOD.” 06/23/11

Cognitive psychologists call this: CODE SWITCHING 06/23/11

You’re an All-Star defensive end on your high school football team. TACKLE HIM ! TACKLE HIM!! TACKLE HIM!!! 06/23/11

The basketball coach approaches you and says, “I need you on my team!” TACKLE HIM! 06/23/11

Players learn to “CODE-SWITCH” from football to basketball. Youth must learn to “CODE-SWITCH,” from home beliefs to workplace expectations. 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Two CBI Strategies When youth are behaving unprofessionally at work because of strong underlying personal beliefs, consequences alone are often not enough. A combination of cognitive coaching and direct instruction in social cognitive skills is often a more effective strategy. 06/23/11

Strategy 1: Cognitive Coaching Indirectly teach workplace attitudes and skills by coaching students through problems. 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Workplace Conflict #1 After his release from juvenile detention, Thomas found a job in maintenance at a major hotel chain. He had a disagreement with his supervisor when asked to remove some of his facial jewelry and cover up his tattoos. 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Thomas’ Point of View “Why can’t I wear a nose ring? Why do I have to cover my ink? What does that have to do with cutting the grass?” 5. Personal appearance is a personal decision. 06/23/11

Supervisor’s Point of View Workin' It Out “He’s a good worker but he doesn’t understand about company image. All those tattoos and piercings scare some of our guests, and in our business, you have to keep up a certain image.” C. Do your best to fit in. 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Seek first to understand: Then to be understood: “So the way YOU saw it, it shouldn’t matter how you look, as long as you do your job and no one complains?” “Exactly!” Then to be understood: “Let’s try to figure out why your supervisor didn’t see it the same way. What possible reasons could he have for objecting to your nose ring?” 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Workplace Conflict #2 To impress the judge at her next court appearance, Lori got a job as a checker in a supermarket. During a slow moment, her boss asked her to clean up a spill in the back, but she ignored him. 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Lori’s Point of View “I’m a clerk, not a janitor! He should get a janitor to do stuff like that. Why do I always have to do what HE says?” 6. No one has the right to boss you around. 06/23/11

Supervisor’s Point of View Workin' It Out “If she’s standing there doing nothing, I’m going to ask her to help out. She’s always bending the rules, like they don’t apply to her.” B. Do what you are asked to do, even if you don’t want to. 06/23/11

Workin' It Out Seek first to understand: Then to be understood: “So from your perspective, being your boss doesn’t give him the right to TELL you what to do.” “Yeah, I guess…” Then to be understood: “But technically, he DOES have that right, Lori. Unless he’s asking you to do something illegal or unethical…” 06/23/11

Strategy 2: Cognitive Skills Instr’n Directly teach workplace attitudes and soft skills by providing classroom-based instruction. 06/23/11

Strategy 2: Cognitive Skills Instr’n √ Self-Awareness & Self-Control √ Expressing a Complaint √ Dealing with Criticism √ Logical Problem Solving 06/23/11

KEY POINT #3 Workin' It Out Youth have a natural tendency to use PERSONAL beliefs when judging their WORK behavior. We must help them develop both cognitive AWARENESS and new interpersonal SKILLS to better fit into the workforce. 06/23/11

“Beginning to Work It Out” Workin' It Out “Beginning to Work It Out” For youth and young adults at risk of drop- out, under- employment, incarceration, etc. 06/23/11

THANK YOU! Workin' It Out Dr. Steve Parese SBP Consulting, Inc. Web: WorkinItOut.com Email: SBParese@aol.com 06/23/11