Andrew Vine: Surly face of a social media generation

THE contrast between the people staffing customer service desks at two large stores in Leeds city centre could hardly have been more striking.

At the first, a young man handling returns frowned, mumbled, shuffled his feet and avoided eye contact as he dealt with the customers exchanging items of clothing that were either a size too small, or one too big.

The words “please” and “thank you” were alien to him, and though he did his job properly, dealing with the public was plainly an ordeal, which is a problem if you work in a shop.

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But what a refreshing contrast at the other counter. A bright, smiling young woman with an eastern European accent chatted to her customers as she briskly and efficiently got on with the job. She was a pleasure to deal with.

Unfortunately, in a lot of jobs that involve meeting the public, the frowners and mumblers are in the ascendancy, and that’s a problem for businesses.

It was highlighted in a recent survey by the British Chambers of Commerce, which delivered a stark verdict that too many of the young people leaving schools and universities are lacking in the most basic social skills, and jeopardising their chances of getting or keeping a job as a result.

They are abrupt to customers, cannot speak articulately, fail to make eye contact, fiddle with their mobile phones or don’t turn up for work on time. Such failings only aggravate shortcomings in literacy or numeracy, which are also a headache for employers.

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Bosses have called on schools to do more to prepare young people for the world of work, and also acknowledge that business has its part to play by forging stronger links with education.

We will find out today if business concerns about the preparedness of young people for work are shared by Ofsted, which is publishing its annual report on schools, further education and skills.

One of the most striking trends of recent years is how the influx of young people from eastern Europe has been seamlessly absorbed into customer-facing jobs. Employers presented with a choice between these intelligent, articulate and enthusiastic people and British school-leavers who appear tongue-tied and surly have unsurprisingly plumped for the former.

One restaurateur told me of a dispiriting morning interviewing for a new staff member. In trooped a succession of candidates. One by one, out they trooped again after failing to look him in the eye or speak up for themselves.

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His final interviewee was a recent arrival from Poland, who bubbled with keenness, answered questions with frankness and intelligence, and made eye contact. There was no contest. He proved to be one of the best people the restaurant has ever employed, popular with customers and colleagues alike.

A key reason why so many of our young people are failing to communicate – and putting their futures at risk as a consequence – is the level of self-absorption with mobiles and social media. It is ironic that the more they communicate in the virtual world, the less they do so in the real one. Text-speak, in all its terseness, is influencing face-to-face conversations. What is appropriate for a quick message dashed off by phone comes across as abrupt in conversation. And the ingrained habit of constantly peering downwards at a screen translates into an awkwardness about raising the eyes to look into somebody else’s.

Everybody is, to an extent, a product of their environment and the virtual one is fostering exactly the sort of behaviour patterns that are causing disquiet amongst businesses which depend on their staff communicating politely with customers.

Basic social skills must start at home. The demise of the traditional family dinner has played its part in eroding the ability to communicate.

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However gathering around the table to eat remains one of the best ways for children to learn how to relate to others, the back-and-forth of conversation so much more valuable in the long-term than a meal balanced on the lap in front of the television. Perhaps the most worrying question of all is what happens to the children of the generation already failing to express themselves? If parents are inarticulate, what chance will their sons and daughters have?

It’s time the young were encouraged to text a little less and talk a little more, for their own sake.