The trouble with ‘kids these days’: are we giving young workers a fair go? | Gaynor Parkin and Dave Winsborough

George had spent decades building his firm and was looking for someone with ‘common sense’. Over time, he learned the importance of being explicit about his expectations The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work “I want to be able to retire and leave it in good hands, it’s a great little business for someone.” George* was almost wringing his hands as he spoke, exasperation evident on his face, recalling an attempt to hire someone for his window-cleaning business.

“He didn’t even bring a pack-up [lunch from home] so we had to waste time driving to find a shop he could get food from. Then the next day he brought a tub of yoghurt, which by mid-morning had turned sour sitting on the dashboard of the van. The lad had no common sense!” George was trying to develop a succession plan. He loved his business, providing a high standard of care for his customers, many of whom had been