Skills No Longer Expected in the Business World?

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

In these days with copy machines, I can understand that people don't need to know how to load a typewriter for a CC letter any more.

In these days with voice mail, I can understand (barely) that people don't need to know how to take a phone message.

But alphabetizing?

Apparently, alphabetizing is a really weird thing that no one needs to know how to do any more and people are not expected to actually do alphabetizing without explicit instructions (and an explanation why). I know this becase in the past four years, at two different jobs, the following have occurred:

1) When I have asked a subordinate or support person to alphabetize a stack of completed forms or files what have you, the person looks at me quizzically and asks, "Sure, but why?" You would think I asked them to wash clothing by banging it on against a rock by the stream. And half the time it's only alphabetized by first letter when I get it back, so "ABC agency" might come after "Ablest Agency."

2) When someone asks me for the form submitted by Charlie Childcare Agency and I can find it really fast and they ask "Wow, how did you do that?!" and I say "Because I have all the forms alphabetized by agency," they act amazed, almost like I'd just parted the Red Sea (or got a cab on 5th Avenue at 4:45pm).

Call me compulsive or old-fashioned or something, but it just seems to me that when one is presented with a boatload of somethings, it makes sense to arrange them in some way

So has alphabetizing gone the way of the dinosaur? What other standard operating procedures have disappeared? Are there things you do (business-wise!) that make your coworkers look at you funny?

[theworm[$]]

Um... I didn't think so.

what gets weird is that I often alphabetize in a different way than the computer does. The PC sometimes has strange rules about letters, numbers and capitalization.

[Joubert[$]]

I have noticed this as well. Go look at your Accounting Dept's files, especially the Payables. I know they're numbers people and all, but really....

[amykhar]

Watch your teens try to look up something in a phone book, and you'll be even more depressed.

[Prepoia[$]]

We teach it (although most still can't do it in middle school without instruction) but kids hate it because, "It takes too long." "I don't use a dictionary, I just look the word up online." Drives me nuts but I force the issue each and every year.

[jenninca]

I make the kids alphabetize their spelling list each week - and write it in cursive. There are two skills that really don't get emphasized much anymore.

Cindy

[eris esoteric]

Well, having been to highschool, Job Corps, and college, I can tell you why nobody you know knows how to alphabetize, MJ. It's because it's not taught anywhere except at Job Corps.

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

so... if there's a stack of identical forms filled out with information on different people or agencies or vendors or whatever widgets you work with, how are they ordered? Or is it just a random stack of hundreds of pages through which one must thumb to find something? How does anyone find anything??

[jgibson2[$]]

My 10 year old knows how to alphabetize. I think I explained it once. He even understands why it is useful. Go figure.

His problem, his spelling needs some work. It's hard to alphabetize if you're not sure what letter comes next.

[eris esoteric]

Seriously? Filing simply is not taught. We've gone from that stage when only "certain job types*" would be required to file anything to the stage where the expectation is that we're training people for a "paperless office**". So, before, schools felt they didn't need to bother teaching students how to do it since such a small percentage would concievably be doing it, and now they don't think they need to bother doing it because paper will magically disappear any day now and it won't be a problem.

*read: women, who obviously don't need to be taught that since that's just one of those things women are good at because it comes with the X gene.

*see also: military intelligence.

[emeleel]

Wow, my 10 year old doesn't have alphabetizing down cold yet, but he knows the basics. My 7 year old knows the really basic basics of it.

Don't forget change-making, for the lower end of jobs. We were in a new local chain grocery store the other day, and not only do their monitors tell them the amount of change, my son noticed that it actually tells the cashier how many dollars, quarters, dimes, etc. they should be giving back. Isn't that SAD?

[phoenixx]

Very. I actually love, love, love that the McDonald's around here tries to hire older workers from the retirement ranks. *They count my change back* I love that. But I love watching the confused face of the teenybopper behind them as they do it most of all. Oh, and they get my order right. The FIRST time.

[cristina1]

jenninca said

I make the kids alphabetize their spelling list each week - and write it in cursive. There are two skills that really don't get emphasized much anymore.

Cindy

Zachary's teacher does the same. He has different methods for combining spelling words with other skills. He does SPATH - you find the "code" number for each letter in the spelling word and add them all up. "Spursive" - writing the words in cursive and manuscript, etc. Alphabetizing the list is one of the easier lessons.

my son noticed that it actually tells the cashier how many dollars, quarters, dimes, etc. they should be giving back. Isn't that SAD?

You've GOT to be kidding?! I haven't seen one of these yet, but that is quite sad. It's no wonder people don't have the basic skills they need anymore. The volunteers at the concession stand not only can't make change (and everything ends in either whole dollar amounts, or increments of 25 cents) but they have a hard time adding up items purchased.

Oh, and they get my order right. The FIRST time.

I never have my entire order right. It is apparently hard to bend over and get apple dippers, apparently. My boys hate french fries, and they always order apples instead. We always get french fries, which makes the youngest act like his whole meal is poisoned.

[pippadaisy[$]]

That's why I like my McDonald's. They know me.

Three Mighty Kids Meals with double hamburgers TOTALLY PLAIN with NO BUNS.

The Apple Dippers are a walkin the park after that.

And HOW did you find children who hate french fries?????