“I need to get a job.” Walk down the halls of any high school on any random day you’ll find students discussing their need for employment. Therefore, it’s a shocker that despite almost every business in town having a “Now Hiring” sign posted on the windows, those businesses still remain understaffed—even with promises of good pay, flexible hours, and a positive working environment. The common belief by some is that teenagers are just “lazier” or “softer” than other generations. However, the reality is that the employment crisis is happening because employers just don’t seem to respect their teenage employees anymore.

     Visit any business, and you’ll see how things really work today, where many businesses are run by high school students, individuals who are now unprotected against harsh working conditions. Due to a 2020 change in Indiana legislation, high school students no longer have to be issued a work permit, and employers are now in charge of their employee’s hours, giving bosses the upper hand over their teenage employees. The change removes any school supervision over student employment. In previous years schools would be able to monitor and act as a buffer between a student and their employers to ensure everything was running smoothly. But now, businesses use the lack of monitoring to their advantage more often than not. From making teenagers work heavy machinery that they shouldn’t be allowed to operate, making them work longer and longer hours, or even giving them higher titles with no benefits, employers are not shy about crossing the line over what is technically legal and illegal.  

     Employers claim to value their employees’ education, but the actions of these companies say otherwise. More often than not, teenagers are the ones who stay until closing, which usually fall into the late hours of the evening. This leaves virtually no time for them to accomplish all their other tasks for the day, especially homework, which takes up significant time and energy. When students do try to voice their concerns about their schedules and work hours, they are often met with a rejection or an empty promise that their schedule will be fixed. As a result, students find themselves burned out and drained out of energy.

     It’s true that all jobs come with struggles and hardships–obviously one can’t expect a job to be entirely perfect. However, one thing that employers can do to help their employees feel more at ease and comfortable is listen to them. They can try to understand the frustrations of their employees and genuinely try to help, not just make false promises. And employees, especially students, can also try to be more confident and secure in themselves. They need to understand that their opinions matter and they deserve to be respected. At the end of the day, employees understand the stress that their employers deal with and can empathize with them. But, they also want employers to know that stress and frustration is not a valid reason for treating others with so much disrespect. It’s easy for employers to forget that both they and their employees are on the same team, which in the end, is all that matters.