Woman Shares What She Was Not Prepared For In The Corporate World, Starts A Debate

The sign of a good manager and company is that they take the time to show you the ropes. Instead of plopping you straight into your workday to figure things out for yourselves, they have a formal training system to quickly and efficiently improve a newbie’s skills.

Alas! That’s far from how many businesses function. The level of unprofessionalism and chaos can be staggering, as new hires are left to fend for themselves. And then the bosses wonder why there’s such a huge turnover!

TikToker @corporateamericaburnout went viral on TikTok after sharing the shocking truth that she learned about the American corporate landscape: many companies don’t actually have formal onboarding and training programs, meaning everyone’s pretty much just winging it. “Most people have no idea what they’re doing,” the TikToker said. Scroll down for the full video, as well as the internet’s reaction to it. Got any experience with the lack of training at work? Share your experiences in the comments.

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The TikToker went viral after replying to another content creator, @jennahushka, who had asked the online community about the things that they totally weren’t prepared for when they entered the corporate world.

Besides sharing interesting commentary about various work-related issues on TikTok, @corporateamericaburnout also describes herself as a marketing consultant, small business owner, and—yes, very fittingly—a corporate burnout.

The TikToker touched upon an interesting point that by not giving new employees the proper training, the higher-ups are simply asking for trouble. There are a lot of legal nuances concerning certain behaviors and formalities, so it’s in the interest of the long-term health and longevity of the firm to take the time, energy, and resources to onboard people properly.

And that’s beside the simple fact that, hey, you really can’t expect someone to do a good job in a new position if they’re not given the right support. Why have this Wild West/survival of the fittest/sink or swim approach if the end goal is quality work and good results?

If there are no formal training programs, then any onboarding that happens depends solely on the goodwill of the corporate office veterans. Though, have a think about what would happen if they decided to leave for better prospects (yes, the grass can be greener on the other side)? That’s right, all of that important knowledge goes with them.

And the company, as well as the new hires suffer as a result. This then causes more new hires to leave because they feel that their jobs haven’t taught them the right skills. Rinse and repeat. Having formal training programs should be a no-brainer at any company. Yet it’s truly shocking how often nothing like that exists: just have a chat with your pals about the situation in the job industry, Pandas. You’ll be surprised how even high and mighty companies can’t get the basics down. It is utterly bewildering how few people actually have the mental energy to sit down and write things down, to share with everyone.

Change starts with each employee, even if it should start with the higher-ups. Approach your manager for a chat about getting some proper training. Meanwhile, if you’re an office veteran, consider simply sitting down and writing down a small how-to guide for newbies.

Meanwhile, if you still feel like you’re not getting enough support, you might want to get in touch with your local American Job Center or the US Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The Department funds job training programs to improve the employment prospects of adults, youth, and dislocated workers.

“Programs are aimed at boosting workers' employability and earnings and are delivered primarily by states through the American Job Center network and tailored to local economies,” the Department writes.

In other words, there are some support systems in place to help you out, but you have to search outside the walls of your company. There are also plenty of online teaching programs and resources available, both paid and free, if you want to sharpen your skills on your own time.

It might not be the perfect solution to management that simply doesn’t care about fresh-faced employees, but it might give you the edge to climb the corporate ladder, find a better job elsewhere, or… develop a wide array of useful skills and quit and search for your passion elsewhere.