Arabic version: تدخلات الوالدين في العمل قد تقوّض مهارات المراهقين

According to Cnbc, some employers are seeing parents become involved in their teenagers’ first jobs, including by emailing management about schedules or informing supervisors when their children cannot work. Jennifer Wallace, the New York Times-bestselling author of “Never Enough” and “Mattering,” says parental involvement is following young people into their work lives.

The pattern is often described as “snowplow parenting” or “helicopter parenting.” Educator and bestselling author Esther Wojcicki has defined snowplowing as parents constantly removing obstacles so their children do not have to face challenges. Wallace says many parents act from love and anxiety after absorbing the idea that grades, activities, recommendations and early work experiences can affect a child’s future.

But employers may interpret direct parental intervention as a warning sign. Wallace says an employer may wonder whether a teenager can communicate independently, accept feedback, exercise judgment and take responsibility. Jason Purvis, owner of Sidewalk Coffee & Bagel in Queen Creek, Arizona, has hired teenagers for years and previously spent 17 years at Chick-fil-A. He recalls discussion in a franchise Facebook group about parents demanding information about their children’s schedules and workplace training.

Denise Beckson, vice president and chief administrative officer at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey, says young adults do not learn to handle workplace issues themselves when a parent contacts an employer on their behalf. Wallace says such interventions can also deny children the evidence they need to believe they can handle difficult situations.

Wallace advises teenagers to seek parents’ input on an email they write themselves rather than asking a parent to take over. When mistakes happen, she says teens should acknowledge them and apologize when appropriate. Parents, she says, should ask whether they are helping a child build a skill or showing a lack of confidence in that child’s ability. The goal, Wallace says, is not to ensure a child never struggles at work, but to help them meet struggle when it comes.