SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CAREERS / THE PATCHWORK OFFICE : Managing Young Adults Requires Patience and Flexibility

They are a staple of the work force, filling one of every six jobs in America. More than 20 million of them answer telephones, stock warehouses and flip hamburgers.

They are teen-agers and young adults, the neophytes of the workplace. They are prized for their enthusiasm and willingness to accept minimum-wage jobs, but employers say their inexperience can also create unique management challenges.

Above all, managing young workers requires patience and flexibility, said Keith Gurian, who as house manager of the Hollywood Bowl is responsible for hundreds of teen-age ushers and ticket takers who sometimes lack the reliability of their older co-workers.

“You can’t expect a 9-to-5 account executive out of a $4.25 16-year-old,” Gurian said. “There is a certain amount of flightiness (among young workers). One thing I do is remember how hard it was to go to work when I was 16.”

Teens and young adults fill entry-level positions in restaurants and warehouses and in clerical and data-entry fields. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 6% of the civilian labor force is between the ages of 16 and 19. Another 10.4% is in the 20-to-24 bracket.

Common problems with young workers include tardiness, absenteeism and lack of effective communications skills, employers and job-training experts say. For example, they might not think much of arriving to work 20 minutes late or understand the ramifications of calling in sick only 15 minutes before their shift is scheduled to begin. They may not know how they are expected to act with customers, co-workers and superiors, said Carla Sameth, a career counselor at Pasadena-based Women at Work.

“The older workers tend to come to you with prior work experience and are used to the conformities of an organization,” said Pat Kiefer, who is in charge of general library services at the Los Angeles Public Library. “The new workers coming to you need to be told what the parameters of the job are, what the rules are,” but they adjust to them very quickly, she said.

Some managers report that these problems can be overcome by treating new workers in the same manner as their older colleagues. The young adults will rise to the occasion and act with the maturity of any 30- or 40-year-old employee, they said.

“We don’t cut them any slack, but we do counsel them,” said Angelica Hernandez, human resources manager for Sohnen Enterprises, a Santa Fe Springs electronics refurbishing company.

After all, “the rules are the same whether they’re 17 or 55,” Kiefer said.

Younger workers say they appreciate being treated like their older co-workers. Amy Balok, an 18-year-old who bused tables in an upscale restaurant, said she was annoyed when her superiors took a condescending attitude toward her.

“They’d think they’d have to explain common-sense stuff to us and remind us about stuff that everyone would know,” she said.

Problems also become less common as the new workers rack up job experience and adjust to social norms of the workplace that seasoned employees take for granted.

On the plus side, younger workers often bring more enthusiasm to a new job.

“There is a very high energy level within that group,” Hernandez said. “They often motivate the older employees.”

Employers also like teen workers because they are easier to train and often have more sophisticated computer skills than their elders.

For some employers, there is a real advantage to hiring workers early in their careers because they can be molded for a specific job and stay in it for a long time, Sameth said.

Teens and young adults used to have the advantage of being a comparatively inexpensive source of labor, but that has changed.

“Teens have it a lot harder than it used to be 10 years ago,” said Richard Cabada, a placement counselor with the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation’s job readiness program in Montebello.

“It’s an employers’ market,” he said. “They know that competition is fierce and that they could probably find themselves a very good (experienced) employee for half of what they’d usually work for, so they’re less willing to give a young individual a chance.”

A plethora of job-training programs have sprung up to help young workers get their feet in the door and make the transition into the working world. The programs prepare them for the basics--how to write a resume and fill out a job application--as well as provide career counseling to help teens and young adults identify careers that interest them.

“Kids need more than just, ‘Here’s your resume; call these people up and look for a job,’ ” said Rita Butler of Work, Achievement, Values & Education Inc., a national organization that helps at-risk teens and young adults get a foothold in the workplace. “They need to have social skills and believe in themselves that they can go out and do that.”

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POINTERS A Plethora of Programs

Some job-training opportunities for young adults:

* California Private Industry Council has summer and year-round youth training programs throughout the state. Call (800) FOR-A-JOB.

* Hope in Youth in Los Angeles provides training for young adults and helps place them in jobs. Contact Greg Fitzgerald at (213) 662-9636.

* Korean Youth & Community Center in Los Angeles offers two programs: The Youth Employment Competency Program offers job-skills training and tips for job preparedness. It also helps youths find internships. Contact Jennifer Chun-Park at (213) 365-7400.

The Youth Entrepreneurial Training Program gives young adults the opportunity to run a small business. Contact Ed Turley at (213) 365-7405.

* Los Angeles Urban League Milkin Family Youth and Literacy Training Center helps people between the ages of 16 and 21 develop skills to compete for employment. Contact Milton Brame at (213) 292-8111.

* Mexican American Opportunity Foundation in Montebello offers a comprehensive employment opportunity program to help 18- to 21-year-olds find jobs and adjust to the workplace. Contact Richard Cabada at (213) 890-9600.

* Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment in Los Angeles helps people between the ages of 16 and 21 obtain work experience. Contact Susan Santos or Tuiet Daccam at (213) 389-2373, Ext. 231.

* Women at Work in Pasadena has a Teen Employment Program to help male and female 16- to 21-year-olds find and keep jobs. Contact Carla Sameth at (818) 796-6870.

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POINTERS Tips for Managing Teens

Employers who work with teen-agers and young adults offer these suggestions for a productive work environment:

* Explain the ground rules. As newcomers to the work force, teens are not necessarily familiar with protocol that older adults often take for granted.

* Be flexible. Child labor laws restrict the number of hours teen-agers can work, especially during the school year. Be prepared to work around their schedules.

* Show respect. Young workers say they resent being spoken to in a condescending way. Address them in the same manner you would your older employees.

* Be patient. Teen-agers are easy to train and can learn quickly. In a matter of weeks, they can catch up with their more experienced co-workers.