Teen employment is on the rise statewide as Indiana youth are more likely to be employed than teenagers nationwide.
Following a downturn due to the recession, teen employment has been on the rise with employment rates jumping from 25.3 percent in 2015 to 35.6 percent in 2016, according to the Indiana Youth Institute.
Tami Silverman, president and CEO of the institute, said teen employment is usually slower to rebound after a recession but things are looking up.
“It’s a wonderful time for any teen to be looking for a job,” she said. “More and more employers are looking for teen employees.”
Some employers are showing a willingness to work with teen employees and can help keep them employed.
“We’re seeing employers being more flexible in scheduling,” Silverman said. “The ones who do it really well, they’re creating systems that work with the teen population.”
This includes online scheduling that teens can access on their phones, Silverman explained.
Local businesses have found that flexible scheduling is well-received by teens and is beneficial for both parties.
“We’re very flexible as long as they tell us in advance,” said Andy Davis, director of the Marion Splash House, which employees around 50 teens. “We realize they have a lot of stuff going on. We want them to stick around so we will work with them as much as possible.”
Amanda Bemis, manager at McDonald’s on North Baldwin Avenue said many of her young employees have high school football and cheerleading practices.
“I’m always willing to work around that,” she said. “It makes them more willing to work as long as I work with their scheduling.”
In return, the students have been more reliable.
“I haven’t had any call off even when I know they have a busy day,” Bemis said.
Bailey Mansbarger of Sophie’s Ice Cream Shop in Gas City, also said flexible scheduling definitely makes a difference in keeping teens employed.
In addition to the obvious – earning a paycheck – having a job as a teen can be valuable in learning workplace lessons. Silverman explained that for many teens they are working in a low risk environment which usually means mistakes aren’t dire to the business.
“It’s better to be late to your job at the local ice cream job, not your first real job,” she said.
Better yet, many employers understand this, Silverman added.
Davis said for many of his employees it’s their very first job. With this comes some bumps in the road, such as learning to be on time and finding a sub when they cannot work.
“For some it’s a harder lesson to learn than others,” he said. “For the most it’s been good. There have been a few issues here and there but we have a good group this year.”
Learning to interact with people is an important skill in any line of work which is something teens learn while working at the Splash House.
Caitlyn Southerland, 17, has worked at the Splash House for three years and said she’s been able to overcome her social anxiety by interacting with customers.
“You get to interact with the public,” she said. “It was a big life change for me. It’s really helped and now it’s pretty easy.”
For David Geiken, 17, his summer job at the Splash House is his first and it’s came with plenty of learning opportunities..
“I’m always up to learning new stuff,” he said. “I’ve learned how to work the cash register, I can work on the slide, concessions, and I know how to clean bathrooms better.”
Too much work as a teen can be detrimental, however. Silverman said many summer jobs will become jobs throughout the school year. Teens shouldn’t work too many hours once schools starts back up.
“More than 20 hours is not beneficial,” Silverman said. “That’s the line in the sand.”
Working more than 20 hours per week can have a detrimental effect on a teen’s school work, according to Silverman.
Silverman said the best thing any employer can do with teen employees is be honest.
“Kids can be responsive,” she said. “Be up front with them so they know what to expect.”