MEET “Daemon”, 20, who just graduated from university with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.

His career ambition is to one day be the minister of finance. He was fortunate to land a job as a junior executive in a telecommunications firm and has made an impact as a bright spark with great promise.

But Daemon has one problem — he feels he is God’s gift to the organisation, which he insists is being held back by most of his co-workers who are too lazy and/or old-fashioned, all the while neglecting his own failings.

Daemon represents many young professionals who have difficulty transitioning into the workplace. But this is understandable; the classroom environment is a far cry from the world of work.

So just what are the challenges some young professionals face in the workplace?

* Haughtiness and over-confidence

Having completed three years of tertiary studies and graduated with honours, the “yuppie” feels he has arrived. He approaches his job as though he alone has the answers to the problems of the organisation.

* Casual dressing

There are instances where young people turn up at work in inappropriate office wear. Some young men wear earrings in both ears and their trousers sit on their hips, while some young women wear skin-tight pants, short skirts and heavy makeup. A popular fad among both sexes is the display of tattoos on an exposed area of the body.

* Surfing the net and “visiting” friends on the telephone.

The young professional is computer-savvy and tends to spend a lot of time not necessarily doing company business. They have to keep in touch with their “peeps” via e-mail or instant messaging. So when you pass their computer you are likely to see them communicating via Facebook or Twitter.

These young people are fascinated with gadgets so it would not be unusual to also see them “texting” at lightning speed on their cellphone or surfing the net on their Smartphone. The company landlines are not spared and if not managed, will be abused with regularity, especially when their cellphones are low on credit.

* Poor work ethic

Some young people still maintain the “schoolers” mentality. They stay out at a party until 2:00 am and arrive late for work the same day, barely able to carry out their duties. Some of them tend to be quite argumentative and have to be disciplined for insubordination while others don’t know when to draw the line between business and pleasure. And so after a game of dominoes at the sports club, it is back to business the following morning at the workplace

* Lack of focus

Some young people are so self-absorbed that they become the targets of some of the senior employees. They get into “flings” as if they were at university and soon develop the reputation as an “easy catch”.

Wayne Powell is a human resources professional. He may be contacted at crisscounsellor@yahoo.com