As an employer, I wouldn’t dismiss a good employee for anything much short of murder, but my tolerance for bad behaviour among ‘newer’ workers is much higher by necessity. A new generation of employees set pretty low expectations for themselves. Employers need positions filled and are stuck catering to entitled people who have minimal commitment and offer a dismal level of effort to their jobs. Believe me, it takes patience and I can understand why long-term, mature, and consistent employees would consider it unfair.

Corporate rules and in the name of safety blown completely out of proportion.

Well some times those bad employees might be related to someone in the company so you could say they are protected to a point and some times the bad employee has some good qualities.

I think people get lost in the shuffle. They put on a good show like they do a lot of work.

Nepotism is a problem as well.

There's ko loyalty anymore

Like Google for example?

You have hit the nail on the head for me, i for years, have more or less said the exact same thing as you ...

... I can only assume that they run scared of the wasters, thinking that they may sue them if they sack them, but the conscientious worker is scared of losing the job, so they toe the line

Y thank u