What Has Happened to the Work Ethic?
By Kate Mazzarella-Minshall

The dictionary definition of work ethic is: a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. But what has happened to hard work and diligence? Employees seem to be working less and playing more. The majority of time is spent instant messaging friends, surfing the net, viewing dating sites, reading blogs and chatting it up on the telephone, pausing only to take breaks, eat lunch, visit with colleagues and perform a minimal amount of work. Just enough to get by.

Eventually, their procrastination, apathy and lack of productivity will catch up with them and they will most likely be terminated. But in the meantime, they have little consideration for the company, their job or their fellow employees.

Why there are so many people in today’s society who don’t want to work and even more importantly, why are we allowing it? “More obscene than anything is inertia”, said Henry Miller, the famous American novelist.

A person who possesses a strong work ethic is hard working, conscientious and ambitious. Yet we seem to be supporting a rather large population of clock-watching slackers who apparently were not taught the meaning of a work ethic. This is not about the rivalry between the Baby Boomers and the Generation-Xers or who’s a better employee, men vs. women. A lax attitude toward work is apparent in all walks of life, from those who think the job is beneath them to those who seem to be suffering from sheer laziness to the Peter Pan Complex: a person who refuses to grow up, shuns responsibility, has no direction or drive, and no need to accomplish anything and expects to become successful without any effort or commitment, has an it’s all about me attitude and a strong sense of entitlement. These under achievers have little regard for their future, the future of the company they work for or the future of this country.

Historically, work was acknowledged as a necessity for monetary and material gain, as a means of support for one's self and one’s family, and regarded as a way to grow a strong economy. Those entering the workforce today must understand that hard work reaps financial rewards, builds strong character, maturity, and will give their life purpose and value.

Employees with an inconsistent job performance take advantage of their fellow employees who are working to capacity, and they are a huge financial liability to their company. Some of the excuses we hear for employees who show up late or not all, albeit quite creative, borderline on the absurd. Issues like tardiness and absenteeism are of little consequence to them.

Is it too much to ask our employees to show up on time and perform a days worth of work? To behave respectfully, motivated and committed to a positive work ethic? To possess the skills and knowledge to do their job? To display a reasonable amount of decorum?

Work ethic has sunk to an all time low. While there are many underlying factors that have contributed and continue to contribute to the decline of the work ethic, the point is: unless you are rich, plan to inherit wealth, score big in Vegas or win the lottery, work consumes a major part of our lives and having a lackadaisical attitude toward it is a waste of time.