Define Work Ethic

A person’s work ethic is subjective. What’s clear to one person may not be to another, much like the phrase “common sense.” We all think we have it, but what we really mean is “Do you work as hard and efficiently as me?”

Take Sally as an example. She works her 40 hours a week, but works just her 40 hours a week. She’s allowed that. There’s nothing wrong with working your 40 hours a week. There are plenty of people who work hard, earn their keep, maintain and exceed their expectations during their 40 hours a week. They’re consistently on time, reliable, etc. Sally’s not always that person though. Sure she’s at work on time, but she’s at the water cooler, chatting with someone at all hours of the day about non-work things, and striving to complete the minimum requirements of the day. She uses her days off as soon as she gets them (often a little in advance), then seemingly is able to call in sick, get a note saying that she was ‘seen’ by a doctor, and justifies to everyone that she just couldn’t function. She’s also the person that’s first to complain when more is asked of her. The team she’s on relies upon each other to complete the team tasks. When one person needs help, the other six pick up the slack. With her perceived lack of work ethic, her team has come to resent Sally. Sure, they like her generally – she’s friendly, smiles, says good morning, but when she calls out, comes in late, takes these extra days off, they are left to pick up the slack (unplanned) or worse, one of them cancels their plans because work needs to get done and they know that Sally won’t be there to pick up the slack. 

Does it sound familiar? Read the rest here