What's Happened to Our Work Ethic?

I'm sure all of you have experienced it. You are at work and have placed a call to another department requesting important information for a report that's due tomorrow. You leave a voice mail message with a department employee and tell him or her the urgency of the needed information. You wait one hour, then two. Then you begin to panic. You leave a second message, and maybe you try to reach someone else in the department to make sure your contact is in the office. You find out that he or she has been "in and out of the office", but this second person will make sure your original contact gets the message. Another hour goes by, and now it's getting too late to wait. You try other ways and other sources for your information. The person finally calls you back - hours later. By this time, you have somehow obtained most of the information you need. The person apologizes and tells you how busy he or she has been. Yes, she received your message, was having someone work on your project while he or she was at a meeting. In the meantime, he or she neglected to return your call and give you confidence that the information was forthcoming.

This example points to a lack of communication, but it also represents a rather poor work ethic. It illustrated disregard for you and the immediacy of the project. Instead of putting you at ease that the needed information is forthcoming and giving you a time frame, you had to sweat and panic about what to do next to get the information you needed.

This type of experience happens day after day in the workplace of even the most prestigious firms. In addition, experiences of unfinished or careless work, late deliveries, unresponsive vendors, etc., etc. are a common complaint. I worked for over 20 years in a large financial services company. Day after day there were numerous deadlines and, as a division manager, I would often have to rely on information or feedback from various departments. It seemed that during the last few years of this work experience, responsiveness from other staff seemed to deteriorate.

My sister is a housing contractor in Pennsylvania. She deals with vendors every day. There is not a day that goes by that something does not go wrong. Sometimes a delivery doesn't arrive, or a vendor doesn't show up. She is frustrated by the lack of responsibility and accountability.

I talk to my friends who work in various careers, and complaints about work ethic are endless. What has happened over the past 10 years to change, and in fact, diminish the work ethic? Why are employers tolerating mediocre performance, and what can be done about it?

I believe there are two factors involved: (1) What young people are learning or not learning at home, and (2) What educators are not teaching. At the risk of being considered an "old fashioned", baby boomer, I must say that when I was entering high school, my parents made a point of teaching me manners and protocol. My parents encouraged me to get a good education and watched my grades carefully throughout school. However, they also thought it important to teach good manners, and the right protocol at school, with friends, family, and ultimately, in the workplace. Most of us baby boomers were products of parents who wanted to give us every opportunity to succeed, and we were taught that success did not just result from smarts and education, but by being on time for work, doing a good job, cooperating with others and listening to the boss. There was a right and wrong way to do things. I'm not sure that all of today's young people are getting the same type of information from home.

If young people are not taught the basics of work ethic at home, are they being taught this at all in school? Although I don't have a child in school today, many of my friends do have children in grammar school and high school. Parents are complaining that schools today follow a strict curriculum of what the child must know to pass standardized tests. While students study a great deal today to pass these tests, parents are questioning if their children are getting a real education. Having written a book for teens on job preparation, I scoured the market to see what was available for teens. In addition, I contacted schools to offer seminars on job preparation. What I learned is that educators are preparing children for the next grade or the next step in the educational process. Courses on job preparation including discussions of work ethic are few and far between.

The Society for Human Resource Management recently published a study that supports this view. The study, published in October, 2006, was based on a survey of 431 human resource professionals. The survey was conducted by the Society in conjunction with the Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. The main conclusion of the report: "The future workforce is here, and it is ill-prepared." While the survey focuses on particular skills lacking in today's workforce, namely, writing, reading and math skills, the report also found that 70% of survey participants cited deficiencies in applied skills such as professionalism, critical thinking and work ethic. (Source: HR Magazine, December 2006, "New Workers Not Ready for Prime Time".)

The solution to the problem with our work ethic would seem to rest with our educators, but I believe what is taught at home is also critical. Modern parents are concerned about getting the best education for their children. Children participate in every type of sport, and competition is keen to get into the best schools and get the best jobs. Well educated young people is the norm today. The characteristic that will set some young people apart from the rest is their understanding of and attention to work ethic. Having a sound work ethic is a must in the workplace. Employees with a good work ethic, who follow policy and procedure, ensure a company's good reputation. In addition, that part of work ethic that includes good work habits, team work and cooperation, ensure the highest productivity and the best results.