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WORK ETHICS (PART 1)

                                                                                               What are Work Ethics?

30/10/2016                                                       Dave Asei

Work ethics include not only how one feels about their job, career or vocation, but also how one does his/her job or responsibilities. This involves attitude, behavior, respect, communication, and interaction; how one gets along with others. Work ethics demonstrate many things about whom and how a person is.

Work ethics involve such characteristics as honesty and accountability. Essentially, work ethics break down to what one does or would do in a particular situation. The begging question in a situation involves what is right and acceptable, and above board, versus what is wrong, underhanded, and under the table.

Throughout the last few years, there have been companies whose work ethic -- honesty, integrity and accountability -- have been rather shady and have a rather negative impact on other people. This has involved people looking the other way when people have done something questionable, or thinking it would not matter.

Work ethics, such as honesty (not lying, cheating, and stealing), doing a job well, valuing what one does, having a sense of purpose and feeling/being a part of a greater vision or plan is vital. Philosophically, if one does not have proper work ethics, a person’s conscience may be bothered. People for the most part have good work ethic(s); we should not only want to do, but desire to do the proper thing in a given situation.

Work ethics are intrinsic; they come from within. A question may involve where they came from, if they come from within. Philosophically, this may lead to various perspectives; however, the truth about work ethics, and where they come from are answered from a Christian worldview. Work ethics come from God the creator. God made humans in His image, and His word proclaims these various work ethics -- honesty, integrity, doing a job well, keeping things above board, and accountability factors.

The Christian worldview holds fundamentally to two central work ethics -- humility and the treatment of others. Humility is being humble, no task is too demeaning. Humility involves servitude, which emphasizes placing other peoples need before ones own. Treating others with decency and respect equate to the golden rule. The treatment of others involves loving your neighbor, loving your enemy, doing good to those who dislike you. It involves valuing others, and knowing they have worth.

Factors That Demonstrate a Strong Work Ethic

.A strong work ethic is vital to a company or an organisation achieving its goals. Every employee, from the CEO to entry-level workers, must have a good work ethic to keep the establishment functioning at its peak. A work ethic is a set of moral principals an employee uses in his job. Certain factors come together to create a strong work ethic.

Integrity

Integrity stretches to all aspects of an employee's job. An employee with integrity fosters trusting relationships with clients, coworkers and supervisors. Coworkers value the employee's ability to give honest feedback. Clients trust the employee's advice. Supervisors rely on the employee's high moral standards, trusting him not to steal from the company or create problems.

Sense of Responsibility

A strong sense of responsibility affects how an employee works and the amount of work he/she does. When the employee feels personally responsible for his/her job performance, he/ she shows up on time, puts in his/her best effort and completes projects to the best of his/her ability.

Emphasis on Quality

Some employees do only the bare minimum, just enough to keep their job intact. Employees with a strong work ethic care about the quality of their work. They do their best to produce great work, not merely churn out what is needed. The employee's commitment to quality improves the company's overall quality.

Discipline

It takes a certain level of commitment to finish your tasks every day. An employee with good discipline stays focused on his/her goals and is determined to complete his/her assignments. These employees show a high level of dedication to the organisation, always ensuring they do their part.

Sense of Teamwork

Most employees have to work together to meet a organisation's objectives. An employee with a high sense of teamwork helps a team meet its goals and deliver quality work. These employees respect their peers and help where they can, making collaborations go smoother

Characteristics of a Good Work Ethic

While some individuals try to get by doing as little work as possible, others possess a dedication that leads them to give it their all every day. People who possess a strong work ethic embody certain principles that guide their work behavior, leading them to produce high-quality work consistently and without the prodding that some individuals require to stay on track.

Reliability

Reliability goes hand in hand with a good work ethic. If individuals with a good work ethic say they are going to attend a work function or arrive at a certain time, they do, as they value punctuality. Individuals with a strong work ethic often want to appear dependable, showing their employers that they are workers to whom they can turn. Because of this, they put effort into portraying and proving this dependability by being reliable and performing consistently.

Dedication

Those with a good work ethic are dedicated to their jobs and will do anything they can to ensure that they perform well. Often this dedication leads them to change jobs less frequently, as they become committed to the positions in which they work and are not eager to abandon these posts. 

They also often put in extra hours beyond what is expected, making it easy for their employers to see that they are workers who go beyond the rest of the workforce and truly dedicate themselves to their positions.

Productivity

Because they work at a consistently fast pace, individuals with a good work ethic are often highly productive. They commonly get large amounts of work done more quickly than others who lack their work ethic, as they don't quit until they've completed the tasks with which they were presented. This high level of productivity is also due, at least in part, to the fact that these individuals want to appear to be strong workers. The more productive they are, the more beneficial to the company they appear to those managing them.

Cooperation   

                                                                        Cooperative work can be highly beneficial in the business environment, something that individuals with a strong work ethic know well. Because they recognize the usefulness of cooperative practices -- such as teamwork -- they often put an extensive amount of effort into working well with others. These individuals commonly respect their bosses enough to work with any individuals with whom they are paired in a productive and polite manner, even if they do not enjoy working with the individuals in question.

Character

Those with a good work ethic often also possess generally strong character. This means they are self-disciplined, pushing themselves to complete work tasks instead of requiring others to intervene. They are also often very honest and trustworthy, as they view these traits as befitting the high-quality employees they seek to become. To demonstrate their strong character, these workers embody these positive traits daily, likely distinguishing themselves from the rest.

To be continued