2week1
- 1. Work Ethics for Development Professionals
- 2. What Does Work Ethic Mean? Work ethic is a value based on hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in the moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character. An example would be the Protestant work ethic. A work ethic may include being reliable, having initiative, or pursuing new skills. Work ethic is basically the belief that work is a good moral. Its also refers to a sets of values that are defined and characterized by diligence and hard work. Work ethic can as well be defined as the inherent ability of work to strengthen character.
- 3. The Importance of a Good Work Ethic Work Ethics For Successful Careers Today’s business environment is not only fast-paced, but also highly competitive. In order to keep pace and stay ahead, possession of several key work ethics is a plus for achieving a successful career. Holding key traits such as attendance, character, teamwork, appearance, and attitude add value to both you as a person and your company. Successful careers come in many flavors, but work ethics are a main ingredient in most recipes for success.
- 4. Character is how others perceive someone. Much like an actor who plays a role, the character traits that one possesses portray an image in others’ minds. One’s character develops as actions become habits. These habits reveal one’s character. Teamwork is what gives strength to a working force. Prejudices and stereotyping have no home in teamwork. Learning to cooperate with your teammates as well as being assertive is important in keeping track of things. Treat customers with genuine respect and manners. Appearance is one work ethic that really shows. Take pride in how people perceive you. Your clothes should be clean and pressed. Make a habit of bathing daily along with such necessities as brushing your teeth and breathing. Behavior affects appearance. Learn to be polite and attend to people’s needs.
- 5. Positive Work Ethics A work ethic of any kind not only includes how you feel about your place of employment or position but also how you perform the duties of your job. According to All About Philosophy's website, a work ethic includes your attitude, communication abilities, behavior toward coworkers, honesty and accountability. Why Ethics Are Important A work ethic, especially a positive work ethic, is important from a business perspective for the confidence it breeds in clients and consumers. Your positive attitude and dedication to a client's needs or creation of a product can boost your business' reputation as a company that deals honestly and fairly. Ethics also work to build a moral compass within a business and helps discourage attitudes and business models that seek to cut corners in the name of making a profit
- 6. Impact for Employers Employers who emphasize a positive work ethic must be absolute in maintaining the environment for it to thrive according to the Global Ethics University. This means a business can allow no room for moral ambiguity, rationalization or ego in its positive work ethics model. Otherwise the strategy may fail. Just one rogue executive taking excessive privileges, such as private trips on a company plane, can ruin all the good will built by a positive work ethic. Effects Around the Office Ethics spring from within and are difficult to teach in the traditional sense according to All About Philosophy's website. That doesn't mean a positive work ethic can't be contagious. An employee who accepts each job with equal tenacity and dedication forces co-workers to follow suit or risk being left behind. A worker who does all this with a smile on his face can help others to enjoy the job a little more, thereby increasing productivity and worker morale.
- 7. Five Characteristics of Having Good Work Ethics When you have a good work ethic, you are dedicated to job that you deem valuable. You hold yourself to high standards of responsibility. You also keep yourself accountable for getting work done right and on time, and for making good business decisions that help people and companies succeed. Having a solid work ethic means you understand that productivity, organizational skills, being reliable and possessing good character are all attributes that successful people share
- 8. Honest Stealing personal property, sabotaging a coworker's client presentation, or taking someone's idea and making it your own are all ways that dishonesty creeps into the workplace. Employees with strong ethics refrain from lying or cheating to make others look bad in the hopes of making themselves appear smarter. Instead, they take responsibility for mistakes, own up to failures and keep the lines of communication open with everyone involved.
- 9. Refrains From Gossip Workplace gossip can be destructive. When employees gossip about their peers, bosses or even clients, it's considered deviant behavior. An employee with good workplace ethics refuses to engage in gossip or even listen it. This person will encourage others to mind their own business, or else address the person or situation head-on so that assumptions and badmouthing can stop. Doing so helps eliminate resentment among coworkers and helps keep morale up
- 10. Values Diversity People with a good work ethic understand the importance of a diverse workplace. When you value everybody's contributions -- regardless of ability, age, gender or race -- it allows for more creativity and better problem solving. Diversity in the workplace contributes to successful client interactions. Overall, employee morale is higher.
- 11. Respects Others An employee with a strong work ethic is rarely late. You respect everyone's time, from coworkers to clients to interviewees. You're also polite, conscientious of people's feelings and considerate of workers in a shared workspace. In addition, someone with a strong work ethic uses time wisely so that deadlines are met. You'll keep personal phone conversations quiet and not disrupt others. Out of respect, you'll also hear and consider everyone's opinions.
- 12. Cooperative Having a good work ethic means you cooperate with others. While work may not always be satisfying or enjoyable, you see the bigger picture and do what is necessary for the team and company. Instead of debating every issue and finding reasons why things can't get done, you use strong conflict resolution skills to solve problems and manage the workload.
- 13. Developing a Strong Work Ethic If you put your all into your work, good things will come to you. No matter how tough life gets, if you put your all into your work, good things will come to you. Staying positive, refusing to procrastinate and maintaining your focus are all necessary ingredients to building a strong and rewarding work ethic. Other strategies to becoming a great worker are setting a goal of dependability, always meeting deadlines and stepping up to fill unmet needs.
- 14. Let's look closer at each of these methods to construct a sturdy work ethic: 1. Stay positive. You've probably heard the expression, "Attitude is everything". That's definitely true when you're working on creating a resilient work ethic. Your work improves when you approach it with a positive attitude. 2. Refuse to procrastinate. Although you may be tempted to put off doing certain tasks or projects, make "Do it right now" your mantra. You'll find that often jobs are quickly and easily done in less time than you would have spent obsessing about the task.
- 15. 3. Keep your focus. When your plans are clear, you'll get more work done in less time. Put a sticky note on your calendar and computer. Organize your desk the day before you plan to start that huge project. Start focused and stay focused. You'll work like a machine when you devote your attention on the subject at hand. 4. Set a goal of dependability. When you go the extra mile to complete your work, people will learn to trust that when you're given a job, you'll do it. Endeavor to be known as the one whom your boss and co-workers can always depend on to get the job done.
- 16. 5. Always meet deadlines. This point is crucial to developing a strong work ethic. Do whatever you have to do to meet a deadline. Of course, the best way to ensure you consistently meet deadlines is to negotiate in advance of taking on the task, so you have a bit of a say in the schedule. If you communicate right away any concerns you have about deadlines, you're in a position to negotiate some of them. The bottom line is you'll ultimately be meeting deadlines approved by your supervisor. 6. Step up to fill unmet needs. Volunteering to take on gaps in labor will make every supervisor you work for the happiest person in the world. A person with a strong work ethic views these situations as opportunities to stretch himself and show what he can do. You might even discover a special talent you possess when you volunteer to take on a job. Consider it another line on your resume when you agree to write the department manual or perform some other task. Learn to step forward to fill unmet needs.
- 17. Developing a Good Work Ethic Requires Real Work Some people seem content to work just hard enough to complete the task at hand. These people are displaying what can be called a poor work ethic. There are people, however, who work diligently throughout the entire process of a job or task, and they always do a very good job no matter how much time and effort they must expend. These people are showing everybody around them that they possess a positive or solid work ethic.
- 18. As early as elementary school or even kindergarten, young students should be taught that sticking with a task until it is done well is quite important. By the time students get to high school or college, their work ethic has already been established, and it will be put to the test through the various final products they will be asked to complete. In this highly competitive world, whether people are looking for jobs, completing degree programs at colleges or universities, or simply acting as solid citizens, they should show the world that it is both ethical and necessary to work very hard at each and every task that arises.
- 19. Successful employees in all walks of professional life also need to bring a positive work ethic to the workplace. Competition for jobs in contemporary society is intense; employers are thus able to scrutinize their prospective employees quite carefully. In other words the employer is looking for an employee who possesses a solid work ethic and is proud to show everybody that he relishes the thought of working hard.
- 20. Codes of Conduct Moral code examples throughout history are: the 'Golden Rule', the 'Five Precepts' and the 'Noble Eightfold Path' of Buddhism, the Egyptian code of Ma'at, and the 'Ten Commandments' of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Among the earliest written codes is the 'Code of Hamaurabi', the sixth King of Babylon who lived between 1810 BCE and 1750 BCE. This code was of a more secular nature and was written up on stone pillars for all the subjects of his kingdom to see and live by. There were very clear, if somewhat brutal, sanctions for anyone who transgressed them but this led to the orderly functioning of that ancient society.