Probably not the best title I've come up with, but for now it will do. A lot of events have happened in the last year that got me to thinking about the lack of work ethic in our country. Yes - I know there are wonderful, great people who work their hearts out, who are dedicated to whatever job they have. But I also know that there are those who haven't got a clue what is proper behavior in a job, much less have any work ethic other than - it is all for ME!
We are blessed to have stumbled on or have known for years, wonderful people who have worked for us mowing, remodeling, fixing, and who do an A+ job. I remember that after the accident, we had to have someone do the mowing for us. Two acres and a tiny riding lawn mower took 8 hours and wore me out. The first lawn care guy we found, started out fairly good - then it went downhill as fast as slipping on a banana peel. Parts of the lawn would be unmowed. If there was ANYTHING on the lawn, he would mow around it, and leave the grass to grow around that object. Hoses, stray branches, a stray box that we didn't get picked up. The final straw came when the last job he did for us looked like someone had taken a hand scythe to the lawn - it was hideous. And he hadn't mowed where the hoses were for weeks, even tho I moved them so he could get the extra tall grass. He was gone and we found another guy, just starting his business. Talk about work ethic! He gets every single blade of grass, our lawn looks like a golf green, if I forget to move the hoses, he moves them, he blows all the grass off the sidewalks, and he is ALWAYS there when he says he will be. My husband and him have visited enough now, that they have become buddies. He says he saves our lawn for the last one of the day so he can just sit and shoot the breeze with hubby! They plan on going trout fishing together this winter.
I remember a restaurant in town that we finally quit going to because of the work ethic of their employees. It was a pizza place and the pizza was the best in town. However, the manager or owner decided to let teenagers run it, without adult supervision. We would go in to eat, and the place would be crawling with the employees' friends, all teenagers, and their friends would be begging for free food, gossiping with the employees, and trying to talk them into giving them free beer. The teenage employees just ignored their customers. We quit going, and the restaurant went out of business shortly after that.
I have been in stores where employees treat their customers as if the customers were a huge interference in their gossip time! I refuse to shop in stores like that.
I have been in stores and had to listen to an ongoing rant from the employees about: choose one - broken romances, getting drunk, fighting with friends, parties, in law problems, car breakdowns, bills not being paid, etc. etc. etc. I really and truly do NOT want to listen to your list of grievances when I check out. Shut up, and be courteous and do your job!
I remember a particular grocery store that was notorious for having employees working there that talked to other employees the entire time they were checking out customers. Some of the information that was spread around to anyone within earshot was not even close to being appropriate. A close friend of mine said that when she was checking out at a local grocery store, the checker had just had a fight with her boyfriend. Every item she picked up to scan was slammed down and then went to the sacker. My friend bit her tongue until the employee grabbed a sack of chips and smashed them on the scanner in her anger against her boyfriend. My friend let her know in no uncertain terms that she would much prefer her chips to be whole and not smashed to bits, that she would appreciate it if she would quit slamming her food around, quit yapping about her blown romance, and do her job right!
My son in law worked at a grocery store for several years as co manager. He said it was a nightmare trying to schedule people to work. They would call in sick for a zillion reasons, teens would just not show up, adults would decide they didn't particularly want to work that day, or they had a date and couldn't possibly work that day. I've heard that from a lot of employers when they try to schedule their employees! My theory is - if you apply for and accept a job, then get your butt there every day, and stop acting like the job owes you!
Recently at construction at our school, the foreman showed up one day, and the company he had subcontracted with left without a single word to him. They left all their gear, equipment, and tools laying in the hallways of the school. Never heard from them again.
We taught both of our children that work ethic was one of the most valuable tools in life that we could teach them. Our son started working at 15 1/2 at a hospital here. His hours kept getting longer and longer until we finally had to go talk to the personnel office. It was getting impossible for him to keep up with his schoolwork and job at the same time. When we reminded them that he was only 15 1/2, they were horrified and apologized all over themselves. They said he was so mature, and worked so hard, never was late or failed to show up, and went above and beyond what the job called for, that they completely forgot he was only 15 1/2 years old. He knew what it meant to have a good work ethic.
Our daughter worked several jobs at 15 1/2 and then 16. She told all of her friends that they were not to come and visit her at the Popcorn Shop, or later at the carosoul where she worked. She told them that it was not appropriate and that she would visit with them after work. She knew what it meant to have a good work ethic.
When you are at work, then work. When it is time off, then you can play and visit. If you are hired to do a job, then do it correctly, show up on time, and care about what you are doing. It doesn't matter if you are building a 5,000 square foot house, or installing formica, or mowing a lawn - any job worth doing, is worth doing right.
And thanks to those employees everywhere that know what it means to have a job, do it right and treat people around them with respect. Salute!
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