Work ethic: The virtue of hard work. 

Chronicles of Experience

Work ethic is another one of those character traits that tend to appear in the list at the bottom of every cv that very few people genuinely consider.  It sounds good enough.  Ethics are the moral principles that guide people’s behaviour so including working hard or well as part of one’s intrinsic morals should be a very good trait to have.  This is a quality far more valuable than you could imagine.

What are the key performance indicators for good work ethic?

Consistent, high-quality work:

This is what every employer always hopes to receive, but realistically most people can only deliver decent-quality work most of the time and high-quality work on rare occasions.  If you do have a worker who delivers consistently, give them a raise before someone else lures them away.

Constant Professionalism:

This employee’s home life must be the image of perfection.  They are always on time, dressed in neat executive attire and ready to be of service with a professional smile.  This is a key indicator of a good work ethic.  They keep their problems hidden in their personal lives and only deliver their best in the office.

This is what you should expect from those that have listed ‘work ethic’ as one of their defining features.  So be careful not to take the term for granted.

“Work harder than you think you did yesterday.”

Alex Elle

“Without hard work and discipline, it is difficult to be a top professional.”

Jahangir Khan

“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”

Thomas Jefferson

“Work hard and become a leader, be lazy and become a slave.”

Anonymous