By Younas Chaudhary
All around the globe, people with a solid positive work ethic build prosperity and increase a nation’s global economic standing. Their commitment to their professions builds economies and transforms lives. However, over the last few years, I have observed a gradual decline in the way people work.
Ambition, success, and innovation define the American work ethic consistently ranking us among the most competitive economies in the world. However, a 2023 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking put Denmark, Ireland, and Switzerland among the top three most competitive economies while the USA ranks ninth.
There is a clear link between work ethics and economic growth of a country. In a nation with a solid work ethic, workers are committed to their jobs and do their best to inspire new ideas and drive entrepreneurial growth.
Unfortunately, the post-pandemic era has seen a slump in work ethics. As the pandemic forced us to stay home, around 45 million Americans received a portion of the $749 billion dollars in weekly payments for over a year. Some got more money than what they were earning before and it helped them through uncertain times, but that also hurt their work ethic.
We saw “the great resignation” and “quiet quitting.” Many took early retirements fearing the next pandemic, women who were working before started staying at home and caring for children and older parents. So many cultural shifts happened as people assessed their relationship with work and found they were less interested.
Yet, America remains an intrinsically capitalist society and a pandemic cannot wipe out the spirit of hard work instilled in all of us. “What do you do?” is still the most important question that’s asked, defining our close relationship with work.
Today’s employers are searching for positive, dedicated, consistently hard-working, punctual people who are curious and passionate, take on additional tasks, are honest, and play by the rules. Our culture of working hard and long hours still exists, and we work longer than Europeans, especially in careers like engineering, law, accounting, and banking it’s common to see people working over 50 hours a week.
However, I believe the pandemic has given a false sense of entitlement to certain workers in some service industries. Has this sense of entitlement gone so deep that we no longer want to work as before but want to get paid more than before?
There are no easy solutions to this vexing problem. Paying more to such workers is not going to solve the issue as it will impact the bottom line of companies. However, upskilling and providing an environment where employees feel welcome and learn multi-tasking, be creative, learn to delegate and thrive could turn the tide against the slump in work ethic.
I believe that giving employees a sense of belonging, a fair wage, and the opportunity to excel in their passions will enhance their work ethic irrespective of their education, age, background, or skill set. Stay blessed!
Disclaimer
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which I have been, am now, or will be affiliated. Further, I make no warranty regarding the accuracy or effectiveness of my recommendations, and readers are advised to consult other advisors as well as their own judgments in making business decisions.
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