Lack of Work Ethic

Most of my life, I have worked for small companies. Or, I should say, most of my long term employment has been with small companies. I have worked for major companies but only on a temporary basis.

Working for small companies means that everyone knows what everyone else is doing. Therefore, it is easy to practice good work ethics. You arrive at work on time, you do your job to the best of your ability, you are friendly and kind to your co-workers, etc. Not all the time but generally speaking. If you have a bad attitude, it will permeate a whole company when there are so few employees. If you come in late, other people have to pick up the slack since you are the only one doing your job. If you don’t do your job well, it becomes obvious and everyone will know.

The past few months I have worked for a major grocery store chain in the bakery department. There are over one hundred employees, especially during the summer. It is easy to slide in under the radar and not work as hard as other people work. It does become obvious after a certain point but it takes a number of days or weeks for people to notice.

Which brings me to the lack of work ethic among my fellow workers. Especially among the teenage workers. I’m not sure if this is something that is not being taught in schools or if it is something they are supposed to learn on the job but it seems to be severely lacking.

For instance, one girl came in late to work. This was pointed out by another girl and the one who was late replied by calling the second girl a bitch. If I had been in charge and had overheard it, I would have fired the foul mouth girl on the spot. Although that wasn’t necessary since this girl, the one who likes to call people bad names, a week or so after the bitch incident, didn’t like being told how to perform a certain aspect of her job and she walked out in the middle of her shift. Gone. Just like that. I asked my manager a week later if she quit or was fired. My manager replied that if you miss three shifts in a row, you are automatically let go. In other words, as my manager put it, the girl fired herself. No work ethic there.

Another girl, who is getting tired working this summer, asked the assistant manager what she would do if she, the girl, walked out in the middle of her shift. The assistant manager replied that she would have to work her shift for her. The girl stayed but she wants to quit very badly. Probably won’t make it to the end of the summer.

What surprises me is some people’s reactions when I mentioned this lack of work ethic and people just walking out on their jobs. They said that the kids probably just want to have some fun before school starts and so decide to leave their jobs. Well, yeah, wouldn’t we all like to just have fun but if you were hired for a job, you should do that job to the best of your ability and, when you want to quit, give two weeks notice. Don’t just walk out in a hissy fit.

The sad thing is, next summer when these girls want to get another summer job, the store won’t hire them. And, when they go somewhere else to apply for a job, they won’t get a good recommendation from their former employer. They are hurting themselves in the long run over a short term decision to quit and have fun.

Maybe it is because I am older or maybe it is because I appreciate my job after a couple of years of unemployment but I think that if you are hired for a job, you show up, do your job, get along with people and earn your pay. Don’t burn bridges when it comes to your future employment.