TRAINING ON WORK ETHIC
Unique Contracting Co. LLC

TRAINING OBJECTIVES
 Understanding what work ethic is
 Importance of work ethic
 Elements of a strong work ethic
 How to demonstrate a strong work ethic
 Reflect on memories from the past
 Conduct yourself in a better way in the future

WORK ETHIC – AN INTRODUCTION
 You would have often heard the phrase
“Work Ethic”
 It has become one of the most used phrase
in “Wanted” ads and “Job Descriptions”
 It is a trait you must posses to be considered
for an Open Position
 Once you join an organization, this phrase
will be often used as a necessary trait for
achievement of Organization Goals

WHAT WORK ETHIC REALLY IS?
 Is it a personal trait that must be possessed
by individuals?
 Or is it a standard of behavior that everyone
should follow so they can actually be of use
to the organization?

DISSECTING WORK ETHIC
 Definition –
 There are so many definitions attached to the
phrase. If we’re going to use a simple
definition for work ethic, we could go with the
one describing it as “a set of moral principles
that an employee uses in the performance of
his job”.

DISSECTING WORK ETHIC
 Basically, work ethic can refer to –
 How you feel about your job or career, so it
covers your attitude and behavior
 It also pertains to how you do your job, or the
responsibilities that come attached with it
 The level of respect you show your co-workers
and people you come into contact with at work,
and
 How you communicate and interact with them,
also defines your work ethic

DISSECTING WORK ETHIC
 From the definition, we can also surmise that –
 Work ethic is also used to refer to key
characteristics that you should have, and they
include honesty, integrity, humility and
accountability, among others
 These traits or characteristics will dictate how
you will react or what you will do in a certain
situation, when you are faced with a particular
circumstance
 How you respond will reveal the kind of work
ethic that you have

DISSECTING WORK ETHIC
 Obviously, work ethic is important in defining
your identity
 It becomes part of who you are, and there is
no doubt that a huge part of how people will
view and know you will come from what they
perceive to be your work ethic

IMPORTANCE OF WORK ETHIC
 Why is it so important to have a good and
strong work ethic?
 It will show the strength of your character and
present you as an all-around positive person
 In the workplace, this will be to your advantage
 If you are looked at favorably by your co-
workers and superiors, you’d have better
chances at advancing your career
 You’d be viewed as someone who can interact
with, and even lead, other people very well. This
show of leadership will increase your chances of
rising up the ranks of the organization

IMPORTANCE OF WORK ETHIC
 From the point of view of the organization –
 It will be to its benefit to have employees with
solid work ethics, because their traits and
personalities will contribute to the achieve the
vision and goals of the organization
 If you want to become effective as a contributing
member of the organization, then you should
have a good and strong work ethic. Then, and
only then, can you hope to be viewed and
recognized favorably by your employer

ELEMENTS OF A STRONG WORK ETHIC
 But when can you describe your work ethic
to be good and strong?
 There several key factors, and the elements
that serve as a solid foundation for a strong
work ethic are:
 Integrity
 Emphasis on Quality of Work
 Professionalism

ELEMENTS OF A STRONG WORK ETHIC
 Discipline
 Sense of Responsibility
 Sense of Teamwork

INTEGRITY
 Integrity should permeate every aspect of your
job, from how you deal with your clients to how
you treat your co-workers and your superiors
 It means doing the right things, at all times,
even if no one is watching, much less your boss
 Its greatest impact is seen in your relationships
with the people around you, which is why
integrity is seen as one of the most important
ingredients of Trust
 You can earn a certain level of trust if you are
able to achieve results while demonstrating
concern for others and acting with integrity the

INTEGRITY
 Hence, the formula:
 Results + Integrity + Concern = Level of Trust
 Acting with integrity, in this context, also
means behaving in a consistent manner
 For example, if you are part of a team, your
behavior should be in tune with everyone, in
working together towards a clear purpose or
a goal

EMPHASIS ON QUALITY OF WORK
 If you show dedication and commitment to
coming up with very good results in your work,
then your work ethic will definitely shine
 While some employees do only the barest
minimum, or what is expected of them, there are
those who go beyond that
 They do more, they perform better, and they
definitely go the extra mile to come up with
results that surpass expectations
 Clearly, these employees are those who belong
to the group with a solid work ethic

PROFESSIONALISM
 The word “professionalism” is often seen as
something that is too broad or wide in scope,
covering everything from your appearance to
how you conduct yourself in the presence of
other people
 It is so broad and seemingly all-
encompassing that many even go so far as
to say that professionalism equates having a
solid work ethic

DISCIPLINE
 Work ethic is something that emanates from
within
 You can tell an employee to do this and that, be
like this and like that, over and over, but if they
do not have enough discipline to adhere to the
rules and follow through with their performance,
then there is no way that they can become the
productive employees that the company wants
 Discipline involves focus, dedication and
determination on your part to do what you
should

SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY
 The moment you became part of the
organization and assigned tasks and duties;
you have a responsibility that you must fulfill
 If you have a strong work ethic, you will be
concerned with ensuring that you are able to
fulfill your duties and responsibilities
 You will also feel inclined to do your best if
you want to get the best results

SENSE OF TEAMWORK
 As an employee, you are part of an
organization. You are simply one part of a
whole, which means you have to work with
other people
 If you are unable to do so, this will put your
work ethic into question
 Work ethic is also continuously shaped by
relationships, specifically on how you are
able to handle them in achieving goals,
whether shared or individual

HOW TO DEMONSTRATE A STRONG WORK ETHIC
 It is one thing to proudly declare that you
have a strong work ethic to your boss, but it
is another totally different thing to convince
him that you really do
 In fact, bosses are not inclined to take such
claims at face value, instead wanting you to
convince them with actions and not just
words
 So, what are the things that you can do in
order to convince your employer that you
have a strong work ethic as you claim?

HOW TO DEMONSTRATE A STRONG WORK ETHIC
 Company first
 Time Management
 Be Honest
 Maintain a balanced and consistent
performance
 Always show respect
 Be a Law-Abiding Employee
 Work with others
 Stay fit and healthy

COMPANY FIRST
 Trying to demonstrate a good work ethic if you
don’t actually care about the company will be
acting, and no matter how good of an actor you
are, it won’t be long before you are discovered
 You need to actually have the good work ethic
before you try to show it to the world
 And this starts with putting the company first in
your thoughts and actions. Once this is done,
half the battle is won
 Time management is not limited to being on
time for work and meeting deadlines. It actually
involves more than that

TIME MANAGEMENT
 Time management is not limited to being on
time for work and meeting deadlines. It
actually involves more than that
 Be punctual
 They say that punctuality is one of the first
indicators of professionalism
 Important points were made on how punctuality
strengthens and reveals your integrity while also
demonstrating your level of discipline, humility
and dependability

TIME MANAGEMENT
 Be punctual
 It is also one way to show your respect for
others, while allowing you to build your self-
confidence and always put your best foot forward
 For many managers and supervisors, lack of
punctuality is a deal-breaker
 If a new employee is habitually tardy in coming
to work, this is likely to drive them to have a low
opinion of the capabilities of that employee to
continue working in the company

TIME MANAGEMENT
 Maintain a good attendance record
 It’s not just your punctuality and how you observe
work hours that will be closely looked into
 A high rate of absenteeism certainly does not bode
well, even if it is unintentional or there are
unavoidable circumstances, such as if you are
frequently ill that you have to take days off from work
 If this is the case, it is important to take up the matter
with your superiors in order for both parties to come
up with a solution that will benefit everyone

TIME MANAGEMENT
 Maintain a good attendance record
 If there are truly unavoidable circumstances causing
you to miss work, bringing it up before you are
confronted shows that indeed you are concerned
about the company and it makes your bosses more
open to suggestions that you might have
 An example would be allowing you to work remotely
from home. Your bosses will know if you are taking a
day off to avoid performing a particularly rigorous or
complicated task
 This will not reflect positively on you, and any
chance you might have of getting a raise or a
promotion won’t look too good

TIME MANAGEMENT
 Observe deadlines
 Between an employee who barely beats the
deadline, rushing at the eleventh hour to get
things done and finishing his task just as the
clock hits 12, so to speak, and an employee who
finishes his task well ahead of time, without any
rushing and stressing out, who will be more
favorable in the eyes of the supervisor?
 Obviously, it is the second employee
 If you are able to finish your task ahead of time,
that means you are able to manage your time
wisely

TIME MANAGEMENT
 Observe deadlines
 That will also give you ample time to make any
adjustments, if necessary, since there is still some
time left before the actual deadline
 Better yet, you should take the initiative to set your
own deadlines
 If there is a timetable provided by the company, it will
be to your advantage to create your own timetable
 This will enable you to prioritize better. You’ll be able
to avoid distractions easily, and any potential delays
will be dealt with before they can actually arise

BE HONEST
 Although the phrase may seem a bit of a
cliché nowadays, there is still truth to the
adage “Honesty is the best policy”
 The esteemed Warren Buffet said it best
when he cited three qualities to look for when
hiring new people: integrity, intelligence and
energy
 There is no way that a person can hide his
dishonesty forever. Sooner or later, it will
manifest itself, and that will not do your work
ethic any favors

BE HONEST
 The biggest problem that a dishonest
employee will encounter is the lack or
absence of trust from other people
 Therefore, if you want to go far in your
career, or go up the hierarchy in the
organization, then you should make it a point
to be honest in your dealings so that you can
be trusted by your seniors and fellow
colleagues
 Since we are on the topic of honesty, other
things that you can do are:

BE HONEST
 Give honest feedback
 This shows that you are capable of objectivity
 Managers, co-workers and even clients will value
you more if you show that you are able to provide
honest feedback
 Sure, this may be a sensitive area, which is why you
have to take extra care on your delivery of your
feedback
 If you are able to get your message across without
openly offending anyone and igniting hostilities, then
that will prove even further the strength of your work
ethic

BE HONEST
 Own up to your mistakes
 If you did something wrong, it is best to man up
and own up to it, instead of denying all blame
and, worse, pinning it on other people
 This is a sign that you are unable and unwilling
to take responsibility, a sure sign that your work
ethic is less than solid

MAINTAIN A BALANCED AND CONSISTENT
PERFORMANCE
 An employee with a strong work ethic is a
productive employee
 This productivity is seen in the pace of work and
your persistence in maintaining that pace
 If you can work at a fast pace, that means you’ll
be able to accomplish more within the limited
time that you are given
 You are not the type to give up just because you
are exhausted or you suddenly feel lazy. You do
not quit until you have completed what you have
started

MAINTAIN A BALANCED AND CONSISTENT
PERFORMANCE
 As an employee or worker, your main
concern is to perform your core functions, or
the tasks and duties that are in your job
description
 Therefore, that is the first thing that you
should focus on. It doesn’t make a whole lot
of sense if you score high in punctuality and
have a perfect attendance record, but you’re
only churning out what is needed, instead of
producing great work

MAINTAIN A BALANCED AND CONSISTENT
PERFORMANCE
 Do quality work
 Employers want employees who care about the
quality of the work that they churn out, going a
step above and beyond the minimum of
expectations with regard to the quality of their
work
 An employee who is committed to quality in his
own work is an employee worth keeping
because, at the end of the day, his work will form
part of the overall quality of the output of the
organization

MAINTAIN A BALANCED AND CONSISTENT
PERFORMANCE
 Be organized
 A disorganized employee is seen as someone who
may have trouble meeting deadlines and producing
quality work
 It’s similar to how your personality is often judged by
your personal hygiene. If you have dirty nails or
unkempt hair, you’d be immediately judged –
especially by those you are meeting for the first time
– to have problems keeping things together
 It’s the same thing if you are disorganized, say, in
how you maintain your work area

MAINTAIN A BALANCED AND CONSISTENT
PERFORMANCE
 Be organized
 If you are working with tools and machines,
leaving them lying around may even result to
accidents and injuries
 Being organized shows how you are able to
prioritize, and will also provide an indication of
how you can contribute to the achievement of
the goals and objectives of the company

MAINTAIN A BALANCED AND CONSISTENT
PERFORMANCE
 Be consistent
 You have to continue working at your peak, getting
the best results, even when no one is watching
 Some employees, in their desire to impress their
bosses, will only visibly put in more work if they know
they are being watched. This is not how you
demonstrate a strong work ethic
 On the contrary, it will only paint you as pretentious,
which is one of the worst things that can taint your
work ethic
 It is “do, not say”, and “act, not tell”. At the end of the
day, it is your output and your work that will speak
the loudest volume about your work ethic
 Show great results, and you’ll be seen as someone
with a great work ethic

ALWAYS SHOW RESPECT
 Respectfulness is, sadly, becoming more of a
rare commodity these days
 But it remains to be one of the traits that
supervisors are looking for to indicate whether
an employee has a strong work ethic or not
 Using proper etiquette is basic for humans,
which is why it is valued greatly in the workplace
 Even a slightest shift away from proper etiquette
can potentially destroy a relationship that has
been cultivated and nurtured for a very long
time

ALWAYS SHOW RESPECT
 What if you are under too much pressure?
Does that not give you a bit of a freedom, so
you can use it as an excuse to be rude or let
your temper fly?
 In the workplace, there should be no excuse
to be disrespectful to other people, whether it
is with a peer or a subordinate
 Tight deadlines? Impossible demands from
impossible clients? They’re part and parcel of
a regular “day at the workplace”. Therefore,
you should not let your temper get the better

ALWAYS SHOW RESPECT
 Stay calm and poised
 Good and rational decisions are harder to come
by if anger is clouding your judgment
 If you show that you are frazzled, this will also
fluster the others, and soon you’ll be dealing with
a roomful of panicking and co-workers

ALWAYS SHOW RESPECT
 Be diplomatic
 Choose your words carefully, and be careful not
to offend others
 Even a misplaced word here and there can
potentially lead to a blowout, which you’d
definitely want to avoid as much as possible

ALWAYS SHOW RESPECT
 Listen to others’ opinions
 Even if you might not 100% agree with them in
the end, giving them time to voice out their
opinions and listening to them is already a sign
of respect
 Besides, you may just find solutions in those
opinions

ALWAYS SHOW RESPECT
 Avoid gossiping and harmful talk about,
and against, others
 Idle chit-chat is unavoidable at the workplace,
but there is a difference between chatting idly
about this and that, and gossiping maliciously
about other people
 This can potentially blow up and lead to conflicts
and even bigger problems
 Negative talks will definitely affect teamwork if it’s
not avoided

ALWAYS SHOW RESPECT
 Show fair treatment to others
 If you are in a supervisory position, you might not be
aware that you are favoring one worker over the
others
 If you are dealing with clients, you might be showing
a bias toward one client while acting passively
toward others
 This inequity is an indication that you may have a
skewed judgment, especially when it comes to
dealing with bigger issues
 Demonstrate grace under pressure, and you can
definitely convince your boss that you have a work
ethic strong enough to merit further notice during
promotions to higher positions

BE A LAW-ABIDING EMPLOYEE
 If you can’t follow even one simple rule, such
as keeping your work area neat and orderly,
or properly clocking in when you get to work,
your boss is likely to take that as a sign that
you’d find it even more difficult to keep the
rules that do matter
 How can you show that you are a law-
abiding employee?

BE A LAW-ABIDING EMPLOYEE
 Be aware of company policies
 There are company policies, rules and regulations
that employees must abide by
 Make it a point to read through it and know the finer
points, because you certainly cannot argue
ignorance if, at some point, you are called out for
violating a company rule
 Making the effort to learn about these policies and
regulations will also put you in a positive light
 Your boss will see this as a sign of commitment on
your part about wanting to do good in your work
while sticking to the rules

BE A LAW-ABIDING EMPLOYEE
 Follow the dress code
 This is another key characteristic of professionalism
 Appearance may not be all that matters in the
workplace, but it DOES matter to a certain extent,
regardless of the actual work that you do
 Even laborers and those who are doing manual labor
have a prescribed dress code that they must adhere
to, not just for purposes of safety at the workplace,
but also as a member of the organization
 As employees and workers, they are still
representatives of the organization, and if you are
able to dress properly, this will reflect positively to
the organization

WORK WITH OTHERS
 No matter how much you think you are better
at working alone, or that you can provide
more and better results if you work by
yourself, the very nature of being an
employee of a company means that you are
merely one of the cogs in a larger machine
 Therefore, you have to work with the other
employees

WORK WITH OTHERS
 Cooperate
 Cooperation is very important
 Even if you have personal differences in opinion
with a co-worker, or you do not see eye to eye
about a matter entirely separate from work, you
should still be able to cooperate and work
together with him
 Set aside those differences, at least for the time
being. Your boss will appreciate you more if you
are able to prove that you can separate the
personal from work and still be able to cooperate
with others

WORK WITH OTHERS
 Socialize
 Yes, you read that right
 Socialization is also very important
 You can’t be all work and serious talk all the time
 Once in a while, you have to take a step back,
relax, and socialize with your co-workers
 This is one way to cultivate your social skills
while strengthening your relationship with the
other employees or members of the team

STAY FIT AND HEALTHY
 Believe it or not, being sound and healthy in
mind and body also contributes to your work
ethic
 Let me explain why –
 If you are healthy, you’ll be able to think more
clearly, so you can make better decisions
and exercise better judgment when doing
your work
 Being healthy also ensures that you won’t
have a problem with your attendance record

STAY FIT AND HEALTHY
 You’d be able to report to work on time, and
absenteeism won’t be an issue
 In the same manner, if you are fit and
healthy, you won’t have problems socializing
with your co-workers
 You will also be in a positive mood, so
tempers and frustrations will not get in the
way
 Therefore, make it a point to exercise
regularly
 Eat your meals properly and maintain a

STAY FIT AND HEALTHY
 Get out for some air once in a while
 If you have vacation days, make the most of
them, so you can rest your mind and body
 If you’re the type to enjoy the great outdoors
and commune with nature, make it a point to
do that whenever you have the opportunity to
do so
 This will refresh and strengthen you for when
you go back to work and carry on with your
tasks and responsibilities

SUMMARY
 If you think about it –
 These things are not all that difficult to do
 In fact, they are relatively easy. It is the
execution that most people find complicated
 Still, it is a fact that building and maintaining a
strong work ethic is not a walk in the park
 It takes a lot for a person to prove that he has
one, but if you are committed and dedicated
enough, then you will no doubt be able to
convince your bosses that your work ethic is
one of the things that make you an asset of the
company

PLEASE MENTION 2 POINTS WHICH YOU
CAN RECOLLECT FROM THIS SESSION

GROUP ACTIVITY TO FOLLOW

THANK YOU!