We sometimes hear about the work ethic, often on job descriptions – ‘must have good work ethic.’ According to Wikipedia:
“Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a
moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character
and individual abilities. Desire or determination to work serves as the
foundation for values centered on the importance of work or industrious work.
Social ingrainment of this value is considered to enhance character through
hard work that is respective to an individual's field of work.”
“A work ethic is a set of moral principles a person uses
in their job. People who possess a strong work ethic embody certain principles
that guide their work behaviour; according to proponents, a strong work ethic
will result in the production of high-quality work which is consistent. The
output motivates them to stay on track. A good work ethic fuels an individual's
needs and goals, it is related to the initiative by a person for the
objectives. It is considered by fans as a source of self respect, satisfaction,
and fulfillment.”
According to Alexandros
Pantelakis at Workable:
“Work ethic is a set of values guiding professional
behavior, encompassing integrity, responsibility, quality, discipline, and
teamwork. It's crucial for success as it drives productivity, fosters employee
satisfaction, and enhances a company's reputation, thereby contributing to
individual and organizational achievements.”
That description paints the idea as a
wholly positive idea. In reality, I don't believe that is accurate. Below,
Pantelakis gives the components of his idea of a work ethic. These are mostly
good qualities one would seek in a worker, and we can agree that they are good
for all.
Pantelakis also gives a set of desired
skills for those considered to have a good work ethic. These are all
reasonable, although I would add that there is a limit to the amount of
dedication one should be expected to have, for instance, far less than working
massive hours and overly difficult tasks.
The idea of the work ethic
derives from the idea of the Protestant ethic asserted by sociologist Max Weber
in his 1905 book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
While the idea has been popular, it has also been controversial from the start.
“Weber asserted that Protestant ethics and values, along
with the Calvinist doctrines of asceticism and predestination, enabled the rise
and spread of capitalism.”
I would argue that valuing
work and the whole idea of a work ethic is really more an individual matter
that varies among people rather than a simply defined concept. There should
absolutely be no religious or political connotations to such an idea. One might
harbor a utilitarian motive, wanting to contribute to society and the public
good, as a work ethic, and that should be enough.
I think that tying the idea
of a work ethic with someone who favors being a “workaholic” or a highly
ambitious maker of money should not be the standard. People have differing
levels of opportunity. If the work is there, doable, and suitable to the worker,
then sure, work as much as you can. However, most people don’t like work that
much. I think that ideas like work-life balance should be prioritized. Making
work a big competition to see who can work the hardest and the most should not
be emphasized. That is one reason I do not see Trump’s proposed elimination of
taxes on overtime as a wholly great idea. Sure, it can help people make more
money and help businesses as well, at the expense of government revenue, but it
also encourages a work culture of ‘more is better,’ and perhaps of quantity
over quality. Overtime work already benefits from ‘time-and-a-half pay’ and
other bonuses. Further rewarding overtime work encourages more of it, which
also means fewer workers overall and more overworked workers. Instead of giving
more overtime, companies should perhaps hire and train more workers. Giving
overtime helps companies by allowing them to avoid hiring more workers and to
avoid associated costs for training, health care, paid time off, and other
benefits. It encourages workers to become overworked, tired, and more likely to
make mistakes, which should not be promoted. It also says to the workers that
their time at work is valued far above their work-life balance. No one really
wants to be a workaholic unless they really get enjoyment from their work.
Now, I can admire someone for
a commitment to work quality. That is a part of the work ethic that I like. I
can also appreciate how people like to get the job done and get it done
correctly and efficiently. What I don’t like is expectations for flawless work,
especially if the work involves a lot of uncertainty. A colleague of mine, who
died many years ago from an unexpected heart attack, used to always say, “perfection
or better.” It was a joke, but if you think about it, some expectations are
just too high. Make one mistake, and you’re fired is not a good place to be. I
have been there.
Among religionists, the work
ethic idea seems to bode well with what has been termed Christian prosperity
doctrine, which sees earning money as inherently godly or virtuous, somehow.
This is often juxtaposed to the Christian history of helping the poor, which,
unfortunately, seems to be less emphasized these days.
Less, Not More: Unreasonable Expectations are Not Good for
Health or Morale
Countries in the EU have been
rolling out four-day work weeks without pay cuts, and the results have been
positive and well-received, with employees reporting less burnout, better
sleep, and higher job satisfaction after six months.
Meanwhile, for other
companies, massive work hours and deep dedication (to the point of exhaustion,
arguably) are being advocated by some companies, mostly for Elon Musk’s
companies in the U.S. Morning Overview reports:
“Employees inside Elon Musk’s empire describe a work
culture that has tipped from intense to unsustainable, with some staffers now
expected to log up to 120-hour weeks…”
That level of hours is
insane. I have done it a few times. It’s insane, and no one should be expected
to do that. Such unreasonable expectations are leading to an exodus from those
companies, they report.
“The mythology around Elon Musk has long rested on the
idea that extraordinary products demand extraordinary sacrifice, but the latest
accounts from inside his orbit suggest that bargain is collapsing under its own
weight. Employees at Elon Musk’s five companies now describe schedules that can
reach 120 hours in a single week, a level of strain that turns even the most
mission-driven job into a health risk rather than a career highlight. The same
culture that once drew ambitious engineers with promises of impact and equity
is now pushing them out as they confront the physical and emotional cost of a
workload that leaves no room for rest, family, or basic recovery.”
Musk’s goals and expectations
for his employees are not reasonable, and one could argue, downright abusive.
The Morning Overview article describes it as a “campaign-style work ethos,”
but those are temporary.
“At Musk’s firms, that same ethos has been stretched
into a permanent operating model, leaving people with no realistic prospect of
a cooldown.”
Morale, retention, and
recruitment suffer from such unreasonable expectations. Complaints from the
senior staff who left include:
“…unrelenting hours, volatile priorities, and a
leadership style that prizes loyalty over dissent.”
“For years, Musk’s companies benefited from a kind of
cultural halo, attracting people who wanted to work at the cutting edge of
electric vehicles, reusable rockets, and artificial intelligence. That halo is
now dimming as his personal political interventions become more central to the
public image of the businesses themselves. Employees who joined to build
products are finding themselves fielding questions from family and friends
regarding Musk’s politics, a shift that adds reputational stress to already overloaded
schedules. When the boss’s social media feed becomes a daily flashpoint, it is
harder for staff to separate their professional identity from controversies
they did not choose.”
Clearly, Musk’s unreasonable
expectations are an out-of-control work ethic. The price for “success” is
simply too high.
I see lots of job listings
that call for a strong work ethic, ambition, a need for “talent,” and subject
matter experts. Everybody wants an expert, but it takes time (and perhaps
enough sleep) to develop expertise in a well-rounded way. Certainly, the wives,
husbands, and children of those working 120-hour weeks are not treated fairly.
Work should not be the whole of one’s life. There are other healthy ethos that
should be pursued as well, such as community engagement, family life, communing
with nature, hobbies, etc. It is hard to see how those can even be considered
when one is working more than 17 hours per day, seven days a week. That is not
only insane, but cruel.
Former Trump Commerce
Secretary Wilbur Ross thinks men in America have lost their work ethic. Ross
has a net worth of nearly three-quarters of a billion.
“American men have lost their work ethic and feel
entitled to a comfortable life without having to apply themselves, Donald
Trump’s former commerce secretary has said.”
It’s another statement by an
extremely well-to-do business tycoon complaining that people don’t want to
work. Ross writes:
“I think all these [benefits] programs, and also
the relative prosperity of the current generation’s parents, have created a
feeling that they’re entitled to a nice lifestyle, independently of whether
they perform any kind of meaningful work.
“If you’re an able-bodied person who’s not willing to
even seek a job, why should you prosper?”
Mr. Ross said: “I think there are a lot of men who just
don’t want to work that hard.”
That is rich coming from a
near-billionaire. I would argue that work can be defined in different ways:
paid work, volunteer work, educational work, etc. Referring to people as lazy
for getting enough sleep and becoming satisfied with less is not accurate, I
would argue. Many jobs are inherently unsatisfying. Many people can’t find
suitable or reasonable jobs. I would like to basically ‘flip the bird’ to Musk
and Ross and their unreasonable work ethic! One person is not better than
another because they work more at a paid job.
An article by David Rice for
People Managing People drives the states where workplace culture is best and
worst. The results are pretty clear that the best workplace cultures and lowest
quit rates tend to be in politically blue states. I would say that Musk’s
unreasonable expectations are an abuse of the whole idea of workplace
culture.
Bullshit Jobs
Some have even argued that
most societal work, over 50%, is basically unnecessary BS. A 2018 book by
American Anthropologist David Graeber, entitled Bullshit Jobs: A
Theory, asserts this. Graeber notes that it is a work ethic that ties
work to self-worth. I would guess that this is most common with men, although
that continues to change. I have said, and many retired people have said, they
feel guilty for not working. They feel that they should be contributing. But is
that even a real option if most jobs are just BS jobs? Graeber
classifies unnecessary jobs into five types: flunkies, goons, duct tapers, box
tickers, and taskmasters.
Graeber’s conclusions have
been in dispute with recent surveys showing that more people are generally
satisfied with their jobs than he would have it. I was satisfied with most of
my jobs overall, some more than others, but certainly a lot of time was spent
on pointless tasks, unnecessary meetings, and unnecessary overtime.
References:
Work
ethic. Wikipedia. Work ethic - Wikipedia
What
is work ethic and why is it important for success? Alexandros Pantelakis.
Workable. December 2023. What is work ethic and why is it
important for success? - Workable
Thousands
of workers tried 4-day workweeks, and the results are clear. Katherine Li.
Business Insider. July 23, 2025. Thousands of workers tried 4-day
workweeks, and the results are clear
Men
have lost their work ethic, says Trump’s former commerce secretary. Melissa
Lawford. The Telegraph. December 9, 2025. Men
have lost their work ethic, says Trump’s former commerce secretary
Employees
are fleeing Musk’s companies as 120-hour weeks spread. Cassian Holt. Morning
Overview. December 28, 2025. Employees
are fleeing Musk’s companies as 120-hour weeks spread
The
Best and Worst States for Workplace Culture in 2025. David Rice. People Managing
People. Last Updated March 12, 2025. The
Best and Worst States for Workplace Culture in 2025
Bullshit
jobs. Wikipedia. Bullshit
Jobs - Wikipedia
Protestant
work ethic. Wikipedia. Protestant work
ethic - Wikipedia
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