WORK ETHIC

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Virtuous cycle

 

A strong work ethic is contagious.  Things like positive energy, professional attire, ambition, integrity and gratitude - which people can, and do, unconsciously catch from others.  Over time, the employees in your business will follow your habits.  The positive spill-over improves bottom lines and becomes a hidden driver of great performance.

 

Send a signal that you want to initiate improvements.  Host weekly meetings.  Encourage employees to ask questions of company executives (promoting transparency).  Impart ambition and inspire pride.  Happiness is contagious, target roots of grievances, recognise staff who make improvements, celebrate successes.  

 

Bad apple syndrome

 

The opposite is true.  Studies have shown that a poor work ethic in one person can introduce a kind of social virus to an otherwise cohesive and well-functioning system.  In scenarios where team members are dependent on one another, a person with a poor work ethic triggers a natural move to restore balance.  As a result, group members collectively, and often unconsciously, reduce the amount of work contributions all around.  From here, a subtle and automatic cascade occurs.  

 

Over time, a single person with a bad work ethic can create a wider atmosphere of problematic behaviour.  The social contagion spreads from one team to another team.  The more exposure people have to those infected by a bad work ethic contagion, the more it spreads.  It can impede motivation, stunt creativity, halt learning, maim co-operation, and stokes conflict. 

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