Application of the work ethic of a waitress in today’s organizations

A recent article by John Stancavage in the business section of Tulsa World titled Staying Focused at Work focused on a report published by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce that revealed that more than half of the businesses surveyed for the report “had difficulty to find people with a good work ethic. or that they can get their work done without letting personal issues get in the way.” Even very basic skills were missing, like being on time, staying on task, and adapting to change. Creating other problems are employees who are always having one crisis or another that prevents them from getting to work on time or distracts them after they get in. All of these things affect productivity, and since employee productivity is credited with helping the United States remain competitive in the global marketplace and there is fewer candidates for each job, is an important issue to address.

“It’s not just staff members who have trouble staying on task,” Stancavage writes. “Managers do, too, though often for different reasons. A recent survey by New Hampshire-based NFI Research found that 67 percent of senior executives complained that email distracts them from their jobs. Other problems included personal interruptions (31 percent) and changing priorities (30 percent).”

I guess I’m officially old because I found myself thinking “back in my day” when I read this. I applied for my first job as a waitress at our local small town restaurant when I was fifteen and a half years old. Thelma, the manager of the restaurant who hired me, said that she really shouldn’t hire anyone under the age of 16, but that we would keep quiet about it. She knew my family and thought I would be a good hire because I would have a good work ethic, and she was right. I stayed at that job all through high school, working weekends and summers until I went to college.

The work ethic that Thelma was so sure I possessed I learned from my parents. It included getting to the restaurant about 15 minutes before my shift started so that when my shift started, I was ready to go to work. That didn’t allow for too much sleep after a night out with friends. It meant putting in a full day of work that included finding other things I needed to do when I wasn’t busy serving customers. Things like filling the salt and pepper shakers, wiping down tables and counters, sweeping up, and even, from time to time, helping with the dishes. I was expected to keep up in a fast-paced environment while maintaining a positive, friendly attitude and sense of humor. Honesty applied not only to handling money and supplies, but also to not taking more than my two 15-minute breaks and one 30-minute meal break during my shift. Any personal problems I might be experiencing I would leave at home and when I got to work, I was expected to focus on work alone. I didn’t think twice about my work ethic. That’s how it went. Being on my feet for most of an eight-hour shift was exhausting, but I was happy to have a job, earn my own money, buy my own car, and become more self-sufficient.

Today’s workplace may be much more complicated than my workplace of many years ago, but I believe the same principles should apply when it comes to having a good work ethic. People should still show up to work on time, do a good day’s work, not take advantage of their employer, be honest and leave their problems at home. What’s so difficult about that? If you could do those things before you were old enough to get a driver’s license, then I think we should expect adults in today’s workplace to do the same.