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A New Work Ethic

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A New Work Ethic
Kathryn Green
Professor Mitchell
BUS 309
4/20/2012
Strayer University

Abstract
Young employees, who have contempt for customers, poor work habits, and a lack of ethical standards, will have a negative affect on the ability of American businesses to compete in the future. Some things that cause this work ethic may include peer pressure on younger workers to have a relationship with the management and customers; indifferent parents; and expectations by younger workers that will cause an effect that will result in many employment opportunities regardless of their skills. The steps businesses can take to avoid this trend is hey can tstart sending representatives to colleges and high schools to present what job performance, skills and ethics businesses expect; training, mentoring relationships, reconsidering internships; and looking at job orientations as a way to identify employees with problems. The case study by James Sheehy describes the typical attitudes of the millennials in work environments that he has experienced.

“A NEW WORK ETHIC” 1. Describe how the attitudes that Sheehy reports appear to be in work environment you have experienced.

I have gone into stores, restaurants and other places of business and was the attitude that the employees waiting on you did not want to be there. Their body was there, but not their mind. “Linton Weeks berates the fact that fewer people seem to be using basic pleasantries such as “please” and “thank you,” and say “no problem,” “sure,” or “you bet,” instead of the traditional “you're welcome”. Weeks quotes, Lisa Gache, the co-founder of Beverly Hills Manners, “who blames today's casual attitudes for the decrease in manners”. “Casual conversation, casual dress and casual behavior have hijacked practically all areas of life, and I do not think it is doing anyone a service,” says Gache.

2. Explain the implications of the work ethic Sheehy describes for the future of American business.

There is a new name for the American worker, they are called, among other things, Millennials, born between 1980 and 1995. Specifically, they are teenagers and college students who are only there for the summer to earn additional spending money. According to “Marian Salzman, an ad agency executive who has been managing and tracking Millennials since they entered the workforce:"I believe that they actually think of themselves like merchandise on eBay. If you don't want me, Mr. Employer, I'll go sell myself down the street. I'll probably get more money. I'll definitely get a better experience. And by the way, they'll adore me. You only like me”, Salzman says. According to Sheehy, the Millennials, “have contempt for customers, indifference to quality and service, unrealistic expectations about the world of work, and get-away-with-what-you-can attitude.” 3. Explain whether it is more reasonable to expect workers, especially in a capitalist society, to be more devoted to their jobs, more concerned with quality and customer service, than Sheehy’s coworkers were.

I believe that it is more reasonable to expect workers in a capitalist society to be more devoted to their jobs, but not necessarily concerned with quality and customer service, they want to do their jobs, get paid and keep moving. This society is all about private ownership and private profit. The capitalist society has no moral precepts or ethical code, and is a culture that puts priority and focus on seeking short-term self-interest and financial profit. The system is designed so people are too busy focusing on trivial things such as making ends meet and dealing with business on a daily basis. 4. Explain the reasoning behind employee theft.
Gary Barzel is Manager of Business Development at Fastupfront.com, he states that “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that 75% of employees steal from work in some way and that 30% of corporate bankruptcies are a direct result of employee theft. This means that employee theft may be a bigger concern to small business owners then shoplifters. Many experts in the area of corporate crime immediately point to the credit crisis, the slump in the housing market, and the resulting recession as the main causes behind the rise in employee theft. An increasing number of Americans are losing their jobs or experiencing cuts in wages, benefits, or hours. As their take home pay declines, people have less money available for daily expenses such as food and fuel. The rise in home foreclosures, loan defaults, and bankruptcies is blatant testimony that many are just not keeping up with their financial obligations. Several small business owners also site a reduction in the number of employees as another contributing factor. As operating budgets get squeezed, small businesses have been forced to cut back on their workforces, and that means fewer watchful eyes. It’s an open door for would-be employee thieves, and small business owners can’t afford to ignore it.”

5. Explain ways the culture of our capitalists society encourages attitudes like those Sheehy describes.

The ways the culture of our capitalists society encourages these attitudes is because it has become an accepted way of doing business. As stated by Sheehy, “You only put in the time and effort for the big score, you have to just cruise through the job stuff and wait to make the big score, then you can star to hustle. The college students in particular, believed that a no-holds-barred, trample-over-anybody, get-what-you-want approach is the necessary and glamorous road to success.”

References
Barzel, G. (18 June 2009). “Employee Theft In Your Small Business: What Are The Causes?” [Blog Post]. Retrieved from http:// www.fastupfront.com/blog/business/employee-theft-in-your-small-business
Dorsey, J. (3 September 2010). “What Generation Are You? Metro Jacksonville Forum Friday” www.metrojacksonville.com/forum
Sheehy, J. (June 1990) “New Work Ethic Is Frightening”, Personnel Journal “The "Millennials" Are Coming.” Produced By Katy Textor, Sixty Minutes. CBS, WCBS, New
York. Original broadcast on 11 November 2007, was updated on 23 May 2008.
Weeks, L. (18 April 2012). In Theory: Is America becoming less civil? (Glendale News-Press)
Retrieved from http:// www.npr.com

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