!

The American Work

Ethic






Ian Rostkowski
Mr. Worden
English IV
21 April 2014

#$%&'( )*+,,- !"#$%&'&( *&+",-.
.

INTRODUCTION- I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and stare
at it for hours. (Jerome K. Jerome). America is an amazing place to be. It was
founded on the basis of new ideas and sacrifice. A country said to exist without
equal, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. While some countries have
existed for millennia, The United States have only existed for a brief 238 years,
and in this time, it has become a powerhouse in the world economy and structure,
and the reason it has come so far in such a short while is because of its amazing,
dauntless and downright inspiring workforce; or at least thats what I am told.
To be frank, Im an 18 year old high school senior who has yet to hold even
the smallest of employment opportunities. However, my parents seem to be
plotting the end to my little unemployment spree come the end of this school
year. Personally, I could not care more or less where I get my first job. The local
grocer, a restaurant, the stock room at the back of a Sears or a Macys, they all
seem the same to me, and equally easy. However my parents are quick to silence
my fantasies of an easy job with a decent pay (for a teenager, anyway). They tell of
how ruthless and demanding a job can be. But I truly fail to see it yet.
Every day I pass and talk to people in my school, and many of them have
jobs similar to the ones previously mentioned. Yet when I inquire to as to what I
should expect from a job, their responses are much more relaxed than that of my
parents. Mind you that the average student of this day and age is a master of
/

working smart rather than hard. They get their answers from websites like
Wikipedia and SparkNotes, and Google has almost become its own religion.


Minimal effort is expended, and the prestigious A is still appearing on report cards.
This now brings a question to my mind. Is there a rift in the American work
environment or ethnic. Is the older generation just exaggerating, or are the young
cashiers and baggers of the world in for a rough surprise? Is there a chance the
average American job is a gauntlet of time tasking trials and confounding
paperwork, or is it the fact that we could all just be utter slouches and would all
rather be watching Breaking Bad on Netflix?
I chose this essay topic for these reasons. I believe that life can be separated
into 4 quarters. The first quarter is school, the next half is work, and the last quarter
is spent in retirement. If i am to be doing anything for half of my life, I may as well
/001#% 2 3"4"5%6"7 809%:0'4 !0;%.01023456-*+&
7

bother to look it up. I want to know anything and everything about the job market
and its inhabitants, so that when my time to enter the chaos comes, Ill be prepared
for anything.

RESEARCH-The first way I decided to research this topic was to see
what the reporters, and apparently harsh critiques, of the internet had to say about
the modern work ethic. To my surprise, the majority of them share a similar
opinion: Young workers today have a different work ethic from their older
counterparts and are an apparent drain on the modern workforce because of it.
To put a possible belief to rest quickly, it should be stated that young
workers and their work ethic is not non-existent. As demonstrated in an article by
Laura Stack on TLNT.com, Stack included an American Time Use Survey
organized by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In it, Americans ages 25 to 54 are
reported to work an average of 8.8 hours a day. The younger half of workers is
clocking in just as many hours as the older half, and therefore, statements depicting
young people as jobless and unwilling to go to the office are false. However, this
means that I had to go deeper into my research than just seeing who bothered to
show up at the office. I decided to look into the possible backgrounds between the
different generations and also inspect the quality of their individual work.
8


In a report by Peter Kirsanow, an editor on nationalreview.com, Kirsanow
reminisces about his days as a hard working, classic American child.
On the occasions when I couldnt find a job I became self-employed painting houses,
digging trenches, mowing lawns, putting up fences. Almost all of my friends had jobs or were
self-employed also. Not working was a source of deep embarrassment. Once, the summer after
eighth grade, I had no work for maybe one to two weeks, and not for lack of effort (we typically
began lining up summer jobs the preceding October and November). One of my best friends
chided me for being on welfare. The statement stung so much so profound was the stigma
of not working that we almost came to blows. (Kirsanow, The American Work Ethic)

This gives some excellent insight as to what our veteran workers nowadays
were like when they were younger, and to put it simply, they were just as hard
working and competitive as they are now. Kirsanow states that working was like a
status, one that allowed those who had it to be prideful and to jeer at those who did
not. Work was something that everyone wanted to do at some point in the past, and
they would take any opportunity they could to keep an income flowing. Kirsanow
also states his concern about modern day children. In his article, Kirsanow tells the
story of how he would offer a couple of boys opportunities to odd jobs around his
<%05#% 30'4";1- )93,,:;',+*5-*+&
<

house such as painting the shed, mowing the lawn, and other maintenance chores.
However, unlike Kirsanow and his childhood workforce, these children did not
want to work; promises were made, but were quickly forgotten or dismissed and
broken. This may prove to be a part of the development of the young generations
work ethic, as they are less entitled to work until they are much older. But when
they are, they may not have the experience or correct attitude built up from all
those summer jobs older workers like Kirsanow have.
This lack of experience or inability to determine when to apply oneself may
actually be a problem the younger generation faces. Andrea Gannett, an editor for
the USA Today, posted a web article concerning the lackadaisical mindset of the
young worker. Upon questioning of their sub-par work, Gannett reports that one
workers excuse was Its just not convenient. (Gannett,Self-Centered Work
Ethic Hinders Young Employees). Through her writing, Gannett tries to establish
the idea that the younger work ethic can be defined as selfish, as the workers are
bothered by having to do work that requires them to go beyond what they consider
comfortable and they will cut corners in order to make deadlines if necessary. The
article also states, They want to get the job done as quick as possible, put it
behind them and enjoy life.


=



I believe I may actually have a reason behind as to why this work ethic
exists, and it partly lies in the school system. As I stated at the beginning of this
report, we teenagers are masters of efficiency. If homework is stopping us from
playing video games or watching TV, we will most likely use easy information and
search sites like Google and Wikipedia to get it done as quickly as possible. A
decent amount of the work done by high schoolers is done half-heartedly,
especially if it is something the student considers inferior or unnecessary. This, I
believe, ties in with Kirsanows concerns regarding how the younger generation
also does not spend their time actively trying to acquire and accomplish work. The
only work that the younger generation is exposed to is school work, which as
stated before, is dismissible and easy to accomplish with minimal effort. Because it
='7;4#"; !. >00-%?%#&. >%;5>%;,?4:@)9+A-*+&
B

is all they know, the younger generation carries the same attitude into the office
space. The major problem in their practice is that school work and real work are
graded differently. School work, for as far as I have seen, will often be graded off
of completion (even more incentive to dismiss it), save for the occasional
correctness based test, presentation or essay. Real work however, is based on
quality, and the young workers may not have as much experience as the older ones
in this field. If you painted the shed wrong or mowed the grass too short, you most
likely lost a good sum of your payment or had to go back and do it again. The
repercussions for using Wikipedia and flying through a homework assignment are
almost non-existent, and it is through this aspect that the young generation may
turn out to be inexperienced and misinformed about how to properly function in
the workspace.
With this in mind, I managed to find another article, this time written by
former job recruiter Robert Weissberg, that listed all of the core strengths that
employers want in their workers.
-Punctuality - arriving promptly and otherwise being there when needed.
-Reliability - performing one's job, rain or shine, even when tempted to be elsewhere.
-Diligence - tenaciously sticking to it and avoiding the lures of wasteful socializing or
daydreaming.
-Agreeableness - getting along with fellow employees or customers regardless of
personal feelings.
-Abiding by the rules - whether about personal appearances or performing tasks properly,
all rules are to be obeyed.
-Ambition - a willingness to improve performance, acquire new skills, and try to be a
better employee as a matter of principle even if not immediately rewarded. (Weissberg, The
Work Ethic and US Employment)
C



These values are the cornerstones of a successful worker in the eyes of employers.
They reflect one's ability, readiness and willingness to take on challenges and see
them through to the end, as well as their attitude towards others. And from a
highschooler's perspective, I can say that a majority of our students may have
different attitudes and opinions regarding these core values.
Admirable Work Ethic Traits (Revised for High School Students)
-Punctuality - Bells will tell you when to leave and go to class. If you show up late, say
you were busy in the bathroom.
-Reliability - If its based on completion, write down words that pertain to the
assignment. And if they never gave you a due date, you should not have to turn it in EVER.
-Diligence - How am I supposed to focus when all of my friends are in this class?
-Agreeableness - If the teacher isnt nice to me, why should I do their work?
-Abiding by the rules - You mean those things all the cool kids say are meant to be
broken?
-Ambition - A willingness to improve performance and acquire new skills like avoiding
copyright infringement in essays and using your phone while class is in session.

@+% AB&'%--%6 CD&A E9%'",7; B&D6%;&. ,9:D:$:;%E?',-FE+G'H+,-*+&
!I


INTERVIEWS-Of course, the voice of the internet can only get an
individual so far in terms of research. In my efforts to get an even better
perspective and in-depth look to the problems surrounding the American work
ethic, I decided to interview three people myself. This assortment included my
parents, Russ and Melissa Rostkowski, and my personal friend, Dennis (DJ) Mott.
I decided to interview these individuals specifically because I knew that they
would share different viewpoints from the working space, and potentially even
some conflicting views. Both of my parents, almost having twenty years of hands-
on experience and seasoning in their fields, as well as both holding management
positions, (My mother, a branch manager for Consumers Credit Union and my
father, a project manager for ComEd) are the chief example of the older
generation. Dennis however, is just starting out his career in the workforce, and
prior to me interviewing him, had only recently worked his first job at Six Flags
Great America: a perfect example of a budding worker and member of the younger
work force.
On one late weekday night at the dinner table, I asked both of my parents
about what they thought of the younger employees they work alongside with
throughout their days, and what they thought should be expected from the modern
day worker. My mother started: They dont have the correct mindset at all. They
!!

want to make the job work around them instead of them working the job. Its lazy
and it stops me from hiring a lot of people. They ask if they can work only so many
hours at infrequent times, eight hours Monday, five Tuesday, 7 Wednesday, you
need to commit to a job if youre to ever gain experience and go further. My
father could only nod in agreement. When asked as to why she thought younger
individuals may have this mentality, she continued, I think its because they dont
understand what theyre getting into. Both [Russ] and I have been working since
we were little, mowing lawns or babysitting children. We were always looking to
see if there was something we could do for a little extra cash, and if we got the job,
we did the best that we could. Many of these kids that come into me asking for a
job are straight out of college and had trouble getting into their field, so they come
to the company looking for some kind of temporary position. Many of them have
little to no experience listed on their resumes, and even some of those that I hire
are slow to learn the job or come to disrespect the position anyway. Its like they
think the money is owed to them or something. (Rostkowski) I then turned to my
father and asked him if he had any specific troubles brought on by young workers,
he stated, I have an easier time considering I dont head a whole branch like your
mother. I manage projects and the people working on them, so its not my job to
hire in new people or fire them, I just take care of who I got. That said, the
company does like to hire some out-of-college kids with high degrees and give the
!.

same position I got, and let me tell you, a lot of them cant handle it and come to
me or the other older managers for help. (Rostkowski)
So to put it plainly, Mr. and Mrs. Rostkowski felt that the younger
generation is, in fact, a little off in their assumptions as to what the job market is
for them, and being the vision of experience in their fields, the inexperienced
workers often go to them for assistance, and ultimately become a burden. This
unwillingness to work and/or with maximum effort may be a great portion of the
driving force behind their ethic, and it comes to take a toll on the more
experienced. The fact they the older generation feels that it is supporting the new
without compensation may be the main reason older workers dislike newer and
younger ones. My final question to them was what did they think could be done in
order to fix these delusions? My mother stated, I think there should be more
tutoring prior to getting them on the job, kind of like how a cashier gets a day to
learn how to work the register. We should make sure they really get whats going
on so that everyone can function at their best. The only thing thatll fix a lazy
worker is getting rid of them or a harsh warning, but we can at least try and fix half
the problem by raising up some more experienced workers. (Rostkowski) Again,
my father could only nod in agreement.
!/


With a wide swath of criticisms and ideas of improving the younger
generation now filling my notes, I decided to move on to Dennis, the
aforementioned example of a low-tier worker. And while I did know that Dennis is
actually a very competent and diligent worker, I was expecting him to at least have
a story or two about how he got away from working maybe one or two times, as
many people our age have. Little did I know that Dennis held a unique view
regarding the rift between the old and young workers. when asked about what he
thought of the younger generation, he stated, A lot of the young kids are jerks.
They know theyre only working there for so long, so they dont really try that
hard. It sucks because Im one of the few people that the managers call on to pick
up the slack. Ive even gone in to work hours where the costs of me getting there
#4$:;'+4 >%;5- BD$(E&09", F7;71%9%;&- %4$:;,++4'-*+&
!7

and my income pay broke even. (Mott) Even though it was a bit of a rhetorical
question, I had to ask Dennis, why did he work so hard when a good sum of his
similarly-aged peers were trying to get away with anything they could. Its just
what seems right he said. I would never feel right if I knew I was screwing over
someone else just so that I could have an easier day with things, and the older
workers and managers don't really deserve the disrespect they get either , theyre
just trying to get through the day too. (Mott)
As said before, while I did expect Dennis to be a diligent worker, I did not
expect him to be as diligent as he really was, oftentimes covering for several
untrustworthy and/or inexperienced individuals. Nor did I expect him to have such
high regards for his managers
and the older workers around
him. While this fact may have
been implied since the
beginning, I think it can now
rather be expressed with
certainty: Not all young workers are inclined to try to ditch work or see how much
they can get away with. Some are actually respectful to their coworkers, their
customers, and the positions they hold, no matter how small, and try their best to
climb whatever metaphorical ladder they are a part of. This information also ruled
@%%;- 30'4";1- *+3;?:;&%?E-*+&
!8

out my idea that there may have just been an actual rift between the old and young
workers just based on age, just as an elderly person may dislike modern technology
because they find it too foreign or complicated. I thought it would have made sense
in some scenarios for old to have issues with the young and vice versa merely
because of the age difference between the two groups. However after these
interviews, it is more apparent to me now that there is a problem, and it does in fact
rest with our young adults.
Knowing where the problem now exists, I wanted to get opinions on ways to
fix it. As stated before, my parents had the idea of increased attention towards
starting workers, in order to maximize their knowledge of their position. So as my
final question to Dennis, I asked, what did he think could be done to get the
younger workers to work hard again? I guess you could try to add more incentive,
but that will just make another problem. If you offer up higher rewards, some of
them will just try to fly through their job, and then you just paid more for what you
got. Dennis continued, I think the best thing to do is to just let them fall,
honestly. Theyll never make it far if they continue this kind of act, and if they do
somehow manage, they won't live a very good life. Ive known that from the
beginning. I guess its just going to take them a little bit longer, right? (Mott)
While it may seem cruel or harsh to some, Dennis idea is what nature and the job
market had intended from the beginning: survival of the fittest. If one will not
!<

complete the tasks assigned to them, then perhaps someone more willing is more
suitable for the position after all. Tutoring and attention will give a worker the
tools to complete their job, but it is up to them to utilize them.


CONCLUSION- From the few months I have spent reading,
interviewing and researching about this topic, I can definitely say that I have
managed to learn a lot about the issues concerning the American work ethic. The
younger, inexperienced and often unmotivated side is an apparent drain on the
work environment. While not all young workers, such as Dennis, are embracing
this selfish mindset a good majority of them are.
From my research, including all of my interviews and online articles or
reviews, I understand what position I want to have in the workforce; I want to be
one of the more diligent and honorable workers. While I may not be happy about
potentially working to cover for the inefficiency of my peers, hard workers like
G%76 7 80'-% &0 37&%'- *%;,++4',+*5-*+&
!=

Dennis and Mr. and Mrs. Rostkowski defend the effort, claiming that I will
develop as a worker, in either experience, rank or even both, while my less
motivated co workers will stay at the bottom. However, I managed to learn a little
bit more beyond just how I wanted to act in the workplace and coexist with
seemingly leech-like co workers, I also found some ideas on how to fix the
situation.
Melissa Rostkowski had the more active idea, using additional teaching and
attention early on to make sure workers understand what they need to do and how
to do it, while Dennis had the idea of simply letting the lazy and inexperienced fall
off at the higher levels. However, I think we could incorporate both ideas at all
levels. Workers should not just be paid more attention to at the beginning but at all
times, maybe even keeping detailed notes or data about proficiency or other valued
actions, thus making it easier to identify who is working too little, too much or just
the right amount. If the
management works
harder to keep
unmotivated workers in
line, maybe even
threatening with
unemployment more
=7?0'"&% <7'& 0H &+% !7I. ;+,,:4:*%;$'-*+&
!B

often, it would serve to remind the more selfish workers of their position, and lift
the burden of their inaction from the better workers.
Just because one is more capable at the tasks given to him does not
necessarily mean that he should take on additional work, especially if it furthers an
undeserving other. Working hard and taking responsibility for your actions and
your position are all parts of becoming an adult and a respectable worker. If the
modern system needs to adapt its policies in order to teach these values, it should,
because progress cannot be made from watching Youtube videos and secretly
checking our Twitter








!C

Works Cited
Adams, Scott. "Dilbert- Ethics." JPEG
Anderson, Mark. "Sub-Atomic Management." JPEG
Gannett, Andrea. "USA Today." Usatoday.com. USA Today and Gannet Co. Inc., 15 Sept. 2012.
Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
"Favorite Part of the Day." JPEG
"Google + Wikipedia Homework Done." 2012. JPEG
Kade, Allison. "Since When Is Work a Moral Imperative?" The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Kirsanow, Peter. "The American Work Ethic." National Review Online. National Review Online,
25 Jan. 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
"Lead a Horse to Water." 2012. JPEG
Martinez, Mark. "Franklin D. Roosevelt." 2014. JPEG
Mott, Dennis. Personal Interview. 6 March. 2014
"People Working" 2007. JPEG
Rostkowski, Melissa. Personal Interview. 3 March. 2014
Rostkowski, Russ. Personal Interview. 3 March. 2014.
Stack, Laura. "What the Annual American Time Use Survey Says About Our Work Ethic."
TLNT. ERE Media, 29 July 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
"Teens Working." 2014. JPEG
"The "Stressed Out" American Student." 2014. JPEG
Weissberg, Robert. "The Work Ethic and U.S. Unemployment." American Thinker. American
Thinker, 28 Feb. 2012. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
.I