A new work ethic

¶ … New Work Ethic

Describe how typical the attitudes that Sheehy reports appear to be in work environments you have experienced.

During my work as a bartender and waiter in the food service industry I have certainly experienced a great many of the same attitudes that Sheehy encountered in his experimental job. There was certainly a significant amount of contempt for customers and a strong get-away-with-what-you-can approach to job roles. There was always very little regard for the company or ownership of the various restaurants I have worked in, though attendants did seemingly go out of their way in many cases to provide commendable service since the primary mode of income came in the form of tips (which also kind of falls in line with Sheehy's reporting of extreme egotism in his workplace). Nevertheless, like Sheehy's working environment, theft was very common. That is, bartenders would continuously steal alcohol for themselves and their friends, and waiters would regularly be found eating the food that they had "mistakenly" ordered for customers. The regrettable reality of this working experience seemed to worsen further down the occupational ladder. Busboys and food runners were some of the worst culprits in theft, outright contempt for clientele (often defacing the food items of customers they did not like), and certainly no concern at all for quality or service standards. Throughout my time in the job world I have experienced the same work ethics that Sheehy has described on a regular basis, and I am ashamed to say that I have been sucked into this cultural trend on more than one occasion.

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

The deplorable scenario that Sheehy witnessed and described in his testimony will surely continue and exacerbate many of the harmful trends that America has already fallen into. The next generation's unwillingness to work and take pride in their jobs will further promote the outsourcing of valuable positions in several key manufacturing and technology sectors. This trend of escaping manual labor has been going on for quite some time and it seems like American stores will continue to be filled with products from India, Asia, Latin America and other worldly regions that have maintained a respectable work ethic. Additionally, it will not be long before these lamentable attitudes towards the working world carry over into the educational arena. The apathetic and nonchalant approach to schooling will represent an even greater problem for America's youth population and its ultimate future. For, Sheehy reports that the workers he encountered claimed only to be slacking of at work because they were waiting for their "real jobs" after they finished their educations. However, presumably there are large numbers of low-skilled workers that do not believe that a "real job" is attainable and will therefore bring their learned work ethic to the classroom. Thus, the combination of all of the above factors creates a macroeconomic employment concern for the future generation of the United States. As America has already begun to struggle with growing unemployment rates during recent years, Sheehy's report does not make it seem like there is much light at the end of the tunnel.

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.

In a state of pure capitalism, it would certainly be reasonable to expect workers to be more devoted to their job roles and concerned with quality and customer service. However, America's industrial landscape is chockfull of oligopolies, multinational conglomerates and unionized labor. This atmosphere has limited the purity of America's capitalist structure because true capitalism relies on healthy levels of competition. The current corporate domination in virtually every sector of American society has limited the nature of the competitive environment and thereby weakened the capitalist structures of this nation. As a result of this unfortunate reality, massive amounts of citizens (especially those still in school) are forced to work for someone else. Accordingly, these individuals are not readily encouraged to take pride in their work or become dedicated to their job roles. There are also countless protective policies in place for this employee group. Therefore, these ghastly attitudes are actively promoted on a grand scale by essentially telling employees that their paychecks will be waiting for them regardless of their behavior or performance in the workplace.

Explain the reasoning behind employee theft.

Without question, a lack of care and concern for the welfare of employers certainly plays a key role in employee theft. Especially in low-wage situations, employees are in no way grateful to employers for their positions. Therefore, as Sheehy reports, many young people believe that it is not wrong and that in fact, their employers owe it to them. In addition to the lack of adequate wages, the egotistical nature of almost all young people also plays a role in this disreputable trend. That is, several young employees are only working to better their own personal financial situations and have no intention of ever advancing in the company. As a result, attitudes like "getting on with getting mine" are created and embraced. Moreover, the ease with which students and other young Americans are able to obtain these low-paying job positions also contributes to the propensity for employee theft. As stated above, employees are dissatisfied with their jobs and know that they can easily find other work. Thus, there is no adequate obstacle to dissuade them from taking the risk of engaging in theft or any other dishonorable practices in the workplace.