Work Ethic – Rate Mary on whether she gives her employer an honest day’s work, compared to other people with whom you have worked.
Employees who stay focused on their responsibilities in the workplace throughout the day, and who put in an honest and full day of work, are valued employees. These employees are not clock-watchers, and they employees who are not easily distracted by non-work activities. They are typically among the first employees to arrive each day, and are often still working when the “clock-watchers” head home at “quitting time”. An “honest day’s work” typically means staying focused on assignments or tasks throughout the work day. For non-hourly employees, an “honest day’s work” typically means putting in enough effort and time at work to ensure that work responsibilities are always fulfilled and deadlines are always met. An employee who simply is present at work for eight hours does not put in an “honest day’s work”.
If Mary is known as someone who typically arrives just on time or even a little late for work, and who is “in attendance” at the workplace, but does not really stay focused on her assignments, then she needs to know that she “should work on this”. However, if Mary usually arrives to work on time, and generally stays focused on her responsibilities, even if it means staying a little after quitting time to wrap things up, then she is “just like most others”. If you have observed that Mary usually arrives before other employees, that Mary is always on top of her assignments and responsibilities, always completing tasks on or before deadlines, and that she is always willing to put in the time necessary to complete her work, then she is “better than most”.
Work Ethic – Rate Mary on how well she takes ownership of her responsibilities and assignments, compared to other people with whom you have worked.
Business managers are very interested in finding people who will take ownership of their work responsibilities. People who take ownership of work responsibilities and assignments show that they have an interest in the success of the business and in their own careers. They are able to work in a more self-directed way, which gives their manager or supervisor more time to focus on people who may need more help completing assignments. They also take responsibility for their own mistakes and don’t waste time trying to blame others. Workers who take ownership of responsibilities and assignments are often rewarded with increased responsibility, opportunity, and/or compensation.
If Mary rarely takes ownership of her responsibilities and assignments, if at all, then she needs to know that she “should work on this”. However, if Mary usually or frequently takes ownership of her responsibilities then she is “just like most others”. If you have observed that Mary always takes ownership of her responsibilities and assignements, then she is “better than most”.
Work Ethic – Rate Mary on the quality of the work she produces, compared to other people with whom you have worked.
Poor quality of work results in many problems for a business such as lost productivity from redoing work or a poor customer experience. Quality experts contend that quality pays for itself. An employee who can produce quality work is a great asset to a company. He or she will strive to do things right the first time, or will take ownership of getting problems corrected before they impact future work or customer satisfaction.
If Mary frequently delivers low-quality work then she needs to know that she “should work on this”. However, if Mary often produces quality work then she is “just like most others”. If you have observed that Mary always (or nearly always) produces quality work, then she is “better than most”.
Work Ethic – Rate Mary on how well she shows integrity by not taking office supplies or equipment for personal use, compared to other people with whom you have worked
Many employees feel that office supplies are made available to them for their own personal use. This may include not only things like paper, pens, staplers and staples, and paperclips, but also can include the use of company photocopiers, fax machines, and long distance calls for personal use. It is rarely the case that companies provide supplies for employees to use for personal reasons as companies are interested in eliminating unnecessary costs. Employees who are known to make excessive use of company property for personal use may unknowingly hinder their own careers. Those in a position to extend promotions may feel that such an employee may not have the company’s best interests in mind.
If Mary is known as someone who frequently uses company supplies for personal use, then she needs to know that she “should work on this”. However, if Mary is known to only occasionally make use of company supplies, then she is “just like most others”. If you have observed that Mary almost never takes advantage of company supplies for her own personal use, then she is “better than most”.
Work Ethic – Rate Mary on how well she does at getting to work at an appropriate time, compared to other people with whom you have worked.
Most work places have either an expected arrival time (i.e. 8 AM or 9 AM) or an acceptable window of arrival (i.e. anytime between 7:30 AM and 8:30 AM) for employees. For work places with a fixed arrival time, an appropriate time to arrive would be at, or before, the fixed arrival time. When an acceptable window of arrival is part of the culture of a work place, then an appropriate time to arrive would be within the accepted window of arrival.
Top workplace performers consistently arrive before the fixed time (when fixed arrival times are used by a company.) When acceptable windows of arrival are used by a company, top performers will always arrive within the accepted window. An employee who arrives after the fixed arrival time or later than the accepted window of arrival would be considered to have arrived “late”.
If Mary often arrives “late”, then she needs to know that she “should work on this”. However, if Mary only occasionally arrives late, then she is “just like most others”. If you have observed that Mary always arrives on-time or before she is required to arrive, then she is “better than most”.
Work Ethic – Rate Mary on how well she avoided sharing confidential or proprietary information with people who shouldn’t be hearing it, compared to other people with whom you have worked.
Intellectual property, customer information, and company strategies and plans are examples of confidential and proprietary information that are extremely valuable because they can give a company a competitive edge. The same information, in the wrong hands, can literally ruin a company. Additionally, salary information and employee review information must also be safeguarded. Otherwise employee moral could be critically impacted.
Being able to be trusted with confidential and proprietary information is key to being successful in your career. If an employee has any issues in this area, he or she needs to know that it is a concern so that it can be immediately corrected.
An employee who is knowingly revealing confidential and proprietary information to the wrong individuals should be terminated immediately to protect a company. However, if Mary is just being careless about protecting confidential and proprietary information, then she needs to know that she “should work on this”. However, if Mary has accidentally and inadvertently divulged confidential or proprietary information on rare occasions , then she is “just like most others”. However, if Mary is known to be above reproach when it comes to safeguarding confidential and proprietary information, then she is “better than most”.
Work Ethic – Rate Mary on how much of a self-starter she is, compared to other people with whom you have worked.
A self-starter is a person who can see that work needs to be done and is able to get started on the task immediately. He or she will start doing research or will call a meeting of key stake holders or will begin to analyze appropriate data. A self-starter doesn’t wait to be told what to do, but rather, takes the initiative to seek out instruction or guidance when objectives or process is not understood.
If Mary typically or frequently waits for someone else to initiate work activities, then she needs to know that she “should work on this”. However, if Mary frequently is able to get started on a project or assignment without having to have someone else take charge, then she is “just like most others”. However, if Mary always, or nearly always, is able to get started on a task or project (including requesting help when needed) without waiting for someone else to take the lead or provide instruction, then she is “better than most”.
Work Ethic – Rate Mary on how much she can be depended on to be at work, and ready to work, compared to other people with whom you have worked.
Top performers typically come to work, ready to work. It takes very little time, after arriving at work, for a top performer to be immediately on-task and productive. A top performer stays on task throughout the day and does not allow distractions to interfere with the job.
Being on-time vs. tardy and giving an “honest-day’s work” will be covered in separate questions. For this question, simply consider how well Mary gets on-task and stays on-task.
If Mary typically takes time after arriving at work to get settled or is often distracted from her tasks during the work day (or is distracted both after arriving and during the day) because of non-work-related activities, then she needs to know that she “should work on this”. However, if Mary usually arrives at the office and, with just a few minutes of settling in, can start to focus on the work at hand, and stays focused for most of the day, then she is “just like most others”. If you have observed that Mary always, or nearly always, is on-task from the time she arrives until she leaves , then she is “better than most”.
Work Ethic – Rate Mary on her level of work output or productivity as compared to other people with whom you have worked.
This question is about how productive you feel Mary is. ImageCheckup.com defines “productive” as a measure of an individual’s ability to complete work assignments or job responsibilities. A person who is considered “productive” would generally complete more work, more tasks, more projects, or more assignments than a person who is not productive. Being “productive” is an attribute that is typically associated with an individual who is advancing, or has the ability to advance, in his or her career.
If Mary typically completes fewer work assignments, or a lesser volume of work, than other people in the same or a similar position, then she needs to know that she “should work on this”. However, if Mary typically completes as many assignments, or the same volume of work as other people in the same or a similar position, then she is “just like most others”. If you have observed that Mary always, or nearly always, completes more assignments, or a greater volume of work than other people in the same or a similar position, then she is “better than most”.
Dress and Grooming – Rate Mary on whether the fragrance (perfume, cologne, scented deodorant, hair spray, etc.) she wears, is distracting and unprofessional, compared to other people with whom you have worked
This question is about whether or not the fragrance Mary wears is a negative distraction. Many people wear some sort of fragrance to the office. However, some people where a fragrance that is particularly strong, and perhaps unpleasant.
You may be able to relate to being nearly “overcome” by a perfume, cologne, or aftershave that was so strong as to suggest the wearer “must have bathed in it.” If Mary knew that her fragrance was too strong or was unpleasant-smelling to others, she would probably want to find a new fragrance, or at least wear a lot less of it.
If Mary’s fragrance is sometimes or often a distraction, then she needs to know that she “should work on this”. If her fragrance is rarely or never noticeable then she is “just like most others”. If you notice that Mary typically has a pleasant scent that is not at all distracting, then she is “better than most”.