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DEVELOPING GOOD WORK ETHIC

A person's attitude towards work determines the success or failure of one's business or personal enterprise.
Work may either motivate or de-motivate a worker depending on his perception and towards work itself. This
chapter examines the human, philosophical, and theological meaning of work
and their implications to the worker himself (Boas, 2017).

I. Definition of Work

Work is both a personal and social activity. As a personal activity, it is aimed at developing a person. As a social
activity, its purpose is the preservation of human society. Work, therefore, has moral and legal implications.

Work is the legitimate use of our mental and bodily powers for economic gain or profit.
1. Work is the "use" or application of our physical powers to accomplish specific tasks.
2. The purpose of work is to obtain an economic gain or power

Work is a purposeful human activity involving physical or mental exertion that is not undertaken solely for
pleasure but has economic and symbolic value. The definition is wide enough to include paid and unpaid work
performed inside and outside the household. It also includes work done in the informal sector and volunteer
activities but does not include leisure activities (Budd, 2011).

Work ethic is the ability to maintain proper moral values within the workplace. It is an attitude that shapes how
an individual performs his job duties with high ethical standards. Work ethics is known as a transferable or "soft"
skill. It is an inherent attitude that an individual possesses. It allows him to make decisions and perform his
duties with positive moral values, including integrity, responsibility, high quality, discipline, humility, and
teamwork.

A person's work ethic is a representation of his character. A strong work ethic suggests that the person places
a high value on doing a good job, respecting others, and functioning with integrity. Professionalism is a
component of work ethic, which describes how a person comes to work and conducts himself on the job. There
are several ways a person can exemplify professionalism on the job.

II. Theological Meaning of Work According to St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas enumerates four (4) purposes of work in his treatise entitled Summa Theologica:
1. It provides for one's daily livelihood;
2. It prevents idleness, which is a source of many evils;
3. It curbs the rebellious flesh; and
4. It enables man to give aims from his material surplus.

For St. Thomas Aquinas, man is called to serve God through his work (Floyd, 2018). Business transactions, as
human interactions, cannot be separated from ethics. Since human beings flourish through virtuous living and
strive to succeed, virtues are just as crucial to business as every other sphere of human conduct. The business
has a social purpose: serving the common good.

III. Human Perspective of Work

From a human perspective, work is a relevant concept rather than jobs or employment. A job is a narrow concept
with pre-determined time-bound assigned tasks or activities in an input-output framework with labor as input
and a commodity or service as output. Yet, jobs do not encompass creative work (e.g., the work of a writer or a
painter), which goes beyond defined tasks; they do not account for unpaid care or focus on voluntary work.
Work is a broader concept that encompasses jobs but goes beyond the dimensions mentioned above, all of
which are left out of the job framework but critical for human development (Jahan, 2015). See figure 1 for the
human perspective of work.

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WORK WORKER OTHER WORKERS

Object: Subject: Context:

Task to be done The Human Person Others

MEANINGFUL
WORK

Figure 1: The Human Perspective of Work (Boas,2017)

The meaning of work is perceived as a state of satisfaction caused by the perception of coherence between the
person and the work the person performed (Boas, 2017).

Dimension Variable Work is meaningful when

Whoever performs the work feels pleasure and likes what
he does.
Personal Satisfaction It is a challenge to be overcome.
The person perceives his contribution as unique and
creative.
The Human It rewards whoever it does financially.
Person Independence and Allows the individual to achieve a better quality of living.
Survival Provides the feeling of financial and psychological
independence
Growth and Learning Professional growth and learning.
Provides identity to those who work.
Identity The company where the person work is recognized
It is a status symbol.

IV. How to Enjoy Work and Create Spiritual Values in the Workplace
1. Practice the Golden Rule;
2. Guard your mouth;
3. Stop the green jokes;
4. Practice ethical behavior;
5. Learn to forgive;
6. Be generous;
7. Respect superiors and coworkers;
8. Be considerate;
9. Perform your work and fulfill your duties to the best of your ability;
10. Be a grateful person;
11. Do not bring the problems at home to the workplace or vice versa;
12. Be an inspiration to others;
13. Read your religion’s sacred texts (e.g., Bible, Quran, Vedas) every day;
14. Develop a personal relationship with the Creator; and
15. Smile, and enjoy your work.

V. Basic Duties of Employers

1. Respect the dignity of the workers;
2. Appreciate their work;

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3. Never treat them as a slave to make money;

4. Never assign them tasks beyond their strength, nor employ them in work not suited to their age or
gender;
5. Give them commensurate and fair wages;
6. Provide for their health and social recreation;
7. Provide them time for the practice of their religion;
8. Instruct them on how to use their money wisely;
9. Instruct them to love their family; and
10. Provide them with opportunities for promotion.

VI. Basic Duties of Workers

1. Work honestly and comply with all agreements;
2. Never inure capital, nor steal from the employer;
3. Never outrage the person of the employer;
4. Never employ deceit or violence in presenting a cause; and
5. Never consult with "agitators" or men or evil principles.

References:

Attitudes that affect job performance | Principles of management. (n.d.). Lumen Learning – Simple Book
Production. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-principlesofmanagement/chapter/attitudes-that-
affect-job-performance/
Boas, A. A. (2017). Quality of life and quality of working life. BoD – Books on Demand.
Budd, J. W. (2011). The thought of work. Ilr Press.
Finnis, J. (2014, November 16). Introduction to the work of Thomas Aquinas. Thomas Aquinas.
https://thegreatthinkers.org/aquinas/introduction/
Floyd, S. (2018). Aquinas' philosophical theology. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy | An encyclopedia of
philosophy articles written by professional philosophers. https://iep.utm.edu/aq-ph-th/
Jahan, S. (2015). 2015 human development report – Rethinking work for human development. Human
Development Reports | United Nations Development Programme. https://hdr.undp.org/en/rethinking-
work-for-human-development
Leonard, K. (2019, February 6). Meaning of professionalism and work ethic. Small Business - Chron.com.
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/meaning-professionalism-work-ethic-746.html
McInerny, R. (2014). Saint Thomas Aquinas (Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy). Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas/
My Accounting Course. (n.d.). What is work ethic? https://www.myaccountingcourse.com/accounting-
dictionary/work-ethic
Roa, F. C. (2007). Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Manila, Philippines. Rex Book Store.
Schwartz, M. S. (2017). Business ethics: An ethical decision-making approach. John Wiley & Sons.

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