A Winning Employee’s Guide to

“ Whether you think you can or

whether you think you can’t,
you’re right.

-Henry Ford
”
The importance of developing a strong work ethic and how the work ethic you
develop will impact your future as an employee.
“ You can’t have million dollar
dreams with a minimum wage
work ethic.
Honor Society
”
Work ethic is a belief that hard work and intensity have a moral benefit and an
essential ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities.
It is a set of values centered on importance of work and manifested by
determination or desire to work hard.
“Don’t be upset by the results you didn’t get with
the work you didn’t do.”-
www.ChangeInSeconds.com
 Top 10 Work Ethic Traits

 Attendance  Productivity

 Character  Organizational Skills

 Team Work  Communication

 Appearance  Cooperation

 Attitude  Respect
ATTENDANCE
Attendance
Be on time
Be at work everyday
possible
Stay the entire shift
Be in your designated area
Be ready to work
Plan and limit your
absences
CHARACTER
Character
Character
TEAM WORK
Teamwork
APPEARANCE
Appearance
 Dress appropriately for job situation
 Personal hygiene
 Less is more
 Proper etiquette
 Firm handshake
 Maintain eye contact
 Never underestimate the power of a smile

“Remember you only have one chance to make a first impression”

ATTITUDE
Attitude
 Respect for others
 Positive energy even in
the face of adversity
 Commitment to the job
 Innovative ideas
 Helpfulness
 Acceptance of failure and
moving forward
 Bounce back from
setbacks
 Strong sense of purpose
 Healthy sense of control
 Utilize sound problem-
solving strategies
 Gratitude increase an
employees productivity
PRODUCTIVITY
Productivity
 Commit to results vs. activity
 Working together, so the process
flows smoothly
 Encourage others to be innovative
to save time and resources
 Care about the work and team
goals
 Diversified skill sets
 Know your role
 Effective, open communication
 Open feedback and
acknowledgements
 Remains focused on the target,
clear and transparent goals
 Take initiative
 Mutual respect
 Work efficiently and offers
assistance
 Practice tolerance
Productivity
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
Why Organizational Skills Are Important?

 Understand workflow to keep things running smoothly

 Saves time and money
 Essential for multitasking
 Prioritizing tasks
 Structuring schedules
 Boost productivity
 Transferable job skills
Organizational Skills
 Teamwork Organizational Skills
 Time-Management Skills
 Physical Organizational Skills
 Planning Organizational Skills
 Scheduling Skills
 Resource Coordination Skills
 Delegation Skills
 Sleep Skills
 Meal Preparation Skills
 Prioritization Skills
 Goal-setting Skills
 Collaboration Skills
 Leadership Skills
 Efficiency Skills
 Communication Skills
 Self-Care Skills
COMMUNICATION
Communication
 Listening
 Ability to relate to others
 Simplify the complex
 Write correctly and
coherently
 Know when to speak up
 Make yourself available
 Practice confidence
 Be specific
 Focus on your interactions
 Ask questions
 Recognize non-verbal cues
COOPERATION
Cooperation

 Communication is a two-way process

 There are different ways to reach a decision
 Understanding how to participate in work activities
 Conflict resolution
 Principled negotiation which encourages and values disagreement
 Recognize individual roles, behaviors and skills
 Follow company rules, policies, and procedures
 Appreciate privileges
RESPECT
Respect

 Be polite
 Act respectfully
 Listen well
 Be helpful
 Don’t make excuses
 Let go of anger
 Be willing to change
 Involuntary Separation from
Employment

Layoffs
Job loss not their fault
Terminations
Job loss because of their actions
Reasons Employees are Fired
Attendance
 Consistently late
 Consistently absent
 Consistently leaving
early
 Showsa lack of
responsibility
 Can hinder productivity
Reasons Employees are Fired
Character
 Being dishonest
 Once trust is lost it’s hard to
regain
 Being unreliable
 Failure to carry out assignment
doesn’t make the task go away.
 Abusing drugs or alcohol
 Can create health/safety issues
 Moral failure
 Theft
Reasons Employees are Fired
Team Work
Bossing others around
 Giving orders is the boss’s
job
Not carrying your
weight
 Not doing your part –
laziness
 Relyingon others to do
your job for you
Reasons Employees are Fired
Appearance
 Violation of Dress Code
 Safety issue
 Disregard for company policy
 Inappropriate Social Media
postings
 Remember you are a
representative of your
company.
 How you dress and act can
reflect on the company.
Reasons Employees are Fired
Attitude
 Being trouble makers
 Causing arguments and problems
 Negative talk
 Incessant complainers
 Poor disposition- being dissatisfied all
the time
 Attitude of entitlement
 Being rude and using abusive language
 Inappropriate behavior is inexcusable
 Makes the workplace unpleasant and
discouraging for others
Reasons Employees are Fired
Productivity
 Failure to keep current in their field
 Not adapting to change can create a toxic
organizational culture
 Failure to take initiative
 An employee’s value diminishes if an employer has
to provide direction
 Valued employees come up with ideas and
strategies on their own
 Failure to carry out assignments correctly
 Incompetence
 Costly errors hurt business
 Being lazy
 It’s a form of theft
 Being careless can lead to accidents or profit
loss
Reasons Employees are Fired
Organizational Skills
 Loosingtools, equipment,
and materials
 Unable to locate things
decreases productivity
 Lack of time management
 Not meeting deadlines
 Unprepared
 Not ready for meetings or
presentations
Reasons Employees are Fired
Communication
Failureto
communicate (written
and/or verbal)
Unable to properly
express ones thoughts
and ideas
Unable to interpret
instructions and
directions
Reasons Employees are Fired
Cooperation
Not getting along with
others
Co-workers, boss,
vendors, and/or
customers
Failingto follow rules
and policies
Not following instructions
“Doing your own thing”
Reasons Employees and Fired
Respect
Being disrespectful
 Being argumentative and
confrontational
Making fun of,
harassing, or
discriminating against
others
 Thiscould also land you in
court!
Positive Actions to Take if You’re
Fired
Correct your faults and move forward
Don’t repeat your mistakes, learn form
them
Think positively about your next job