What is it with the work ethic today? Why do people feel that a half-assed job is good enough? Yes, it’s rant time again.
We have been dealing with re-construction of the canal behind our house for the past two years (it was planned as a seven month job). Initially, the workers came through and fenced off the last 15 feet of our yard destroying several planters, many trees, and two fruit bearing trees (which will not be replaced). They came through and took down the side fences without telling us they were doing it. We almost lost a dog. We had to make them understand that this yard needed to be whole before the day was out so we could let our dogs out. Thankfully it was.
However today was a different story. The workers took down the temporary fence starting several yards down and ending with ours (there were still more to do). I talked to them and made sure they knew that they could not leave our yard open. They promised that they would complete to that point before they left. Well, they left at noon and left our yard open. I had to find a construction person who had to divert people doing other work to close in the yard. But I have to ask... what is wrong with people?
All too often I see people doing a half-assed job because they don’t care about what they are doing. I used to work for a contractor for the government. One of my coworkers would finish a job and say “well, that’s good enough for government work.” The sad thing was, it was a scary statement to make. It was almost like a saying we had at one company for programs that went out untested... “No known Bugs.” That meant that we did not know of any problems, but it was not tested thoroughly.
But this seems to be the norm nowadays. What has happened to pride in one’s work? What has happened to good work ethic?
If I did my work with this type of ethics, I would have been out of business years ago. Granted, I’m not raking in the bucks, and I am just trying to keep the doors open in this economy, but no one coming off my table can claim that I don’t put at least 100% effort in what I do.
Why is it that most people are only happy putting in 50%?