Fast Track: How to Improve Your Work Ethic in Five Steps

A strong work ethic doesn’t come naturally for everyone but that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve it. Displaying a positive set of qualities can help you shoot up the career ladder and build the professional reputation you’ve always wanted. After all, how you conduct yourself at work speaks volumes. With this in mind, let’s look at five areas to focus on when improving your work ethic.

What is a Strong Work Ethic?

First of all, what exactly does it mean to have a strong work ethic? Simply put, a person who has a strong work ethic has adopted a set of positive habits that help them stand out as an employee in a corporate scenario. A good work ethic is something that can learned and used to impress employees, secure promotions and even fast track your journey to a management position.

Tackle Time Management

Punctuality is a great place to start when developing a strong work ethic. Being on time to work, completing tasks in a time efficient manner, using a diary and planning a schedule that allows you to make the most of your working day are all valuable assets and will help you get ahead. Being late is a negative trait that can make you look lazy, disorganised and undisciplined whereas making time management a priority is something all successful employees have mastered and while it is a simple concept, it can show your dedication to your role.

Always Remain Respectful

Another value that will make employers stand up and take notice is maintaining a high level of professionalism at all time. This could be anything from obeying the office dress code and looking smart during office hours to conducting yourself in an appropriate manner when emailing colleagues and clients and being polite in meetings. A great example of this is avoiding work-related gossip. A professional demeanour will gain you a certain level of respect from colleagues and employers alike and is a superb tool to have in your repertoire. Remaining respectful is the key to a strong work ethic so be sure to keep your phone out of view during work hours, only take the dedicated time off for lunch breaks and never take more than your fair share of stationery supplies.

Choose Productivity over Procrastination

Successful employees and entrepreneurs alike have trained themselves to make work related tasks a priority and lucky for you this is a skill that can be learned. This means getting rid of all non-work related distractions so you can start the day as you mean to go on. It is so easy to be distracted by emails, admin, making a cup of tea or falling into a social media hole for minutes at a time but these activities will only result in missed deadlines and lower productivity levels.

Adopt a can-do Attitude

Half the battle when developing a good work ethic is changing your attitude towards work. Coming into work each day with the hope of scraping by doing the least amount possible will not paint the picture of being a disciplined, hard working employee. A strong work ethic involves looking at your role from a glass half full perspective and setting a standard of excellence for yourself that means doing your job to the best of your ability.

Build a Reputation for Being Reliable

People who have a strong work ethic are often dependable and this trait makes them indispensable in the workplace. One simple way to develop this quality is to volunteer to complete tasks that fellow co-workers need assistance with without having to wait to be asked. Always meet deadlines and do what you say you will when you say you will. Don’t simply take on extra responsibilities but complete them to a high standard. Go the extra mile to get the job done.

Do you have a strong work ethic? Let us know on Twitter at @viking_chat.