How You Think About Work

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Not understanding why your job matters to the company you work for has nothing to do with work ethic. You can work very hard at moving a boxes across the room: always getting them all moved in time and stacked neatly. That doesn't mean you know why it matters to the company that the boxes are on the left side of the room instead of on the right side.
I agree with Hoffman that this is a management problem. At the very least you'd think it'd be coming up during performance reviews. "We need you to work on this because..." or "We like you work here because.." where 'because' is followed with how their work affects the company. I wonder if the people Hoffman has been speaking to are just getting sheets of paper with numbers on it instead of having conversations with their managers.

Sharon of GA 2:23PM July 09, 2009

GL wrote:
I am struck by the lack of understanding about the connection between what they do at work, and how that ultimately benefits their company. Of course, the responsibility for an employee who can't make that connection lies squarely at management’s feet.
I absolutely disagree!
The inability to connect how what one does at work benefits the company is only one step away from something kids aren't raised with these days: work ethic. Twenty-somethings and even thirty-somethings, not to mention the current generation of teens, are raised or allowed to grow up with a self-centered, it's-all-about-me attitude. They are raised with the expectation of entitlement, not the expectation that they should have to work hard and earn what ever they get in this life.
All that begins at home. Later, it is reinforced or eroded at school. By the time some perspective employer gets the child, the work ethic or lack thereof -- and in turn, their ability to connect their efforts to the success or demise of their employer -- is already formed.

bg of IN 11:35PM July 01, 2009

What makes me pop out of bed every morning and try to be the best employee in my department? I believe I'm at that self actualization stage because there's nothing better to me than putting in a good day's work, providing value to my customers, and making my boss' job easier. Simply put, I like being productive and making a difference to others around me.
Today, myself and two co-workers (who have a total of 50 years more experience in the department than me) worked in tandem to understand & resolve a discrepancy. We figured it out together, and that exercise was very rewarding to me. Partnership and productivity drive me to work hard everyday.
I'm very glad you that wrote about this topic as I blog about careers regularly and created a website just for those “twenty somethings” that you mentioned. The focus is find work that fit employees in terms of drive, work ethic, lifestyle & personality. Currently, I'm writing a 3-part blog on the career development process, and I invite them to visit (and provide feedback).
Thanks,
Daphne Robinson
www.careercougar.com
careercougar.wordpress.com

Daphne Robinson of CT 9:10PM July 01, 2009