The document outlines 15 principles for an excellent work ethic. Some of the key principles include: always putting the company first and representing it well; avoiding wasting time at work by limiting distractions; maintaining a neat workspace; speaking up to address unacceptable behavior or help colleagues; being accountable for your work rather than blaming others; and avoiding procrastination by breaking large tasks into smaller parts and setting realistic time estimates. Maintaining integrity, respecting others, and avoiding gossip or erratic work are also emphasized as important principles for a strong work ethic.

1. 15 Principles for an Excellent Work Ethic

4. 1
Always Put the Company First
if you’re working for a company – any company – you are a
representation of the company. If you speak badly of it, what does that
say about you?
We’re not suggesting you sell your soul for the company, but when you
are out and about living your usual fabulous life, you’re still representing
the people you work for.

5. 2
Work Ethics Starts From the
Top Down
If you’re in a managerial position and you’re arriving late and leaving early,
what example are you setting?
It starts from the top… so do what you’re paid to do and show others how
to behave ethically and responsibly in the workplace.

6. 3
Don’t Waste Company Time
Time is money. You’re getting paid to do a job, do it. Stop scrolling social
media, chatting too…
Not only does it cost your company money, but it costs you productivity.
We all know how difficult it is to get back into the work routine once
we’ve broken our flow.
Best is to give yourself a time limit to complete your tasks in. You will be
amazed at how you will flow. This is especially useful when you are tired
and a bit unfocused.

8. 4
Avoid Being the Office Gossip
Don’t be the office gossip, don’t listen to the office gossip and don’t
encourage the office gossip. Instead, get to know those that are straight
talkers and whose values align with yours. These habits will be good
addition in your work ethic arsenal, if it’s not already a part of it.

9. 5
Respect Others and Yourself
Confucius once said, “respect yourself and others will respect you.”
It’s no point coming to work looking like a dog’s breakfast and exhausted. It
shows you don’t respect yourself enough to look decent and get a good
night’s rest.
Respect yourself enough to work for a company whose values align with
yours. Like we said in our first point, if it doesn’t, then leave. You’re not
doing yourself or the company any favours by sticking around.
On the flip side, respect your colleagues. Show empathy. Which leads us to
our next point.

11. 6
Be Culturally Sensitive
Cultural awareness in the work force can lead to higher productivity
and a strong, united workforce. So, what does it take to be more
culturally sensitive? It’s easy. It’s taking the time and making the effort
to understand people’s cultural background that is different to yours.
There are simple steps to do this properly.
Educate yourself about a different culture. Don’t be afraid to ask
questions and ask them until you really understand.
Acknowledge your own biases.
Celebrate all the meaningful days in every culture.

13. 7
Maintain a Neat Workspace
Nothing screams unproductive more than a messy desk. It doesn’t
mean you are unproductive, but that’s not what your colleagues see.

15. 8
Be an Independent Thinker
Your boss already has children at home and doesn’t want to spoon feed
you too! If you have an idea to save the company money, share it. If your
idea can increase turnover, speak up. And if you can improve things
within the workplace, do it. All of this reflect what valuable work ethic
you possess. Initiative is all about being resourceful and being able to
work without being told what to do and how to do it.”

16. 9
Speak up for the Less Vocal
This is not the time to remain silent when you see things happening in
your workplace that you believe are not acceptable.
If you see a colleague harassing anyone or being forceful, do something
about it. Speak up and stand up for your colleagues.
It may not directly affect you, but working in any toxic environment will
wear you down in the long run, and we need to ensure that everyone is
treated fairly and equally.

17. 10
Look After Your Physical and
Mental Health
If you want to perform well at work and at home, you need to ensure
that your mental and physical health are at their peak. You won’t be a
good employee if you’re burnt out and not coping well.
It’s not about how much time you spend at the office, but how
productive you are in the hours dedicated for the work you’re meant to
do.

18. 11
Don’t Be the Jerk Who Makes a
Fuss About Teamwork
Teamwork makes the dream work
Most people roll their eyes when they hear “teamwork,” but it doesn’t
have to be that way. The beauty about working in a team is that you get
more ideas, better diversity, share the workload and you have a common
goal connecting you. What better way to get a job done?
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and this is your
opportunity to shine and highlight the strengths of everyone and help in
areas where people need guidance. It’s really a no-brainer.

20. 12
Avoid Being Erratic With Your
Work Performance
Excellent work ethic means keeping a constant flow of great work. If
you’re erratic and all over the show, people will not be able to trust that
you will deliver the goods.
You won’t be picked for a promotion; you won’t be getting staff member
of the month and you certainly won’t be getting a raise anytime soon.

21. 13
Integrity and Honesty Go
Hand-in-Hand
Integrity is another word that is thrown around a lot, but what does it
even mean, really? Simple – being dependable and following through on
commitments. If you say you’re going to do something, then bloody well
do it.
Being open and honest in all your communications and being
accountable for yourself and areas where you know you’re lacking. We’ll
go into more depth next!

23. 14
Be Accountable for Your
Work
We’ve all worked somewhere where the only games people know how
to play, are “blame games.” And often, these games start from the top
down, and sadly, there are no winners in this game… only losers.
The rule of the blame game is simple. If something goes wrong, pin the
fault on someone else. And it’s all fun and games until you’re the
recipient of the blame… are we right?
So, if something goes wrong, which you can bet will happen… take
responsibility.

25. 15
Don’t Procrastinate
Don’t Procrastinate, Get To It!
It might seem like a harmless distraction, but procrastination can limit your
life chances and be detrimental to your health. We explain what it is, and
how to get to grips with it. Plus seven ways to stop procrastinating.

26. Why do we procrastinate?
Procrastination often comes as part of our ever-lasting struggle with self-
control and discipline. We put off our tasks and set aside our goals because
it is hard to make ourselves do things when we don’t feel like it or have an
idea we might do it better if we did it tomorrow.
But it is not only a sign of lack of self-discipline. It could just be a simple
case of being highly impulsive or easily distracted. As in the following
scenario: “Oh it only takes a minute to look at a text, check my email, or
look at Facebook… Oops, where did the morning go?” Or it could be a by-
product of perfectionism. And a case that you find it more psychologically
acceptable to avoid doing something rather than have to face the possibility
of not doing it well or ‘perfectly’.

27. How do you stop procrastinating?
TUNE IN TO THE SIGNS. The moment you think “I’ll feel more like
doing this later” or “I work better under pressure,” recognize that you’re
just about to procrastinate and… stop yourself. Resist the urge.
DON’T THINK TOO FAR AHEAD. Break the task down into smaller
parts and aim for a little progress at a time. Research shows that having a
low threshold fuels motivation and helps you to see the task as more
achievable.
DOUBLE YOUR TIME. Try to accurately work out how much time you
think it will take you to complete a task. Then increase the estimate by
100%.

28. AVOID THE CUES. Think about the easy diversions — social media,
that pesky grout, etc — and make what the psychologists call a pre-
decision to resist giving in to that temptation. So that when tempting
situation X threatens to take your attention away from the task in hand,
you don’t have to rely on further thought and planning.
ELIMINATE THE MENACE. If the above doesn’t work tell someone to
remove your phone from you or block yourself from Facebook
temporarily.
ADOPT A HEALTHY DOSE OF REALISM. Sometimes, however much
you think you want to (or ought to) do it, a task is not achievable or even
desirable. So, be honest! And eliminate the tasks you probably never
really intended to do.
RECOGNISE THE ENEMY WITHIN and you’ll be able to move
forward to doing what you intended, and becoming the person you
want to be.