In any organisation, employers respect a strong work ethic, making it a valuable quality. Work ethic is defined as a set of values based on the ideals of discipline and hard work.

In other words, ethics are the principles that guide us to make a positive impact through our decisions and actions.

It’s believed that for an employee, showing the values associated with a good work ethic can strengthen one’s workplace presence and help position such individuals for better job opportunities, at the moment, as well as in the future.

Fred Obara Omondi, an entrepreneur and founder of ArcGrid Consultant Ltd, believes that people with a strong work ethic are often considered by employers for opportunities regarding special projects because they’re reliable, dedicated, and disciplined.

The importance

Obara says that in order for one to craft a good work ethic, they need to be focused, motivated, and dedicated to the job.

Francis Mwangi, a lecturer at Mount Kenya University teaching human resource management, says that strong work ethic means employees respect the company’s commitments and are devoted to completing assigned tasks in the given period of time, or simply, ensuring they beat deadlines.

The lecturer adds that this illustrates how dedicated someone is at the workplace. Such individuals, Wangi says, show they are dedicated to the organisation’s goals, values, and, therefore, get things done.

Mwangi notes that ethics play an important role because it helps define who we are individually.

Jean Marie Habimana, the director of operations and partnership at Ready for Reading, a local non-governmental organisation in Eastern Province, is of the view that work ethic in a way helps cultivate strong teamwork and productivity.

According to him, it also helps support employee’s growth, since it’s like an attitude of determination and dedication towards your job.

"Those with a strong work ethic place a high value on their professional success. One of the most important things about this is that such individuals exhibit moral principles that make them outstanding in any position.

Also, he says, good work ethic means being reliable. People with a strong work ethic are very reliable, meaning they are always on time and can be trusted to complete a task.

Habimana says that with a strong work ethic, one meets deadlines and offers quality work at the same time. This alone makes an employer rely more on such an individual than others.

When you are reliable, he says it helps you build a strong team at work because of the positive impact and influence.

According to Obara, when one is dedicated, they know how to work without being distracted.

"Unless they are done with their tasks, it’s rare for such people to leave unfinished or pending work at any given time,” he says.

Mwangi says discipline is an essential part of showing a strong work ethic and that highly disciplined employees show determination and commitment in whatever they do.

For instance, he says, such people strive to meet expectations and seek opportunities to learn new skills and improve their performance in general.

Another important aspect is productivity. He notes that a strong work ethic translates to outstanding productivity.

"When it comes to productivity, employers are always impressed by one’s production. This is because productive employees often have a higher output than their counterparts, thus of great benefit to an organisation,” Mwangi says.

Another thing, Habimana says, is that maintaining professionalism is also a good work ethic.

He says that people with good work ethic always maintain their professionalism by exhibiting a proficient attitude in the way they dress, speak and carry themselves at the workplace.