The old fashioned work ethic is putting in your everything, going the extra mile, giving anything you do 110%. Folks cared about the job they did because it was a reflection on them as a person and their personal values. Sadly this philosophy is going by the wayside in our modern society. Folks tend to work simply for the paycheque not caring whether they do a half-ass job or not. They simply don't care how it reflects on them and quite frankly in some respects it is almost a competition to see who can do the worse job. It's rush through the job putting in the bare minimum of effort then act insulted if asked to do a little extra.
It is so refreshing to encounter someone with an old fashioned work ethic. Our vacation home is in sunny Florida. We rent it out if possible when we aren't there. Since we don't live there on a permanent basis we are have no choice but to hire out yard care. The lawns are taken care of by the park but gardens surrounding the house are our responsibility. During our visit in September we hired a gentleman to do the gardens. He arrived at quarter to eight in the morning but assured us he didn't start charging until 8 AM. He worked very hard working through until 1 PM. He repeated this for several days. When he was finished he had a full accounting of his hours and even docked any breaks he had taken. It was amazing. After all this work his total came to $120 and he felt bad that it was that high. My husband gave him $200 because quite frankly the work he did was well worth the higher price. He was very excited with the tip as he could take his wife out for dinner for their anniversary. Sadly this wonderful gentleman who was in his 70's could not continue looking after our gardens on a monthly basis.
We made friends with the bartender at the club house. He lives two doors down from us and recently won the Yard of the Month. I put out a request for garden help in the community forums and he was highly recommended. We had a few others saying they would be interested but we decided to ask our neighbour first. My husband talked to him about looking after our gardens and he agreed. He too has the old fashioned work ethic. He is very meticulous, tending the gardens with as much care as we would if we were here doing it ourselves. He is also very careful about being accountable for every expenditure. Talk about finding a gem with a true, old fashioned work ethic!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
I know... I don't understand when "Puritan Work Ethic" became a slur. It sure was in the 90s in Ann Arbor. I don't know what we should replace it with- it seems like a really good philosophy to me!
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