During the hiring process, Hiring Managers and recruiters often find themselves thinking or saying they want candidates with a strong work ethic. Sure, it’s easy to add to a job description, but what specific factors go into having a good work ethic? Employees with a strong work ethic are highly productive, produce high-quality work, and are hardworking.

Work ethic is a set of behaviors that show you that an employee is dedicated and productive. Managers play an important role in noticing and giving opportunities to employees to learn and grow. Below, we are going to cover some examples of values and attributes that are indicators of a good work ethic. 
 

1. Time Management
 

Having exceptional time management is a key aspect of a good work ethic. Those who manage their time well often find that they are more productive, get more accomplished each day, and are easily organized. Employees that stay focused are able to achieve more progress and complete goals in a timely fashion.

One way to measure time management is to see if your employees get to work on time. Are they usually early? Are they usually running through the door at exactly 8:00 am? Or are they always late? Getting to work on time or early often signals commitment and a good attitude.

Of course, there may be periods of time in the day (usually mid-afternoon) that an employee is not especially productive.  Small breaks are important and help productivity, so you should encourage your employers to take them, whether to stretch their legs or grab a snack. However, there are cases when an employee is constantly distracted. For example, if an employee is always checking their cellphone, on social media during work hours, or socializing with coworkers, it’s easy to assume they have poor time management.

2. Initiative
 

Employees that show initiative and ask for more work without being prompted are very often motivated and committed to their job. This is especially important for employees that work from home, as it is easy for someone to let their work ethic down and slack off. Considering most jobs may be remote from now on, it’s important to have employees that can be productive without supervision. Additionally, look closely for employees that show integrity and do good work even when no one is watching. 

3. Critical Thinking
 

You may be surprised to learn that critical thinking is also linked to having a strong work ethic. Managers need to have employees whose opinions they can rely on, so having the characteristics of critical thinking is quite useful. You can spot critical thinking in employees that stay up to date with company updates, gather information from various sources and are willing to change their mind if they discover that they are wrong. 

4. Get Outside Your Comfort Zone
 

Employees that get outside their comfort zone always demonstrate a wonderful work ethic, especially since they think out of the box, which always improves their work. This applies to employees that are willing to volunteer and to take on new projects, learn new skills, and show that they are passionate about their career development. Employees that embrace change should be recognized and acknowledged. 

5. Values
 

Deciding what your personal and professional values are can be a major contributor to having a good work ethic. As a manager, one of your main duties is to communicate your work values to your team. In order to spot employees with great work values, you should assign each of your personal values to a work skill. For example, teamwork can be linked to communication and working well with others. Next, try to find employees that have more than one of these work skills at work. It’s likely they have an obviously strong work ethic.

Try brainstorming some ideas of great employee values. For example, the values of many successful people may include integrity, communication, and honesty. You could always start by looking at your company’s values for clues. The importance of having a great work ethic relies on how an employee is perceived and how much they are achieving. By having in mind these 5 good work ethic examples, you can spot employees with a great work ethic at your workplace. Happy hiring!