Let us put one thing to rest. Yep, right from the start too. Ethics is not a matter of debate. Really. Just ignore the hearsay. It is all humbug, as dear old Scrooge puts it! (That is a Dickens reference, by the way, in case you were wondering). Back to the hearsay, it is unsubstantiated at best. And totally not worth your time in any shape or form at worst.
Now that that is clear, let us talk about why your kids need a good lesson or two on work ethics. Okay, that may have sounded too strict but hear us out. When you instil solid work ethics in your child, you are basically guaranteeing a bright future for them. Without even much effort! Let us take a deep dive into that together.
What is work ethic?
They are a set of moral beliefs, if you will. Values and virtues. Principles that outline the right way to work in any environment. In fact, work ethics are built around upholding the quality of industriousness. You know, so you always work hard and honestly. So that is what work ethic is.
Now there is more work ethics. They have got their own set of characteristics. And yes, you should know about them if you plan to teach your kids about work ethics. Here goes!
The characteristics of work ethics you and your kids need to know about are:
- Discipline
- Integrity
- Accountability
- Professionalism
- Honesty
- Dedication
- Cooperation
- Responsibility
- Dependability
- Teamwork
- Organisation
- Respectful behaviour
- Time management
- Productivity
- Hard work
- Motivation
Now this list could go on and on but we wanted to keep the characteristics of work ethics short and sweet so you get a good idea of them. As a parent, you already know all of them so this is nothing more than refresher. Just something to spell out to your kids when they ask. Obviously, try to tell what each characteristic means too and why it is individually important.
Now let us talk about the importance of work ethics
This will kind of apply to all of the different characteristics we just discussed in the section above but consider it more of a blanket overview. Besides, each point has a point (pun intended) that you could teach your kids!
- Improved worked culture
- Improved productivity
- Increased compliance to rules
- Improved decision-making abilities
- Improved teamwork
- Greater sense of self-satisfaction once the job is done
Maybe all of it is sounding too adult but if you come to think of it, these things are important for kids too. As soon as they enter school, assigned tasks begin in earnest. Which means they often have to do their work on their own or as part of a team. So teaching about the importance of work ethics can give them an idea of how it pays to own your work. To be responsible for it and to do it the right way. That is sure to make them successful in the future. No matter who they choose to be, career-wise!
Instilling work ethics in your kids – from tiny ones to tweens and beyond
A golden mantra to follow? The sooner you begin, the better it is! That is the one thing to know about work ethics. You want them to turn into a habit. An instinctive response. Here’s how you can help your kids with work ethics through different stages of their lives.
Junior school kids or tots
For your fresh into school baby, ethics can be a difficult thing to wrap their tiny heads around. But though they are still growing, you can pretty much tell what their attitude is going to be like towards work. Because that is when they start developing it. Which makes it the perfect time to introduce them to work ethics.
For example, when practising alphabets in the classroom, kids may resort to pleasing the teacher rather than learning a new skill. That is when you have to show them that what pleases you more is them practising and putting in the effort to learn something new. This will make them realise how important hard work really is, thus preventing procrastination and fueling their desire to put in effort. Do not punish them if you see their efforts being misplaced. They are still learning to priortise.
Middle school kids or tweens
Tweens are challenging! There is just so much going on. Raging hormones. Changing personalities. Growing interests. Influences of all kinds. It is a time of sensory and emotional overload! Add to that the pressure of thinking about their future, and kids who do not have work ethics can seem like a hot mess.
However, kids who have had a strong foundation of work ethics will likely have a smoothing sailing ride in this sensitive time. You will not find them hanging out with the drama. Instead, they would be more focused towards finding new avenues for growth. Though we must warn you that some wavering is only normal. So do not scold them too much.
High school kids or teens
Teens are like tweens on overdrive! Everything kids do in their teen years is multiplied in teen years. However, if your teen has solid work ethics, you do not have much to worry about. Especially because teenage is the time when they cement their ethics into a concrete whole. Something that will be guiding them now throughout the rest of their lives.
However, make sure you have the ‘effort’ talk because teens are really pumped up to take on challenges and can sometimes feel the hit of failure a bit too hard. So make sure they know the effort counts. Sometimes more than success. Some teens might seek out extra work or odd jobs at this time, which is good for boosting their work ethics overall.
This is the age when all that hard work and ethics training pays off! Now after their college days, they have what it takes to build a good career for themselves. The resiliency they have developed along with the discipline is bound to pay off. In a big way, we are sure! Though now your role as a parent and guide will take a backseat as your kids would be ready to face the music (and we mean any kind), it is still good to keep your doors open so your kids can come back to you when things get too tough. After all, sometimes just being there is more than enough. Especially now that all your prep work in making them wonderful adults is done.
Getting your kids onboard with work ethics early on, needless to say, is a pretty awesome thing to do. However, to ensure your kids develop work ethics properly, you need to get them into a school that actually has this as a part of their curriculum, and what better school than EuroKids on that front? As a preschool franchise spread all throughout India, we place great emphasis on not just educating your wee ones but also on shaping them and giving them the values they need to become futureproof adults. Would you like to know how we do that? You will have to visit us!
