Work Ethics

By Stevan V. Nikolic
New York, Feb. 04, 2010 ( Serbia Today) – The issue of work ethics is one of the most important aspects of the economies worldwide, particularly when it comes to the economies of the developing countries. In its base, work ethics could be defined as the responsible approach to the obligations at one’s work place. This does not relate only to the contractual obligations coming out of the work contract made between employee and employer, but also to the personal understanding of the professional obligations and one’s identifications with the goals of the organization one is employed with.
In the Serbian conditions today, it is very hard to introduce the necessity of the ethical approach to the work obligations. While most of the older working people in Serbia still remember the “benefits” of the dysfunctional socialist economy embedded in the slogans like
“ nobody can pay me as little, as little I can work”, or “if you work or do not work, radio and TV are still working”, younger generations never actually had a chance to be employed and to develop any type of work habits or work obligations.
The transition from the state controlled to the free market economy which Serbia is still going through does not help development of the work ethics among working people as well. Massive layoffs of workers, unpaid salaries for months, non-payment of medical and pension contributions for employees are all generally accepted and excused as a collateral damage of the transitions that Serbian economy and society are experiencing at the moment.
There are very few companies in Serbia that dare to educate their workers about the direct codependence of the business results and the workers respond to their professional obligations. To bring the individual responsibility to the level where every worker will see the importance of its own contribution as the key element of the company success is the ultimate goal.
In the conditions of the deep mistrust between employees and employers in most of Serbian companies today it will take some time until workers understand that behind any successful businessman is a company of committed and responsible workers, and that their relationship cannot be defined without the application of the best methods of work ethics.