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Cherrington D: The Work Ethic: Working Values and Values that Work (New
York AMACOM 1980)
Quoted in Furnham (1990) p.13 providing eight attributes of the Protestant Work
Ethic:
"
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People have a normal and religious obligation to fill their lives with heavy
physical toil. For some this means that hard work effort and drudgery are to be
valued for their own sake; physical pleasures and enjoyments are to be shunned;
and an ascetic existence of methodical rigour is the only acceptable way to
live.
-
Men and women are expected to spend long hours at work with little or no time
for personal recreation and leisure.
-
A worker should have a dependable attendance record with low absenteeism and
tardiness.
-
Workers should be highly productive and produce a large quantity of goods or
service.
-
Workers should take pride in their work and do their jobs well.
-
Employees should have feelings of commitment and loyalty to their profession
their company and their work group.
-
Workers should be achievement-oriented and constantly strive for promotions and
advancement. High-status jobs with prestige and the respect of others are
important indicators of a 'good' person.
-
People should acquire wealth through honest labour and retain it through thrift
and wise investments. Frugality is desirable; extravagance and waste should be
avoided." [Quote from p. 20 of Cherrington]