WORK ETHIC FORECASTING: Pre-Employment Tests, Child Labor, & More - Part 3

n my last blog we discussed how pre-employment tests, child labor, certain job interview questions and more help managers forecast if a job applicant possesses a terrific work ethic or a lousy work ethic.

WHAT IS WORK ETHIC?    

Employees with a good work ethic
+  show up at work
+  arrive before their start time
+  put in more than a day’s work for a day’s pay
+  conscientiously do work assignments
+  consistently are highly productive
+  work well with others

The opposite is true for employees with a lousy work ethic.  Such lazy bums (oops!  low work ethic  employees) often
-  do not show up at work
-  arrive late
-  take extra time on breaks
-  are not worth what their pay
-  are below-average in productivity and do not care
-  harm co-workers’ productivity

HOW CAN YOU PREDICT WORK ETHIC?

Last time we discussed 
1^st Method:  PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTS
2^nd Method:  CHILD LABOR

Today we will discussed Method 3

3^rd Method:  ARTFULLY VAGUE JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Unfortunately, most job interview questions do not uncover work ethic.
Fortunately, here is a question I consistently find helps managers assess an applicant’s work ethic:  “When you finish all your work in your workday, what do you like to do?”

That is a beautiful artfully vague job interview question!  An applicant with low work ethic will answer by telling you personal, non-work activities they would do.  They assume when they “finish” all their work, they automatically will do non-work activities.

But, an applicant with strong work ethic will tell you how they will pursue more work to do.  For instance, they may say they will ask their boss for more work to do, or they offer to help co-workers, or they work on a project to help their employer improve productivity and profits. 

YOU CAN ASSESS & FORECAST APPLICANT’S WORK ETHIC

Pre-employment tests that measure work ethic and related qualities help you determine an applicant’s level of work ethic.  To do this, use both personality tests and intelligence tests relevant to the specific job. 

Also, find applicants who worked while in school.  Working while in high school (and perhaps grammar school) shows you the applicant learned at an early age that working is important. 

Finally, certain job interview questions may help you assess a job applicant’s work ethic. 

Now, go forth:  Use pre-employment tests, child labor, and key interview questions to help you hire hard-working employees who have a strong work ethic.

COPYRIGHT 2015 MICHAEL MERCER, PH.D.