Why Are Work Ethics in Decline?

According to author David Bahnsen and reported by Noah Slayter, a strong work ethic is “the most important factor in work” because it is “a force that drives our society.” However, it is “on the decline, according to Bahnsen, who is the author of “Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life.” 

As reported by Slayter, Bahnsen believes in a “work-rest paradigm” rather than a “work-life balance” because the first is “a value on work over rest, while acknowledging in the value in not ‘overworking’ oneself.”

Bahnsen is the founder of a $5 billion private wealth management firm and was recently a guest on the “The Kevin Roberts Show.” Slayter reporter that Bahnsen “said that every person, from a busboy to a CEO, should find dignity in his work.” Then he quoted Bahnsen directly, “I believe that the work has dignity because I believe the worker has dignity. And I believe the worker has dignity because he or she was made by God.”

According to Slayter, Bahnsen “said that one proof of America’s lackluster work ethic is a retirement-focused workforce.” He also “lamented that our culture tells 30-year-olds that the only reason they work is ‘so that one day I won’t have to do it anymore.’”

Bahnsen discussed how “the loss of the older demographic from the labor pool has ‘sidelined some of our best talent.’ Essentially, retirement has weakened our national productivity due to the loss of wisdom and drive from the workforce.”

In addition to the losses caused by retirement, “Bahnsen said there is also a significant loss of jobs for high school- and college-aged people, the positions often taken by students after school or over the summer.”

Bahnsen claims that the job losses come from a “high minimum wage” that destroys such jobs. He states that raising the minimum wage is “an affront on high school employment.”

Bahnsen not only sees the problems, but he also has a suggestion to the issues. He suggests that the cure must come from the “bottom up.” The answer will be found “in local communities, small businesses, and churches” rather than the government.

According to Bahnsen, the local community has an “infectious” aspect that propels a healthy work ethic that often engages younger generations. He continued, “Gen-Z, I’m getting a totally different impression from. They want mentorship, they want the feedback.” This “desire for mentorship will create social cohesion that drives productivity.” So he believes that Gen Z can “really bridge a lot of these things [social cohesion] together.” “This, Bahnsen says he hopes, will create a more productive and dignified workforce.”