The Decline of Work Ethic: A Reflection on Professionalism in the Modern Age
In a world increasingly driven by social media validation, the boundaries between our professional and personal lives have become dangerously blurred. This reality was starkly highlighted recently at LAX, where a MAC makeup artist was terminated after posting a “day-in-the-life” TikTok that violated serious security protocols. The video included sensitive information: images of her TSA badge, her cash drawer setup, detailed timestamps of her shift, and even customer interactions. This incident isn’t merely about one person’s lapse in judgment; it represents a broader cultural shift in how many view workplace responsibilities and professional boundaries. The employee’s decision to document and share these protected aspects of her job raises a troubling question that resonates across generations and industries: What has happened to our collective work ethic?
The concept of work ethic was once straightforward – you showed up on time, performed your duties diligently, respected workplace policies, and maintained a positive attitude regardless of circumstances. Many of us were introduced to these principles early in life. My own journey began at age 14, working at Hungry Jack’s, where I learned invaluable lessons about customer service and representing a business with pride. Those early experiences instilled an understanding that when customers chose to spend their money at our establishment, they deserved attentive, respectful service. Whether that meant keeping drive-through times under three minutes or entertaining children at parties while wearing an uncomfortable costume, the job demanded professionalism. The idea of filming workplace interactions or documenting sensitive procedures for social media would have been unthinkable – not just because the technology didn’t exist, but because it would have violated the implicit trust between employer and employee.
The service industry has traditionally operated on the principle that “the customer is always right,” a maxim that has shaped generations of workers’ approaches to their jobs. As a waitress, I often found myself smiling through difficult customer interactions – politely answering whether buttercream pancakes were vegan or accommodating special requests that seemed unreasonable. These experiences weren’t always pleasant, but they reinforced important professional skills: patience, resilience, and the ability to maintain composure under pressure. Fast forward to today, and there’s a noticeable shift in this dynamic. Simple interactions at drive-throughs or checkout counters are often characterized by minimal engagement – wordless transactions where employees barely acknowledge customers and sometimes respond with visible annoyance to basic questions or requests. This isn’t about demanding excessive cheerfulness from workers who may be underpaid or overworked; it’s about recognizing that basic courtesy and professionalism should remain workplace constants, regardless of generation.
There’s a generational element to this evolution that can’t be ignored. As a millennial, I was taught to “grin and bear it” in customer-facing roles – to separate personal feelings from professional responsibilities. In contrast, younger generations appear more comfortable expressing disinterest or dissatisfaction openly in workplace settings. The “Gen Z stare” – a blank, unimpressed expression – has become so commonplace that it’s recognized as a cultural phenomenon. This generational shift raises important questions about workplace expectations and whether traditional notions of customer service are evolving or simply deteriorating. While there’s certainly value in authenticity and setting healthy workplace boundaries, there’s a delicate balance between rejecting toxic positivity and abandoning professional courtesy altogether. The normalization of openly dismissive behavior in professional settings suggests we may have overcorrected in our push against unreasonable workplace demands.
Perhaps what we’re witnessing is not just a change in workplace behavior but a reflection of how we’re preparing young people for their careers. Have we stopped teaching children the value of hard work, positive attitude, and respect for workplace boundaries? Many young professionals enter the workforce with expectations of immediate recognition, flexible policies, and personal expression, sometimes without fully understanding the reciprocal responsibilities that come with employment. This isn’t to suggest that workplace reform isn’t necessary – issues like fair compensation, reasonable hours, and protection from abusive customers are absolutely valid concerns. However, these systemic problems don’t negate the continued importance of basic professional standards like confidentiality, respect, and accountability. The MAC artist’s decision to film sensitive security procedures reflects a troubling misconception that personal content creation trumps workplace responsibilities.
As we navigate this evolving landscape, it’s crucial to reexamine how we communicate professional values across generations. For parents, this means teaching children that careers aren’t built on entitlement but on consistently showing up, respecting the roles we’re given, and earning advancement through demonstrated competence and reliability. For employers, it means creating workplaces that balance reasonable professional expectations with recognition of employees as whole people with lives beyond their jobs. And for all of us as consumers and citizens, it means approaching service interactions with empathy while still expecting basic professional standards. The work ethic of previous generations needn’t be romanticized as perfect, but its core principles – responsibility, integrity, and respect for boundaries – remain as relevant as ever. In an age where nearly everything is considered content, perhaps the most valuable lesson we can pass on is knowing what parts of our professional lives should remain private – and understanding that not everything belongs on TikTok.
