This is another one of those occaisons wherein I take something that is bothering me from The Phoenix and bring it to my blog to expound upon my thoroughly. Just so's you know.
The subject is work ethic. As far as I am concerned, good work ethic means taking pride in the job you are doing, getting what needs to be done and done well, and doing things that need to be done without being specifically intstructed to do so. Period. Busy work does not require good work ethic. Just doing something job-related every minute you are on the clock does not necessarily imply good work ethic. You can be "busy" all day and have lousy work ethic, and you can spend a part of your day at work goofing off, posting on the Internet, whatever, and still have good work ethic.
My first "real" job was as a dishwasher and then a waitress at a cafe. I started right after I turned 14. It was a miserable, back-breaking job. The kitchen was a million degrees, you were running your whole shift, and you got paid minimum wage (although in retrospect it actually paid more with tips than most of what I've done since then) In those kinds of jobs in Oregon at that time (I have no idea if it's different now), you are legally guaranteed a 15 minute break for every four hours of work and a half hour lunch break for each eight hour shift (I think...it's been a long time, could be slightly different). The cafe where I worked (and the cafe after that...) never bothered with this. There was no "I'm going on my break now" or "I'm having my lunch now"--you sneaked in a few bites if and when you had time, and you sat down if and when you had time AND nobody was looking. One of the cooks with whom I worked said that the only reason she started smoking was because she knew she'd have to leave the kitchen to do it, and therefore she could justify leaving to take a break.
I learned pretty quickly in that environment that the only way to get a break was to take one--no one was going to offer one to me. Fair enough.
My next job, another waitressing gig, worked the same way, though it was a smaller and much more friendly enviorment. No set break times, just take one when you can. Sometimes it was slow and I got sent home early because there was nothing to do. Fair enough. The thing that pissed me off, though, and still does to this day, was when there was nothing to do and I had to stay for whatever reason, because those were the time when I had to invent something to do. Generally something that was not my job (back up cooking, etc.) Whatever. Annoying, but that's how service works unless you have a cool boss who realizes that s/he is paying you to be there, and if there is nothing to do, there's nothing to do. Inventing something doesn't get their money back.
My next job was working at a public pool. I opened the pool in the morning, did clean-up, and worked the desk, taking money, scheduling lessons, etc. Often, there was nothing to do but sit there. My boss was very chill. She understood that she was paying me because someone had to be there. I read or wrote when I had nothing to do. I still had no set breaks or lunch, but I didn't much care, because I had lots of down time that I could rest and whatever. If I needed to leave the desk for some reason, I had to get someone to cover, but there was no set relief.
Next I was a lifeguard. Being a lifeguard is one of those jobs that requires constant attention when you are on. I totally respect that and I never did anything when I was lifeguarding but watch people swim. Oddly, though, there were STILL no set breaks, and if I needed to pee or something, I had to get someone to cover.
Since then, I have had a series of office-type jobs in a variety of locations and at a variety of levels of responsibility (and pay). These jobs have offered me set "duty-free" (and unpaid) lunches for the most part (though the one I have now does not, which is fine), but there are still not set breaks. By now, I have no problem taking breaks when I have time/think I need them. And I don't think that says a goddamn thing about my work ethic.
To go a bit farther, it is possible that I actually take MORE breaks than I am legally guaranteed in my current job (and in past jobs) on some (or even most) days. And I don't think that means I have a bad work ethic either. Why? Because I get everything that is asked of me done and done well. I seek out more projects. I take interest and pride in my work. If I say something is going to be done on time, it is, and if I say I am going to be somewhere, I'm there. I'm not being paid to sit at my desk for eight hours a day or whatever--I am being paid to produce products, and I do a goddamn good job producing them. What more should an employer ask for?
To continue on this tangent, I think that most people, especially people in lower-paying service jobs, administrative jobs, etc. are doing more than they need to be for what they are paid. An argument can be made that if you do personal things on work time you are "stealing" from your company. Well, most likely your company is also stealing from you. Ever asked to do stuff that isn't in your job description? Your company is stealing from you. Even take on more responsibility than you are paid to take on, or cover for a co-worker (or better yet, boss)? Your company is stealing from you. The list goes on, but the bottom line as far as I am concerned remains whether or not the work gets done and done properly. If it does, why the fuck should your employer care if you work fast and then take breaks, or work slowly and don't?