A question that is often asked is whether or not our society has a work ethic. The answer to this question is painfully obvious, that yes, we do have a work ethic in this society. Whether certain employees follow this work ethic is questionable. Today's standards for work ethic seem to stem back to ideas of early religion, taking from the moral accents of the lifestyle and running with the idea that it is socially and personally meaningful to work. Joanne B. Ciulla states in her book, The Working Life, that, "It's not easy to pinpoint when work began its moral and personal ascent." .
The 1950s is the closest example of modern day work ethic that one can begin to relate today's work ethic to. The morale of the employee had become an important focus based upon the Protestant belief that "individual self- improvement through hard work was not viable in large complex organizations, where so much of the work was fragmented and meaningless, and there was little room for mobility and improvement." Work ethic was finally changing from the old Protestant views to a more modern outlook, bringing forth personnel and morale. There was no longer an honorable loyalty to one's work. This change in work ethics was brought about because people's jobs were taking away from their family lives and destroying their leisure time. All of their focus was geared toward their loyalty to their boss and their companies, which was creating a depressed, if not repressed worker. Work was taking over the lives of its employees and society started to deteriorate due to lack of interest in one's own personal life. Once this problem was discovered, it was found that there was a need for change. .
Reform seemed the only way out. Bringing this ethical change into the workplace seemed to be the ticket to creating a happier more productive worker. This new change in the thinking of the workers was based on making the employee feel more comfortable.