Whatever happened to 'early to bed, early to rise'? America's work ethic has changed

You know, back in the day, as a young lad growing up in the woods of Dargan, we were introduced to work early in life.

We had chores to do — cutting wood, carrying water, weeding the garden, butchering. During summers we went to pick cherries in the orchard to make a few coins.

Having good work shoes was important.

Part of some work days included going into the mountain with my father to cut down and haul huge trees for my grandfather’s saw mill.

Later in life, I was introduced to construction jobs while working summers with my dad on building projects, which included a few high rises in Silver Spring, Md.

We were taught to work and enjoy the labors of our efforts. Old Ben Franklin even reminded us that "early to bed" and "early to rise" would bring us wealth beyond our surprise.

Hard work was a way of life.

But working habits have seemingly changed some today, though some folks are still a little more ambitious than others.

I remember as a prison warden when one day an inmate at our facility had climbed onto the roof of a housing unit. A correctional officer, we’ll call him "Gary," had some roofing experience. He secured a ladder from the maintenance department, climbed up and escorted the inmate back to the ground.

I always liked Gary’s initiative.

Today it would take five helicopters and an army of experts to figure out how to remove the inmate from the roof.

When I have the occasion to visit nursing homes, I find it strange that I never see an administrator walking the floors. As a warden, I found it essential that I make routine rounds to examine the operation and needs of my staff.

Nursing home employees, too, always seem overwhelmed by the ratio of staff to the number of clients they're responsible for on their watch.

Even today at the local prisons, there is extreme difficulty in hiring new employees. Police departments across the country are having a similar problem.

It seems recruiting bonuses don’t even seem to work very well in attracting employees to work.

Baby boomers are retiring at increasingly high numbers and replacements seem difficult to find.

Need an electrician or plumber pretty quick these days to fix a problem? You might start looking to add one to your phone contact list.

Even our military is having great difficulties attracting young soldiers to defend our country. Recruitment numbers are way down.

With each generation, there is always change to consider, for sure, and those employees arriving on the work scene these days have different priorities than previous generations.

Technology, too, has a way of driving the bus of our future employees in different directions. The COVID dilemma brought many new avenues of work to the employment stage. Changes were required.

Working at home, having Zoom conferences, and the use of email these days for communication, direction and problem-solving are taking hold in an uncanny way.

When I look at all the changes in my own lifetime, I sit in awe at the vast results of these developments. It is difficult to imagine what another 10 or 20 years will bring in altering that culture of tomorrow’s workers.

Getting answers for a problem via telephone is increasingly difficult, too. Can you remember all those five phone options before selecting one and maybe talking to a live person, or do you merely give up trying to get those options repeated before deciding?

Today’s work ethic, for sure, has changed over the years. It seemed much simpler years ago to pack a few sandwiches and head down the road to pound some nails and carry lumber.

I’m not exactly sure how many people even heard about Franklin’s "early to bed, early to rise" advice. Maybe they’ll just let that "wealth opportunity" take care of itself.

Is there anyone out there who wants to work 30 years anymore on a job, get a retirement and ride off into the sunrise, bound for the beach with a fishing pole?

Or maybe has that equation been shorten to "eat, drink and be merry" today and let tomorrow take care of itself?

Tamela Baker:Post-millennials have been through the wringer. Don't call them snowflakes.

Well pilgrim, here’s to those memories of that baby boomer generation. I’m lifting up my flask to offer this Irish toast for your future:

“If God sends you down a stony path, may he give you strong shoes.”

Pete Waters is a Sharpsburg resident who writes for The Herald-Mail.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: As baby boomers retire, what's become of work ethic in America?