Industriousness is the virtue of one who is diligent and makes an effort at work.
Industriousness is the quality of industrious . This adjective , for its part, comes from the Latin laboriōsus and refers to someone who is very applied to work (very hard-working).
For example: “My father built this house thanks to his industriousness” , “Unfortunately I cannot single out any employee for their industriousness: they are all lazy” , “If you want a promotion in this company, show your industriousness” .
Industriousness as a virtue
Industriousness is often considered a moral value or virtue . Thanks to industriousness, labor (work) goes from being something obligatory or necessary to a value . It involves carrying out tasks with care, paying attention to details and trying to achieve the best possible result.
In the specific case of work as such, it is considered that a person has the “gift” of industriousness if he fulfills all the duties that have been imposed on him, if he is constant in his tasks, if he follows the established schedule, if order becomes one of their professional maxims…
This leads, therefore, to determine that whoever wants to own that value must follow the following guidelines:
• You must start and finish your work at the hours that are previously stipulated.
• You must complete your tasks in the order of arrival and importance that has been established.
• You should always avoid leaving work unfinished.
• You must fulfill all your duties, regardless of whether you like them or not.
• You must avoid any type of distraction within your work environment.
• You must have all the material you need to use in the most appropriate order.
• You must also, to the extent possible, help colleagues who request it and need it.
It is important to keep in mind that industriousness has nothing to do with labor exploitation or slavery.
The importance of effort
The idea of industriousness is that, with effort, work becomes a force for transformation and progress. Suppose a man sells soft drinks on the train. He knows that if he works five hours a day, he gets the money he needs to eat and support his family. However, with industriousness, he decides to work eight hours a day to get more money, save and be able to buy a house.
As we have mentioned, industriousness has become a very important human value. And the person who has it is not only identified by being active and doing their job competently and professionally but also by dedicating time to other individuals. In this last sense, it is also considered that someone practices industriousness when they spend time with their children, partner or parents, as well as someone who uses their free time to be able to undertake tasks in non-profit associations or charitable entities.
Exploitation and work addiction are not the same as industriousness
Industriousness, therefore, is doing more than just doing what is essential, obligatory, or the minimum necessary . It means making an extra effort to achieve an additional achievement and progress.
It is important, however, not to confuse effort with work addiction or exploitation . A person has the right to enjoy free time and needs to rest, without this implying laziness or a moral failure.