I agree, this was kind of my point. Work ethic can mean somewhat different things to different people. Some emphasize hours worked, some effort, some obedience,

I agree, this was kind of my point. Work ethic can mean somewhat different things to different people. Some emphasize hours worked, some effort, some obedience, some loyalty and other honesty, bravery or creativity. Some of these can even be contradictory. Some workplaces reward the bravery to provide constructive, honest criticism to coworkers and especially senior management. In other places, such behavior can be seen as disloyal. But there are also cultures that actively repress people who seem overly eager to give their best. I personally know of places where the union has been going after young people who work at their full capacity as it makes the older workers look bad. In other places, I've seen laziness being seen as completely acceptable. And particularly in groups that feel underpaid, either relative to management or to coworkers in other countries with higher salaries. ("We pretend to work, they pretend to pay us").