What exactly IS work these days?

It has recently come to my attention that there are a LOT of people these days who truly do not understand what it means to have a job. I have even read a couple of articles about this subject, so I am not the only one who's noticed this unfortunate trend.

Perhaps it is partly due to the fact that so often, people grow up hearing their parents say things like, "I am GOING to work," and "I am AT work." So, maybe they think that's all there is to it: just getting there and being there.

I have heard so many examples of employees spending all their time doing nothing even remotely related to work the entire time they are there. They bring hobby stuff to play with, they run errands, they take lunch times that go on for hours, they surf the Internet, check out ebay, play computer games, read books and magazines, paint their fingernails, watch movies (I am not making ANY of this up), build and play with RC cars and helicopters, work on their real cars...everything and anything they should be doing on their own time. Then on payday they're right there to get their check or at least make sure their direct deposit made it through on time.

Now, it's one thing to know you are goofing off and to get some twisted satisfaction and sense of accomplishment over it. But it's another thing, even scarier, to think that you really ARE "working" while you do all this stuff! And lo and behold, this is becoming quite common!

After all, they figure, they are "at work." As if that's all a job requires. This problem is getting so widespread that some employers are requiring that young applicants show a certificate of completion of a high-school Work Ethics class.

In my opinion, if an employer or manager allows this sort of goofing around to take place, and employees are not doing the jobs they were hired for, then they are probably just as bad and don't realize THEY also have essential duties to perform. Where does the irresponsibility end and why are we surprised at our country's and economy's current woeful state of affairs?

And the very people who continually goof off are the first ones to bitch and complain when they try to make an appointment or take care of some personal business and the people they deal with are incompetent. Well, d-uhhh...there ya go...more people who either just don't know or just don't care that they're "at work" for a reason!

Maybe I'm just overly sensitive about this because I put 110% into every job I ever had. I was lucky to find time to go to the restroom, because there was always something that had to be done and be done RIGHT NOW. Kinda ticks me off to see people getting paid to be goof-offs.