How to Be a Good Employee
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord, not for man.”
Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
We as a nation are blessed that jobs currently abound and our country’s unemployment rate is historically low at 3.5%. Sometimes in seasons of abundance, it’s easy to take the blessing of a job for granted.
My Mama and Daddy were children of the Great Depression. Both came from large families and experienced the hunger, loss, and poverty that followed a parent’s job loss and a national unemployment rate of 25%. As a result, neither of them ever took having a job for granted. My Dad spent 34 years working for a steel mill, while Mama served 27 years as a school secretary. They both worked hard and were committed to instill a good work ethic in us.
My Dad’s work mantra was: “Make sure you give a man an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”
My Mom’s advice was a little different: “Donna, they don’t call it work because it’s fun; it’s work and that’s why they pay you!”
Since speaking to a women’s group recently, I’ve had some follow-up coffee cup conversations with several young professional women, all of whom are struggling to figure out how to find balance in their work and personal lives. Finding and maintaining balance is certainly important, but as Christians we also need to remember that our work can be an effective witness for Christ. As such it needs to be stewarded well. We do that as we remember that ultimately we are working for the Lord, and not for man.
Reflecting on my four decades as a healthcare professional, here are some of the “best practice” employee principles I learned over the years. Many of these lessons were learned the hard way, but all of them were valuable and I am grateful for those who both taught and modeled them.
Deliver an excellent work product. Avoid coasting or doing just enough to get by.
Make sure you always bring value to the table. Don’t be afraid to grow your job skill set.
Keep learning. Take advantage of continuing education or training opportunities if your employer offers them.
Avoid office gossip, grumbling, and complaining.
Minimize distractions, especially social media.
Have a “can do” attitude. Don’t just find and report workplace problems or criticisms; propose possible solutions and think “win-win.”
Stay humble with personal successes and be quick to give credit to others when possible.
Be ready to share with others if asked how and why you are different. Sometimes just asking, “Would it be ok if I pray for you right now?” would open a door for a spiritual conversation. At the very least, it let my co-workers know that I cared about them and whatever situation they were facing.
Character counts! Draw a line in the sand with ethics and conflicts of interest for both your employer and companies seeking to do business with you. That includes speaker fees, honorariums, free trips, all-expense paid conferences, free meals, and paid surveys. Beware anyone trying to purchase access to information that could compromise you or your organization.
Be faithful in the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. “Don’t despise the day of small things.” (Zechariah 4:10)
When you make a mistake, admit it and accept responsibility.
Be willing to accept constructive criticism when warranted, learn from it, and move on.
Be a team player who is willing to help others as needed.
Be thankful for your job knowing that God is ultimately the Giver of every good gift. (James 1:17)
This side of heaven a lot of our work will be filled with “thorns, thistles, and toil” (Genesis 3:17-18). That’s one of the consequences of the Fall and living in a broken world. (Genesis 3) We can take comfort in knowing that God can use our work to provide for our needs; bring good to others; and glory to Himself. In the process, God often uses our work to sanctify us and conform us more and more to the image of Christ who came, not to be served, but to serve.” (Mark 10:45)
My prayer for each of us today is the same one Boaz prayed for Ruth over 3000 years ago:
“May the LORD reward your work and your wages be full from the LORD.” (Ruth 2:12 NASB)