Engaged In Your Work

There is a calling on each of our lives, and we can concentrate on reflecting the character of Christ, so that people will be drawn to Him.  1st Corinthians 10 provides this encouragement:
31Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.32Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,33just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
There is a difference between pleasing other people by compromising our own beliefs and pleasing God by relating well to other people. Our ultimate aim is to please God in all that we say, think, and do, and in whatever sphere God has called us - our family, our work, our church life, our recreation, whatever area - we have the opportunity to show that Jesus lives in our hearts.  By being reliant on the Holy Spirit, we have the access to His direction as well as His power to do according to God's will in the situations we encounter.

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In Colossians chapter 3, we can read some verses that can help us adjust our attitudes as we rely on the resources of the Lord and adopt a perspective of seeking to bring Him honor in all that we undertake:
17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Later in the chapter, we read this:23And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
On this Survey Thursday, I want to point to some research from the Gallup organization about the topic of employee engagement. Gallup defines engaged employees as those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.
The polling organization reports that less than one-third (31.5%) of U.S. workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014.  That sounds quite low, doesn't it?  Well, the silver lining is that the average is up nearly two percentage points from 29.6% in 2013 and represents the highest reading since 2000, when Gallup first began tracking the engagement levels of the U.S. working population.  However, a majority of employees, 51%, were still "not engaged" and 17.5% were "actively disengaged" in 2014. So, over two-thirds of employees are characterized as not engaged in their work.
The 2014 employee engagement average is based on Gallup Daily tracking interviews conducted from January to December 2014 with over 80 thousand employed adults.  It states that the 1.9% increase in engagement from 2013 to 2014 represents 2.5 million employees nationwide. Gallup categorizes workers as engaged based on their responses to key workplace elements it has found to predict important organizational performance outcomes.
The survey also indicates that millennials are the least engaged group, at 28.9%. The percentage rises as you move upward in the various age groups.  A group called the traditionalists have a 42.5% level of engagement, and Gallup speculates that could possibly be because the few who work do so by choice and enjoy their jobs.

Although the economy is improving, workers in the millennial generation may not be getting the jobs they had hoped for coming out of college. Gallup's employee engagement data reveal that they are particularly less likely than other generations to say they "have the opportunity to do what they do best" at work. This finding suggests that millennials may not be working in jobs that allow them to use their talents and strengths, thus creating disengagement.

Gallup does speculate that the engagement levels could be rising because of improving economic factors or a greater level of motivation by management in encouraging employee engagement.

While these findings do tell a less-than-encouraging story about the American worker, they can help believers reflect on our own workplace story.  What does the Bible teach on how we are to conduct ourselves regarding our work?

Well, for one thing, we're told to do everything "heartily," according to Colossians 3.  While we have earthly employers whom we are to respect, we also have a heavenly "employer," if you will, whose expectations for us include to demonstrate the character of Christ.  If we are doing our work, that we recognize as an assignment from God, with a half-hearted attitude, that is inconsistent with the nature of the Holy Spirit, who resides in our hearts.

We also recognize that we are called into the workplace to be a witness for the Lord, so there is a high standard for our behavior.  If we project an attitude of disengagement, if our work is sloppy, if our relationships with other employees are combustible, or if we are engaged in degrading water-cooler conversations about our fellow workers, then we have to evaluate our state of connectedness to Christ.   I believe He has placed you at work to be engaged, to do your best according to the unique abilities that He has given to you, and we can be motivated to work with an attitude of bringing glory to God.