A Call for Christians to Set the Standard for Respect in the Workplace
This past week, entertainment news exploded with a debacle involving ABC’s Live! with Kelly & Michael featuring Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan. Kelly was blindsided with the decision to move Michael to Good Morning America. She was made aware only when it was time for the news to go public.
After taking a few days off to gather her thoughts and speak with executives, Kelly returned to Live! with the statement, “What transpired…over the course of a few days has been extraordinary in the sense that it started a much greater conversation about communication and consideration and, most importantly, respect in the workplace.”
Even if you aren’t interested in entertainment news, this situation does open the door to a much-needed conversation. As in any conversation that involves treating people with respect, dignity, and basic human decency, Christian leaders should not only be involved. We should set the standard.
Sadly, the way that Kelly was treated is not much different, (or may even be better) than the way that many Christian leaders treat their employees.
I have witnessed the devaluing and disrespect of people by Christian leaders on more occasions than I care to remember.
I once observed a man deliver a powerful testimony of God’s work in his life to a large congregation on a Sunday morning. That afternoon, I saw him managing his restaurant. He chewed out multiple employees so loudly that the entire restaurant overheard.
I have seen a minister abruptly fired from a church with no other explanation but, “it’s no longer God’s will for you to work here.” This “trump card” explanation is appropriate for a nine-grade breakup. Not for a professional working relationship.
I have seen ministries undervalue their employees by not paying them sufficiently for the job that they do.
Or not offering adequate benefits.
Or expecting 24/7/365 on-call hours.
Or demanding 70 hour work weeks and expressing frustration when someone takes vacation time.
I have seen male pastors and elders dismiss the opinions and ideas of women simply because of their gender.
I have observed Christian leaders make big decisions in closed offices and then fail to communicate to the rest of the organization the reasons the decision was made. This would be an appropriate level of communication with elementary school students. But it does not communicate respect to adults.
I have seen presidents of Christian universities cast out talented, hard-working, and result-achieving professionals simply because they wanted someone else in the position.
All of these actions create environments in which people feel devalued and disrespected by their Christian leaders.
Every Christian leader will make mistakes.
But what if With God Leaders determined that we want to work with God to set the standard for respect in the workplace?
What if Christian leaders were known for the way they honor their people?
What if churches were known as the best places in the world to work?
What if Christian ministries were held in highest regard for their treatment of employees and volunteers?
Why Christians Should Set the Standard for Respect in the Workplace
John wrote: “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:11–12). One of the ways that we “love one another” is by the respect we give to co-workers and employees.
Why should we do this? Because how you treat people demonstrates what you believe about God. Your treatment of people reflects your belief about Christian views of humanity.
Three Biblical truths should guide our treatment of people in the workplace:
1. God bestows humanity with dignity and honor from the beginning by creating humanity in his image (Gen 1:26–28; Psa. 8).
2. God demonstrates unfailing patience and love for humanity (Psa. 136; Lam. 3:22–23).
3. God entrusts the message and the mission of his kingdom to humanity (Matt. 28:18–20).
As a Christian leader, the respect you pay to others reflects the gospel to your followers.
Two simple actions can greatly enhance respect in the workplace and help Christians set the standard for respect.
1. Listen to God
As a With God Leader, one of your key responsibilities is listening to God. And this doesn’t apply only to big decisions.
Listen to God about how he feels for the people in your workplace.
He loves them.
He created them in His image.
He wants them to flourish under your leadership.
Let his love and adoration of them soak into your bones. Let his commitment to them, his creation of them, his gift of life to them overflow into you.
Listen to God on your role in your employees’ lives.
He says that you are “the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 2:15).
He tells you that you are salt and light (Matt. 5:13–14).
He tells those with authority to use it well (Col. 4:1).
Spend time praying for the individuals in your workplace. Ask God to show you how to treat them with respect. If you are a supervisor, listen to God on how you should affirm and correct your employees. Before you ever have a hard conversation, spend time listening to God and reflecting on the fact that this person is created in the image of God.
Respect in the workplace starts by walking with God. When you walk with God in every area of life, He will spill out of you. He will speak to you.
Only when you hear Him and feel loved by Him can you overflow with love and respect to others.
2. Ask, “How do I Want to Be Treated?”
The second action is to ask, “How do I want to be treated?” In other words, put the “Golden Rule” into practice.
You can only “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” once you have identified how you would want to be treated.
Make a list of how you would like to be treated. Your list may include things like:
- You want to be listened to. When you disagree with your supervisor, you want your opinion to be heard and acknowledged.
- You don’t want to be surprised. You want clear communication about what to expect and any upcoming changes.
- You want your supervisor to be honest with you. Although she may not be able to disclose all of the information that led to a decision, you want her to be as honest as she can be.
- You would like to feel valued. You want your supervisor and co-workers to see the unique contributions you make to your team.
- You want to be celebrated. When you accomplish a major project, you want your supervisor to celebrate you. If you leave an organization, you want your team to say goodbye to you with grace and appreciation.
- You want your supervisor to have an attitude of service. You want her to make it clear that she wants you to succeed. You want her to express willingness to help you achieve both personal and organizational goals.
Two sensitive areas warrant reflection on how you would like to be treated:
1. Spend time reflecting on how you would want to be treated if your supervisor needs to correct you. Every supervisor has to correct their workers. If you do it with both grace and truth (John 1:14), it can create a respectful work environment. If you forgo either grace or truth, you will disrespect the person.
2. Spend time asking how you would want to be treated if you were going to be fired. Even if you have to fire someone, you can still treat them with a level of respect. Do your best to dismiss them with the greatest dignity possible. How you treat someone when you fire them says more about your Christian faith than how you treat them when you hire them.
Once you know how you would like to be treated, start treating others like that. Your actions will communicate respect and dignity to those who you work with.
By God’s grace, power, and presence, I believe that Christians can set the standard for respect in the workplace. Your treatment of them proclaims the gospel and reminds you of God’s treatment of you. Paul wrote, “Masters, treat your servants considerately. Be fair with them. Don’t forget for a minute that you, too, serve a Master — God” (Col. 4:1).
Christians, what would happen if we set the standard for respect in the workplace?
What if churches started coaching marketplace leaders on how to treat their employees with dignity?
What if Christian organizations set the standard for excellence in culture? (This happened recently! Vanderbloemen Search Group — which helps connect churches to great pastors — was honored by Entrepreneur.com as the #1 Top Company Culture in the U.S.!)
It is time for With God Leaders to proclaim the gospel with our lives through the way we treat our employees. It is time for us to set the standard for respect in the workplace.
Questions: How have you seen people treated disrespectfully in the workplace? What are good examples of people being treated respectfully?
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