Masters, hear this: act in kind to your slaves. Stop terrorizing and threatening them. Don’t forget that you have a Master in heaven who does not take sides or pick favorites. (Ephesians 6:9)
Paul writes, "Masters, hear this: act in kind to your slaves." Translation? "Employers, pay attention to what is wrong in the lives of your employees." Hear what is wrong and give serious consideration as to how to change it so as to make their conditions right. Treat them as people with problems, listen to their problems, and do something about their problems.
The attitude that is to accompany this action is put in this negative way: "Stop terrorizing and threatening them." The primary cause of employee unhappiness is to have constantly hanging over their heads some kind of cruel action such as the cutting of wages, in order to motivate them to better work. This does nothing but kill the creative process, paralyzing each in their production.
Paul mentions a hidden factor that makes all this of extreme importance: "Don’t forget that you have a Master in heaven who does not take sides or pick favorites." He who is Master over both is watching us. He is right here in the situation and He is dealing with us without picking favorites.
Productivity and the environment which creates such productivity is lost in the workplace where the bottom line is the acquisition of wealth. God's answer is to fill that workplace with joy, peace, and safety of relationship and happiness with one another.
Now, this does not mean that all productivity is ignored. No, we all must make a living. But, the motivation and the tactics which are employed are crucial. It has been proven over and over that a good working environment is a must if there is to be productivity. When someone dreads going into work, they’re going to drag their feet all day. They’ll constantly check the clock to see if 5 pm has rolled around. They’ll do the bare minimum, never wanting to go above and beyond to show their skills or get ahead.
However, if a positive work culture is created where employees are excited to be on the job, productivity is sure to follow. Happier employees are more likely to exceed expectations, meaning the entire workplace will be more pleasant and life-giving.
When employees are happy with their jobs, they’re also more likely to stick around. When you don’t need to constantly interview and replace employees, you can keep projects moving at a productive and consistent pace.
The key to all of this for us is: where are we in our walk with the Lord? If we are walking with the Lord, learning from Him great skills of encouragement and acceptance, we will translate these learned skills into our workplace. This will create an environment where those who toil are encouraged, invested and positive that they matter to the whole. Again, the key is our individual walk with the Lord: am I putting Him first, allowing Him to define me in my thinking and my choices? When we learn these lessons from Him, we will be able to deliver these time tested truths to the people we depend upon to get the job done.
