Recently after some soul searching and financial calculations, I decided that I would retire from my job in two years’ time.
One of the things they tell you when you’re planning your retirement is to look back at your entire career. So I suppose it’s normal that I’ve been thinking eschatological thoughts about the place of work in our salvation.
Why do human beings have to work at all? It’s a direct consequence of the fall, so it’s something we can and should strive against.
Some people are taken aback by this concept, because they’ve come to see those consequences as commandments.
They think suffering shouldn’t be resisted too much, sicknesses shouldn’t be treated or prevented, and women should be lorded over. But God gave us ingenuity and creativity to help us mitigate the consequences of the fall, not to inflict them more effectively.
Human beings have always found ways to make essential work easier for people. I am all in favour of this, but we can’t get rid of work altogether.
On good days, work can be great. It can stretch you, make you grow, and give you real wins. But work can also be boring, dangerous, and at times heartbreaking.
We work so that we can live, because we shouldn’t freeload (2 Thess 3:10). But our workplace is also part of our training ground for heaven.
It’s where most of us spend most of our daylight hours. It’s where we have to bump up against difficult people and personalities. It’s where we can learn teamwork, patience, and forgiveness. It can also be where we learn sneakiness, dishonesty, and vindictiveness.
Work brings most of us into constant contact with other people who may not share our values or beliefs. So how as a Catholic do you manage this?
There used to be a corporate buzz about “bringing your whole self to work”. This meant that no one should feel as if they need to hide their religion, sexuality, or other parts of their life from their workmates.
This is now completely out of style because most employers have realised what an awful effect “bringing your whole self to work” can have on a workplace.
Human resources departments are drowning in cases of people who are insisting that their workplace should provide what they want, rather than what they might need, or what the job requires.
Australian workplace law is clear about not discriminating against people on the grounds of their religion. And yet I’ve heard Catholics say that it’s not safe for them to be “out” as a Catholic at work.
I’m not doubting this, because they might work with sharp-tongued or unpleasant people who will use anything to bully others. But I think I have met more Catholics who don’t feel safe to be “out” at work because they know their own workplace behaviour isn’t always very Catholic.
You should always be ready to tell people you’re a Catholic if it comes up in conversation. But of course, once you do that, they will judge your workplace behaviour by that standard – and so they should.
Does your conduct at work give a good example of what a Catholic is in their daily life? I know mine hasn’t always. Are you someone who could be seen by others as a good person at your workplace? Or are you the workplace perpetual grumbler, or stingy person, or lunch-stealer?
Being a Catholic in the workplace is not about reciting the rosary loudly during your lunch break, especially not in an open-plan office.
It’s not inviting your parish priest to come and bless the executive meeting room, no matter how terrible the conversation is in there. But being a Catholic at work might involve being a responsible and reliable employee. It could be more about being trustworthy, not gossiping, and not breaching confidences.
Perhaps it’s about being loyal to your employer (within reason), looking out for your fellow employees, and being prepared to help them when you can. Maybe it’s also about doing an honest day’s work and not wasting time or skiving off. It’s definitely about admitting your mistakes, apologising, and doing better next time.
It could also be about accepting fair feedback from your boss that’s designed to help you improve your work and not blowing up about it.
Very few of us are going to face real, job-ending persecution in the workplace for being Catholics. If this is happening to you, I recommend you lawyer up, because this is illegal in Australia.
But perhaps what’s stopping you from witnessing effectively at work is you?
