Christian Values in the Workplace - Integrity

The average adult is awake 16 hours a day: one hour to prepare for work, 30 minutes each way driving to and from work, and then at least eight hours at work. That’s already 10 out of 16 hours. Let’s contrast that with the time we invest at church. For some people, it’s just an hour a week. So, what’s the point? The majority of our life is invested in preparation for work and in doing it. That’s why God’s presence in the workplace matters so much! The workplace offers great opportunities to encourage those who know Christ and to witness to those who don’t.

Most of us probably don’t work for an organization that outwardly expresses their Christian beliefs. But we, as Christians, are called to be ambassadors of Christ and reflect Him in our lives, and this includes our work. The Bible has a lot to say about the importance of work and how we, should conduct ourselves in the workplace.

 Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

 Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

Let’s explore some of the important values that Christians should demonstrate in the workplace. The first one that I'm going to share is integrity and will include others in upcoming articles.

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” Proverbs 10:9

 We can all probably easily think of examples where people did NOT show integrity in the workplace. These behaviors include CYA, throwing others under the bus, telling untruths, “calling in sick”, or engaging in an affair with a married coworker to name a few. If it wasn’t for a lack of integrity in the workplace, we wouldn’t need to have so many workplace policies like code of conduct, harassment, social media and more. I once worked for a company where there was a lot of time and effort spent trying to keep missteps from the CEO. This included lots of politicking and throwing others under the bus. And I worked for a company that was not honest with its customers. I’m sure that any of us that have spent much time in the workplace have similar stories we could share.

So, what exactly is integrity? Integrity connotes a deep commitment to do the right thing for the right reason, regardless of the circumstances – even when no one watching. Integrity includes a sense of honesty, dependability and consistency of character. People with integrity adhere to company policies. They own up to their mistakes. They are honest and don’t tell untruths. They are trustworthy and dependable.

The word integrity evolved from a Latin adjective integer, meaning whole or complete. So, integrity is an inner sense of “wholeness” deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistent character.

Consider these questions to self-assess your personal integrity.

• Do you portray yourself differently depending on who you are with?
• Do you admit your mistakes?
• Are you honest at all times?
• Can others depend on you to do what you say you’ll do?

Our integrity is tested on a daily basis by a culture that has made falsehood and dishonesty a norm. This might involve cheating on a test, fudging a business expense, downloading music illegally from the Internet, taking office supplies from work, or just telling little white lies. These sorts of actions can chip away at our integrity, one by one.

 Scripture tells us many benefits of living with integrity:

• It can give us promotion the right way (Nehemiah 7
• It grants favor and honor and opens the door for good things to come into our lives (Psalm 84:11)
• It can help us find contentment (Proverbs 19:1)
• It brings clarity and guidance to our lives (Proverbs 37:18)
• It helps us to be more like Jesus (Matthew 22:16)

David shed some light on integrity. In Psalm 26:1-3, he shared the ways he displayed his integrity. "Vindicate me, O LORD; for I have led a blameless life: I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered. Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful or your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.”

You can see here that the root of David’s integrity is his relationship with God – as it should be for us.

How can you be sure that your integrity guides your actions?

Keep your word – If you say you are going to do something, then do it! If you say you are going to be somewhere, then be there! We probably all know those people that we can’t really count on. Don’t be one of those people!

Tell the truth – Mark Twain said, "if you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." It’s easier and the right thing to do. Even little white lies eat away at your integrity.

Don’t gossip – Keep confidences and don’t talk about others behind their back. A gossip can’t be trusted with a secret, but someone of integrity won’t violate a confidence” (Proverbs 11:13 The Message).

Work hard - Colossians 3:23 says “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." If you’re a believer, your real boss is God, and whether or not anybody else sees your work, God does.

Act consistently – A person of integrity doesn’t act one way in church and another way at work and another way in social settings. In addition, a person of integrity treats the janitor with the same level of respect as the CEO.

God is never changing. He is faithful, trustworthy, true, and loyal. He can be counted on. He wants us to follow his example and live a life of integrity, as is indicated by the Scriptures below.

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Proverbs 11:3

“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.” Jeremiah 22:12

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth”. 2 Timothy 2:15