Exploring the Impact of Faith at Work

Work is a natural part of human existence, occupying most of our waking hours. This time investment in work-related community rivals that of the individual's home community. Work needs are often prioritized over home and personal needs as a matter of necessity.

The elusive work/life balance between these two communities can cause an individual to develop dual identities. One identity - the home self - may hold certain virtues in high regard. However, depending on the work environment, the individual may feel compelled to create a second identity - the work self. The work self may be coerced into actions the home self would choose to avoid.

This creates tension as the individual strives to find balance in a situation that is incapable of producing balance. How can one walk the path to work/life balance with two different identities?

Continuity Creates Clarity

Work/life balance becomes attainable when an individual can be his/her true self at work and home. A sense of virtues and values consistently applied at home, and the freedom for individuals to express these values in the workplace relieves much of the tension that modern-day careers create.

Fortunately, many employers recognize the role faith plays in an individual's sense of self and have taken action to build faith-driven businesses. I was fortunate to find myself in one of these businesses, AMPED .

In the past, I was in the grips of tension between my work and home self. I often found myself asked to compromise quality for quantity and prioritize short-term gains over long-term strategies. Although I made friends at work, the pressure created by leadership became the glue that held us together. It was time for a drastic change.

Faith in the Workplace

I became intrigued and optimistic when I learned that AMPED Strategy was a faith-based business. The experience that has unfolded since I started working for a faith-based business has been nothing short of miraculous.

Not only has my career risen to new levels, but my home life has improved. I even referred to myself as Kristen 3.0 when I started to work with a faith-based team. A year later, I am Kristen 4.0 and well on my way to 5.0.

Here are some benefits of faith in the workplace that I have experienced with AMPED Strategy.

Community

The first difference an individual will notice in a faith-based business is access to resources typically banned from the corporate world. At AMPED Strategy, these resources include voluntary access to a weekly prayer and praise Zoom session with a Chaplain. In addition, the company provides each employee personal access to the Chaplain and access to an internal Slack channel for employees to engage with the Chaplain and each other as they see fit.

This optional and voluntary weekly prayer and praise meeting, Chaplain connection, and access to faith-based conversation in the context of work channels changed my outlook on work... and my life.

Teamwork

Several differences stood out as I settled into my role at a faith-based business. The AMPED Strategy community - engendered by the optional and voluntary prayer and praise meetings, and access to a Chaplain through personal and work channels - has unique strength in three areas:

1. Shared Goals and Accountability: The other Christians in the workplace believe everyone answers to a higher power and strives to follow the virtuous tenets outlined in the Bible. This leads to a balancing of egos, relieving coworker tensions, and keeping each individual focused on their contribution to business goals.
2. Conflict Resolution: When a group of coworkers understand the external trials and stresses that one another is going through, work conflicts take a different tone than in other businesses. For example, one of AMPED Strategy's core values is to "Speak the truth with love", leading coworkers to find constructive ways to communicate difficult information and work through issues.
3. Remote Worker Cohesion: AMPED Strategy is 100% remote, and although many employees have met in real life - the company has never been together under the same roof. Despite this physical distance, the prayer and praise meetings and freedom to discuss faith with coworkers in attendance, create close personal bonds that transcend the internet.

Client Service

Clients benefit significantly when faith-based businesses develop internal communities that encourage exceptional teamwork. In my experience with AMPED Strategy, I've seen a new level of client service based on the concept of service to others for the glory of God. When an individual works on behalf of the glory of God, several special business qualities emerge:

1. Motivated to Do Good: From Executive to Intern, a culture of good emerges when a faith-based business prioritizes integrity and a sense of eternal purpose.
2. Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged: Client service comes with its share of challenges, often driven by anxieties and financial concerns on the client's side. However, faith-based businesses create a culture of gentleness that causes employees to seek to relieve client concerns versus argue against the existence of concerns.
3. Long-Term View: When a business creates a culture of Biblical living, the guiding view is eternal. This eternal view encourages employees to make decisions for the best of the client in the long term, versus capitalizing on a moment in time to sell a service.

Creative Problem Solving

Businesses are constantly seeking to solve problems. An interesting aspect of faith-based businesses is the individual freedom to leverage faith and Biblical guidance in problem-solving. I experience this regularly at AMPED Strategy and have cultivated my relationship with Jesus to find practical ways to allow God's glory to be present in my work.

1. Seeking Inspiration from a Higher Power: When co-workers, who share a common faith within a faith-based business come together to pray for assistance in handling a specific problem, their egos dissolve and the desire for a positive outcome is paramount.
2. Shared Manifestation Through Prayer: Miraculous interactions take place in faith-based businesses regularly. For example, at AMPED Strategy - a remote business - employees regularly feel inspired to check in on each other or certain tasks at the exact moment when that person or task needs attention. Sharing these moments in the weekly prayer and praise meeting reinforces the value of acting on positive impulses.
3. Humble Introspection: Problem-solving tends to create an external focus on "the problem" and can make creative thinking difficult. However, employees who are connected to their faith and have the freedom to express it in work settings tend to take a humble approach to problem-solving. The shared connection to the Bible can lead to humble employees open to receiving guidance from outside of themselves and their own limited understanding of the problem and possible solutions.

Resources and Next Steps

Interested in AMPED Strategy? Explore our website and reach out: https://ampedstrategy.com/

Are you a job-seeker? Check out these faith-based job openings on LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/jobs/faith-based-jobs/?currentJobId=4004387724

Are you a business leader? Take your business to another level. Explore faith-based businesses. C12 is a great place to start! https://www.joinc12.com/

My sincere and complete gratitude to Corporate Chaplains Of America for facilitating the journey for so many from mediocrity to working for the glory of God.

Thank you to Jamie Shaver for setting an impressive example of faith-based business leaders at work.