WITNESS IN THE WORKPLACE - BEING SALT AND LIGHT Many of us work, whether it be in an office, in church, or at home. Work presents a challenge, not only in terms of the technical and professional difficulties, but in our relationships with our bosses, peers, subordinates and work contacts. To Low Lay Chin, Matthew 5:13-16 applies to every situation in our lives. In this article, she focuses on how she applies the God-honouring commands and principles of being salt and light in her work life. She shares four main principles which have guided her in the workplace, together with personal anecdotes. Lay Chin is married to Tan Lai Yong. They have two children.
became more open in showing his dislike of her in front of me.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of
I tried not to participate in the gossip or the politics. As the newest and most junior clerk, I had no choice but to listen politely to the complaints of others. I thought about how to be different. I tried not to encourage gossip by asking for details and I made it a point to be on talking terms with everyone. Soon, people knew that I talked to everyone in the department and that I was not into office politics.
the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven". (Matthew 5:13-16) 1. Avoiding office politics - as a teen
I often arrived early at work and so did the lady manager. At first I was somewhat afraid to be too friendly, after seeing all the negative vibes that the others had of her. As time went by, she started approaching me to chit chat. I realized how lonely and hard it must have been for her. To cut the story short, I was able to share with her a copy of "The Daily Bread". By the end of four months, when I was leaving the bank, she came up to me and said that she had started to attend church and had joined the church choir too. The atmosphere in the department had also changed for the better,
While waiting for my "flt level results, I worked as a bank clerk. It was my first experience of office politics. The two managers in the same department did not get along. The rest of the staff aligned themselves with the male manager who was in charge of my work. As I was a new employee, many would share gossip with me regarding colleagues in the department and especially, how the two managers did not get along. At first, the male manager was discreet in his dislike of the female manager. Later, he 15
