As a manager, I recently had a series of staff workers in the same job over the course of the year. The first hated her job, barely performed her duties and rarely turned in a solid 6 hours day...let alone an 8 hour day. We tried to counsel her and found out that she really didn't want to work with us. However, she wanted to be fired to collect unemployment. So we let her go.
The second person was talented, but was slightly overqualified on paper. However, she needed a job so she took the staff position we offered. She started out all right, properly motivated to work, but after 4 months she lost interest and started hinting at needing a promotion (which she hadn't yet earned). After 6 months, she started coming in late and her work product suffered to the point where we had to have a series of chats on issues that we were having. There was some improvement in performance, but the economy improved and she left to a better position after 9 months.
Where this has left us is back at square one. Instead of having a trained person to take on the duties we have allocated to this staff person, we now have to train up another person from scratch. In each case, the two staff persons so resented their job, one because she didn't like the work and the other because she felt like she was better than the work (hence didn't like it), that they had begun to slip in their performance.
While the second person was better than the first person, the end result was the similar - bad attitude resulted in tardiness and shortened work days. The lack of professionalism ended up being disappointing and at the same time, for our company, very little was built that added value to our company.
Slacking off is a phenomenon that I think is more prevalent in recent times. I know it well because I have slacked off many times in my younger days. Analyzing myself, I can see that the root came from an inner weakness and a sense of self entitlement. I wanted respect in my profession without properly earning it. I wanted my work to be constantly interesting, but couldn't realize and see that unless I master the basics, the more interesting things - the artistry of a profession would never be realized. There is no substitute for experience and knowledge gained over time through experience.
There was also a moral failure in myself. I either didn't know God, or I was immature in the Lord at the time. The Bible tells us to "work as unto the Lord" (Col 3:23-24). Regardless of what role we are thrust into, do I work as unto the Lord? Do I appreciate the work granted to me enough to be earnest at it and excel at it?
I still need to ask myself these questions today. Being part of Generation X, I know that I am part of a lazy and self-entitled generation, so my propensity is towards sinfulness and slack. And slack once it goes on over time, so weakens that duties that we are assigned to steward that we end up destroying what we are supposed to keep watch over.
Lord, in the example of my two recent staff, I also see a lot of myself in them. But understanding their reasons for slack doesn't justify it. You have helped me to improve over my past sins of slack, but I know that I still need to be vigilant. Please help me to keep dedicated to my work and to respect that place that you have put me for this season. Thank you for all the opportunities that you've provided to me and the place I am honored to serve in. May I represent You most of all. In the matchless name of Jesus, AMEN.
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