6/1/12
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HOLY HOMEWORK
Purity in the Workplace
Let’s begin immediately with the statistics. Which of the following is the most taboo topic to speak about on the job: Politics, Religion or Sex? Here are the results of the latest survey. People who believe we should never talk about politics while at work: 52 percent People who believe we should never talk about religion while at work: 68 percent People who believe we should never talk about sex while at work: 84 percent If more than eight out of 10 employees say we should not be talking about sex in the workplace, then perhaps the virtue of purity is exactly what we need to discuss. But this discourse is not intended to be some catechism taxonomy of thou shalt not. On the contrary, what we need are positive implementations that will highlight the richness of being chaste. Conversely we should remember that the opposite of these behaviors constitutes playing with fire, including eternal fire. Five ways to practice purity on the job: 1. Give Equal Time and Opportunity to All. We should keep an eye on the clock when meeting with co-workers. Do some employees have easier access to our time and larger amounts of our time than others? Then we might expand our welcome accordingly. This will insure that the focus of our meetings is work and that the results of our time spent together will be pure profit for the business. 2. Expand the Invisible Santa. Some companies have introduced the practice of a Secret Santa around Christmas time. This is a great idea because it keeps the cost of presents low and eliminates any show of favoritism. If we are tempted toward gifting at other times during the year, then bring this same spirit of Santa to those favors too. For example, if we decide to give a birthday card to one secretary, then shouldn’t other secretaries receive one also? What would it mean if all gifts not only cost the exact same dollar amount but were the exact same gift as well, color included? Wouldn’t this be treating everyone alike, pure and simple? 3. Discard the Drapery. Some executives correctly install windows along the corridor walls of their offices so that passersby can see that nothing untoward is going on within. Then they mistakenly cover the glass with blinds for the sake of privacy. If a conversation must be kept confidential, it would probably be better to meet in a public restaurant than behind four walls. Just as our eyes are the windows to our souls, our office windows are the eyes of purity in our workplace. We should prefer to keep them clear for everyone to see. 4. Go Public with Computers. One very large publishing firm in Manhattan declared on the first page of their employee handbook that computer screens must always be visible to people walking by. This is a fantastic rule to insure purity, justice and a host of other virtues as well. After all, when our monitor is in full view, we’re bound to resist the temptation to waste hours playing solitaire or surfing the web for fashion sales or shady sites. 5. Heartfelt Affection. We all know leaders who appear in photos with their arms extended over others’ shoulders in a gesture of genuine caring. This kind of physical contact can be virtuous in the workplace provided we extend our concern equally and to all. However, if we find ourselves becoming exclusive with the type or duration of our affections, then we may need to examine our motivation for offering an embrace. For holy homework: Sometime this month, decide to join the 16 percent of employees who are not reluctant to talk about purity by scheduling a luncheon roundtable to discuss one of the five practices listed above. At the very least, we can learn more about the comfort levels of our colleagues and the expectations they have when it comes to practicing the virtue of purity in the workplace.
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