Projecting Respect at Work

Whether you are in a supervisory or subordinate role, God expects you to maintain sexual integrity.  If you are being pressured by a supervisor to have sex, do not give in.  Never compromise your values, your morals, or your faith because your job is threatened.

If you are being propositioned by a subordinate for sex, do not give in to temptation.  Why risk the eternal riches of heaven for the temporary rush of a sexual encounter?  The sexual climber has reduced you to a favorable job rating, a slot of a social calendar, or a doctored job evaluation.

In all your business dealings, especially involving a disparity is position, you must work to keep yourself above reproach.  Set the tone for your relationships.  Conducting yourself in an aboveboard manner shows that you respect yourself and others.  So keep your standards high.

Do not allow obscenities to be used in your presence.  This can be difficult in certain work situations, but it is important.  Obscenities are unprofessional, and most businesses spend a good deal of time and effort to enhance their professionalism.  Exceptions do exist, of course.  That is where you own personal boundaries come in.  You may not be able to squelch every curse word spoken within a one-hundred-yard radius, but you can insist that obscenities not be used by someone speaking directly to you.  This personal boundary should be stated calmly, clearly, and consistently.

Do not participate in sexual or crude jokes.  By listening to them without protest, you give approval.  By telling them without restraint, you broadcast your willingness to engage in sexual matters.  By participating in them without restriction, you encourage the introduction of lust into your work situation.

Do not underestimate the power of lust.  Its potential is present whenever a sexual component is added to a situation.  By failing to protest of by contributing to sexually charged speech or jokes, you broadcast your sexuality.  For some of those around you, if not yourself, this gives lust the foothold it needs to break down the door of personal boundaries.  Once lust has gained entrance into a situation, the impact of its power is difficult for many people to contain.

Discourage personal, revealing conversations with members of the opposite sex.  The deeper the conversation, the more chance the content will eventually become sexual.  If, during the course of your job, you deem it necessary to speak to someone deeply about personal matters, make sure a third party is present.  The third party should be someone you trust, a sensible friend, who can act as a buffer for the conversation.

Object immediately if someone else touches you in an inappropriate way.  The time to object to a sexual touch or caress is when it happens.  Too often, in the utter surprise of the moment, the tendency is to explain it away or deny it.  While you are busy second-guessing whether it really happened, the other person will be busy figuring out how to do it again.

The bottom line in all of this is to maintain your self-control–your control over your self, your body, your person–in word situations.  No matter who you are working for, you need to guard your personal integrity.

Authored by Dr. Gregory Jantz, founder of The Center • A Place of HOPE and author of 36 books. Pioneering whole-person care nearly 30 years ago, Dr. Jantz has dedicated his life’s work to creating possibilities for others, and helping people change their lives for good. The Center • A Place of HOPE, located on the Puget Sound in Edmonds, Washington, creates individualized programs to treat behavioral and mental health issues, including eating disorders, addiction, depression, anxiety and others.