Best Practices to Impact Employees Using Redemptive Methodology
This is part of our ongoing series exploring Redemptive Methodology best practices.
A small business in Mexico had a problem: their employees weren’t happy. Morale was low and, in turn, so was their motivation for their work. So, leadership asked the employees what they wanted – what a novel idea! They learned their staff craved community for their children and to learn English. The company implemented programming for kids and provided English-language classes. It was as if a switch was flipped; employee satisfaction scores increased, morale improved, and the business became more productive.
As impact companies, we believe people matter, starting at home. It’s not enough to just go create the next great “thing” that makes the world better if those at home aren’t well served. Creating a positive influence on employees is one of the best practices of Redemptive Methodology.
A redemptive methodology business is an enterprise that seeks to embody the Gospel by using the very business itself as a force for God’s redeeming work, leaving a meaningful impact on the world by the way it conducts itself. Its leadership, being rooted in Christ, follows the Spirit to intentionally participate in God’s transformational work in the lives of employees, vendors, and customers while creating sustainable value.
Setting the company table
There’s a model called “Pitcher, Cup, Saucer, Plate” that illustrates how important a business’s impact on employees is in the greater story of the Kingdom (Thank you to Craig Babb at Rhythm of Grace for teaching me this model).
Imagine each individual is a cup sitting on top of a saucer sitting on top of a plate. There’s a pitcher of water next to it all. You are the cup; the saucer is the collection of individuals that make up a company; the plate is the company’s mission to the world; and the pitcher is the Spirit of God. Life works best when you follow spiritual practices (silence or solitude, reading Scripture, confession, etc.) every day, moment by moment, that allow you to be filled up like the pitcher pouring into the cup. Only when the cup overflows with His life can the saucer be filled. And when the saucer overflows, then the plate can be filled. In short, when the collective group is functioning well because people are filled with the Spirit, the mission can be accomplished.
Many times, we’ll take the plate and stick it on top of the stack with the misplaced belief that the mission to the world is the priority. When we do that, we end up with a bunch of empty cups with dried up water stains and a dysfunctional saucer because we put the mission above an individual’s time with the Lord.
Other times, we recognize that the organization over there is focusing too much on their mission and getting it wrong. We decide we really want to get the community piece right, so we place the saucer on top without teaching the basic discipleship tools to individuals so they know how to daily abide in the Lord to be filled by the Spirit.
Jesus says in the Gospel of John, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 (NIV). Only in this order can a company accomplish its mission to impact the world: Pitcher, Cup, Saucer, Plate.
Overflowing with the Spirit
How do we ensure our employees’ cups stay full? Like the story of our friends in Mexico, sometimes it’s as easy as asking. Each circumstance is unique. The cups and saucers of a large American company will look very different — and will need to be filled differently — than the cups and saucers of a small Haitian organization. That said, there are basic components that need to exist across the board:
Minimum requirements for best practices in regards to Impact on Employees include:
Pay fair wages
Prioritize helping individuals feel like an important part of the mission
Provide opportunity for advancement and job training
Conduct regular performance reviews
Exercise hiring and termination practices that honor individuals
For those of us ready to examine the fruit of our company while understanding the health of employees, Eido Research’s Kingdom Impact Framework provides a great tool.
We spend more time at work than anywhere else, so creating a healthy work culture that takes care of employees is critical for impact companies. For Christ followers seeking to embody the Gospel in our businesses, we have a tremendous opportunity to give our employees the tools, resources, and space to be filled by the Spirit. That’s how companies, organizations, and communities remain healthy and thriving to accomplish their mission and bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth.
