shortlady
Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2005
- Messages
- 2,696
A People Company
Be obedient to those who are your masters. —Ephesians 6:5
My brother worked 42 years for the Herman Miller Furniture Company. At his retirement dinner he said, “This is my company. Where else could a production worker like me participate in the management of the company?” What had instilled this kind of loyalty? In part, it was the leadership of D. J. De Pree, longtime president of the company.
One day a worker in the plant died suddenly. When Mr. De Pree visited his widow, she told him of her husband’s poetry and of his witnessing to the night watchman. This impressed De Pree with the value of each of the workers in his plant. From then on, his attitude toward the business changed. “I realized,” he said, “that the manufacturer’s first priority was to make his product the best he could for the one who would use it; the second was the man in the factory who made it; and the third was the ownership.”
This attitude is rooted in Scripture. Christians in labor and in management all work for one Master. Employees must therefore serve with diligence. Management must do the same—with two additions. They must be fair and just (Col. 4:1) and must not threaten (Eph. 6:9).
Integrity, concern for others, and mutual respect make any company a people company. —Dennis J. De Haan
Lord, teach me how to love and work,
So every deed I do
May be to someone in its turn
A service fine and true. —Anon.
When integrity and people rate higher than pay and profits, everyone profits!
Be obedient to those who are your masters. —Ephesians 6:5
My brother worked 42 years for the Herman Miller Furniture Company. At his retirement dinner he said, “This is my company. Where else could a production worker like me participate in the management of the company?” What had instilled this kind of loyalty? In part, it was the leadership of D. J. De Pree, longtime president of the company.
One day a worker in the plant died suddenly. When Mr. De Pree visited his widow, she told him of her husband’s poetry and of his witnessing to the night watchman. This impressed De Pree with the value of each of the workers in his plant. From then on, his attitude toward the business changed. “I realized,” he said, “that the manufacturer’s first priority was to make his product the best he could for the one who would use it; the second was the man in the factory who made it; and the third was the ownership.”
This attitude is rooted in Scripture. Christians in labor and in management all work for one Master. Employees must therefore serve with diligence. Management must do the same—with two additions. They must be fair and just (Col. 4:1) and must not threaten (Eph. 6:9).
Integrity, concern for others, and mutual respect make any company a people company. —Dennis J. De Haan
Lord, teach me how to love and work,
So every deed I do
May be to someone in its turn
A service fine and true. —Anon.
When integrity and people rate higher than pay and profits, everyone profits!
