“Lazy people are a pain to their employer. They are like smoke in their eyes or vinegar that sets the teeth on edge.”

It is officially the first full work week of summer and many businesses have now moved into summer hours where with a little shifting of the schedule Friday afternoons are “off” and employees are encouraged to make the most of the weekends. In the places I worked where we had summer hours it was a great thing, even though it sometimes caused a we vs. they with those who had to work over the weekends, but for the most part it was a welcomed time of the year. However, what would happen with summer hours is that it also brought out those who not only wanted to cut the corner of the summer hours, but would try and take advantage of it to slack off even further. Maybe it is just summer, but the lazy days and lazy attitudes can cause real strife and concern in the business. In this day and age, management is watching for productivity more than ever and whatever looks like laziness is going to get called out and remembered, so let’s not let these summer hours, or this summer be a time where we drift into becoming lazy about our work.

Proverbs tells how an employer reacts to lazy workers. It is not good and Solomon’s descriptors are vivid reminders that we don’t want to ever be thought of as lazy. Beyond wanting to be considered good and hard workers for our career management and advancement, we also don’t want to be lazy as an example for others. God has given us plenty of work to do and He promises us strength and power in our work, so if we are lazy in anything that we do, then we are telling and showing others that our God doesn’t really provide, or that we don’t care about the example that we set for others. Let’s be real, we are always being watched, evaluated and compared and at the most base level, our ability to demonstrate that we are never lazy, but instead bring to our jobs a strong work ethic, can provide a foundation of credibility with others. As we go into summer, let’s not slip into “summer hours” that aren’t of a standard that we would want others to admire and respect.

Reference: Proverbs 10:26 (New Living Testament)