What do employees need to know in order to do their jobs? Studies large and small show a strong link between performance and perceived commitment from the boss.

OfficeTeam, the administrative staffing service, commissioned a survey of 571 employed adults, asking, “In which one of the following areas do you think your boss could communicate more effectively?” Here’s what they heard:

Standing up for people, defusing office politics, listening more and encouraging appropriate rest could be translated as faithfulness, fairness, attentiveness and sensitivity. What could be more basic for a Christian leader in business?

The OfficeTeam findings will come as no surprise to the Gallup Organization. Gallup spent years interviewing thousands of workers to develop an engine called The Q¹² that measures workplace satisfaction and anticipates employee retention. Bottom Line: Everyone wants to contribute and everyone wants to know where she stands.

The Q¹² questions reveal whether employees:

1. know what is expected of them on the job
2. have what they need to accomplish their work
3. have the opportunity to contribute from their strengths
4. believe their contributions are recognized
5. believe they are cared-for
6. believe their development matters
7. embrace the mission and purpose of their company
8. respect fellow employees
9. feel accepted by others in the workplace
10. receive adequate feedback
11. are growing in the workplace
12. believe they can affect processes and outcomes at work.

Positive perceptions in these categories connect to high productivity and employee retention. And why wouldn’t they? These values are at the heart of the biblical notions of working together.

• To pursue those biblical notions a step further, reflect on these passages from the Bible.
• To pursue these ideas much further, check out The Scriptural Roots of Commerce Module 4: Working Together
• Test your management team with our downloadable Employee Care Report Card.