Justice @ Work – Apathy or Action?

You see something at work that just seems wrong. What do you do about it? Do you look the other way, to keep yourself out of trouble? Can you do anything about it anyway?

One of the great things about being a “big fish in a small pond” is the opportunity to get involved, to fix things that are broken, to right injustice, and to influence a whole corporate culture. When I was a much smaller fish in a much bigger pond (Bank of America) though, it seemed like there was nothing I could do to address things that weren’t right. So it was tempting to be in denial, even going so far as defending my employer when I had sincere doubts about what they were doing.

The Biblical call in Micah 5:8 “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” is well known. But it is much more comfortable for us to think of this as something remote – writing letters to our US Senator about atrocities in Darfur, for example. If we have to apply it to our daily lives things get much more dangerous. The reality is that any time we confront injustice we are taking risks.
So we need discernment along the lines of the great serenity prayer:

     God grant me the serenity
     to accept the things I cannot change;
     courage to change the things I can;
     and wisdom to know the difference.

We need to know when to simply accept that we cannot impact injustice, and when to take the risks inherent in acting against it. I think of our reactions to injustice, whether at work or elsewhere, at four levels.

Apathy. When we turn away, or deny, or tacitly or actively defend injustice, we are being apathetic – literally not feeling for the victims of injustice. Can this ever be right? I don’t think so. Acceptance that I cannot change things does not require that I have no feeling toward those who are impacted.

Awareness. I may not be able to change anything but I need to be aware of the impact of injustice on those around me. I may not be able to change the personnel policy of a large company to provide adequate time off, or to pay appropriate wages to thousands of people. But I will be contact with those who are impacted, and I can show compassion. Later on, as I rise up the company, or if I join a smaller company, I can remember these lessons and have a real impact. This is exactly what has happened for me in, for example, improving the vacation policy for my smaller company.

Activism. Even though I can’t directly change unjust practices, I can help with raising awareness, and I can petition those with the power to make changes. Most companies have opportunities, through mailboxes, public meetings, or corporate email, to raise concerns without fear of recriminations. In some cases, we may have to rely on “whistle-blower” laws to protect us – this is extremely uncomfortable but there are times we know it to be right.

Action. When we are in a position to directly change unjust practices and policies we simply need to do it, regardless of the impact on the company’s bottom line. Now that I am in a top executive position in a small company, this comes up constantly. Doing the “right thing” rather than the most profitable thing is a constant challenge and conversation among our senior leaders. But it can be very difficult (such as whether to lay off some staff in order to protect the jobs of the rest, and who to lay off).

The bottom line is that we serve, and are made in the image of, a God of justice. He demands it of us and equips us to administer it in all sorts of ways. Apathy is never going to be an acceptable answer (that is what Micah’s prophecy complains about), but we need to be constantly aware of injustice around us, getting involved through activism when it will make a difference, and taking action when we are in a position to do so. What if all Christians did this?