Hidden Value of Our Work

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about my career and the value of my job. I know that the first thing that comes to mind in terms of value is my salary but I want to dig deeper than that. I don’t know about you but when I think about my job in terms of money, I end up feeling like a number. There’s gotta be more value than just the salary, right?

So, I sat back this weekend and did some brainstorming in regards to what I value within my job. As it turns out, there’s a lot more I value than just my salary! Here are the things I came up with and hopefully they will help you value your job a little more this week:

Complete Benefits Package

Most people don’t think about this benefit that adds so much value to their career. I didn’t until just recently when I had to get my teeth cleaned at the dentist. When I was walking about, I asked how much I owed for the service and I got a reply back, “sir, you owe nothing, your insurance paid for it.” What a blessing! The bill was a couple hundred dollars and not a penny came out of my pocket. I realized that a comprehensive health and dentist plan covered by an employer is a HUGE benefit and adds tremendous value to your career. Even looking down the line in my own life with a family and kids, insurance becomes that much more important.

And I can’t forget to mention 401k plans. Since most companies offer these retirement accounts, you can take advantage of employer matching (if yours offers) and get ahead in your retirement planning portfolio. You couldn’t do this without your employer. That’s another big value of working for someone. Speaking of which, I need to increase my contributions this week!

Matt’s note: You can do this without your employer, but employer sponsored plans are definitely a blessing to be used and appreciated.

Networking Opportunities

This is a massive value in my opinion.  We all know that most people end up changing companies at some point during their career.  You never know when you will need recommendations for job opportunities or need a contact about finding a new job.  We spend a considerable amount of time in the workplace and those relationships can last a lifetime.  Think about mentors you’ve had, great bosses, and fun co-workers.  These relationships add tremendous value to anyone’s careers and should not be minimized or taken for granted.

Making an Impact for Christ

This is something that I’ve begun to realize more and more as I work within the corporate world.  God has placed us in our career at a specific company for a specific reason.  I cannot begin to tell you about the amazing talks I’ve had with co workers and the opportunities to bring them to church with me – how amazing is that?!  God did not design us to be worker bees left with no purpose other than busy work.  He designed us to change the workplace for his glory.  I have found that this type of thinking not only adds great value to my career but keeps me inspired to get up for work in the morning even when I don’t feel like it.

Solid Work-Life Balance

For me, this balance ranks much higher than my salary.  If a company offered me $100,000 but expected 80 hours a week, I would tell the company to take a hike.  If a similar company offered me $75,000 but expected me to only work 40 hours a week, I’d take the latter of the two.  Work-life balance is huge in my book.  When I feel pressured to budge on this issue, I think about extremely rich people on their death beds with no friends or family to comfort them as they pass.  Remember folks, money is a fleeting thing and will never bring happiness.  Only Christ can fulfill our hearts desire, so don’t get trapped into the lie that money is more important than or your relationships with family, friends, and the Lord.

As you can see, salary is only a sliver of the total value of my career.  It’s critical that we think of our jobs as a total package and not just numbers.  It causes us to value our job significantly more which helps us have a better time at work.

Take some time this week and brainstorm some things you value about your career.  I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!