Members in Action
Witnessing in the Workplace
Dennis L. Vories
07/01/2018
I believe that we exist primarily to be in creative service to others while sharing the good news of our Creator. At Technidea Corporation, we have established many creative policies that will likely be of interest to other Adventist employers who wish to foster a healthier and happier workforce, while offering awareness of a greater purpose in life to each employee.
For nearly two decades, we have been building and marketing globally the ZIPLEVEL High Precision Altimeter, which replaces rotary lasers for faster, easier construction leveling and elevation measurements. During the interview process, prospective employees quickly learn that we are an Adventist-owned company when we explain that we close at 4 p.m. on Fridays to begin celebration of the biblical Seventh-day Sabbath.
All employees have access to a voluntary Wellness Program which offers a variety of creative incentives and benefits:
Employees are paid $4 for walking briskly outdoors for 15 minutes immediately after eating lunch. This reduces the risk of diabetes and other health risks while providing greater alertness during the afternoon hours.
Hundreds of dollars in bonuses are paid for participating in running, cycling, or swimming events.
We provide an annual open-book health exam taken from Dr. Nedley’s book, Proof Positive, and Dr. Timothy Arnott’s book, 24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health. An A grade earns a $300 bonus, a B earns $200, a C earns $100, etc. Nearly everyone scores an A or B on the exam and becomes exposed to considerable healthy lifestyle information while searching for answers to complete the exam.
We pay up to $50 for attending health lectures that are frequently presented at one of our local Adventist churches.
We pay half the cost of maintaining a gym membership.
Smokers are paid a bonus to quit. When asked if they are interested in quitting, the answer has always been “yes.” We then ask how soon they believe they can quit. We offer a $500 bonus if they quit by that date. So far, everyone has accepted the offer and successfully quit and stayed smoke free. Part of the incentive is the understanding that the bonus must be paid back if the individual resumes smoking. We maintain a Wellness Library containing a wide variety of books, usually by Adventist authors, covering health, vegetarian cooking, and other related topics. Several examples include: Say Goodbye to Diabetes, Naturally Gourmet, Happiness for Life, NOAH, and Hacksaw Ridge.
Unless an employee initiates a conversation about their religion, the law generally prevents us from asking questions. However, there are many times when we can talk about our beliefs in response to leading questions in the proper context. There are often opportunities for these discussions, such as when we are developing warranty policies that far exceed our legal obligations but that have a moral basis.
We often visit our component vendors, distributors, and service centers around the world. When the time is right, we are able to share our beliefs and in some cases, international distributors have attended church with us.
One of the best ways to represent Christ with everyone we encounter, is to treat others as we would wish to be treated and always operate according to sound Christian morals, even when we could legally do otherwise.
We understand that God does not need us to spread the Good News, but we are honored that He has allowed us the opportunity and blessing to do our small part.
