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May 5, 2014 By Bob Waruszewski 7 Comments

Catholic in the Cubicle, Part 4: Setting up Your Work Space

The following post is part of a series on living the Catholic faith in the workplace.

The layout of a space matters. Just look at the time companies spend designing their headquarters. From cube farms to wide open areas, offices are designed to create a particular culture at a company. You too can create a specific culture focused on Christ within your work space. Since a typical office worker spends more time in the cube than in the pew, it is important to structure this area to bring us closer to God. While our cube may not look like a cathedral, we can set it up as a place to encounter God. Here are a few suggestions of making your cube more Catholic.

A Daily Prayer to a Saint on Your Work Desk

Right next to my computer I have a plaque to St. Joseph the Worker which contains a prayer to begin the work day. I start every work day by praying that prayer to St. Joseph, asking him to help me to work well for the Lord that day. This helps me stay grounded and mindful that my work should be an offering to God. When I get into a tough problem, the plaque reminds me to ask St. Joseph to help me through the situation. I have experienced great power through his intercession and highly recommend praying to him in time of distress.

Turn Your Desktop Background into an Encounter with Christ

Instead of using the generic background on your desktop, add in a picture of Jesus, Mary, a Saint, or your favorite story from the Bible. If you want to be creative, you could change the background each liturgical season to remind you of what feast the Church is currently celebrating. That way, every time you close your program and return to the desktop, you are instantly drawn closer to Christ, instead of yellow tulips, goldfish or whatever picture currently graces your desktop.

Sticky Notes on the Laptop

Placing a quote from a saint or a Bible verse on a laptop is another great reminder. It just takes one glance down from the computer screen to that note to allow God to speak to you. While you may not have five minutes at work to read a meditation, you can take five seconds to read a quote that draws you back to Christ.

HR Policy and Religious Items

One company I used to work for had a policy of no religious items on the desk or on the cube wall, though I could have them in my desk drawer. I was rather frustrated when I was told to take my crucifix down in the name of inclusion and diversity. However, I became creative in the ways that I displayed my faith in the cube. I placed a couple of push pins on the wall in the outline of a cross. I kept my desk drawer open a crack so that I could see the crucifix inside it. If HR restricts your expression of the faith, find some creative alternatives. The early Christians used symbols like the fish to show their faith, why can’t we?

The possibilities of customizing your work space to focus on God are endless. In this season of Easter joy, find one thing that will remind you of that joy to place in your work space.

Bob Waruszewski is a cradle Catholic from Pittsburgh, PA. He graduated from St. Vincent College with a bachelor’s degree in both mathematics and economics. Currently he works in the regulatory department for a natural gas distribution company in the Steel City and is enjoying life as a married man. In his free time, which will be cut dramatically when his wife gives birth in May, he enjoys playing sports, hiking and reading a good book. His favorite saint is St. Joseph.

April 15, 2014 By Guest Contributer 4 Comments

Catholic in the Cubicle, Part 3: Workplace Conflicts

The following is a guest post by Bob Waruszewski.

The workplace can be a harsh environment. Whether you work in fast food or the corporate office, all of us have experienced conflicts with our co-workers, bosses, or customers. Sometimes we go into conflicts guns blazing, determined to win the argument and save our reputation. Other times we let people walk over us, for fear of losing our jobs or a potential promotion. So, what’s the middle ground? How do we become “wise as serpents but innocent as doves” when dealing with conflict at work? Below are some guidelines to help you resolve conflicts.

1. Prayer

Conflict often catches us off guard; a phone call from an angry customer or a simple comment in a meeting may start an intense argument. To effectively deal with conflict, we need to have a strategy mapped out ahead of time, starting with prayer. Our first reaction to conflict should be to turn to God with a quick prayer. A simple prayer such as, Jesus help me, or mentally reciting a favorite Bible Verse is good. Invite the Lord into the situation and be mindful of His presence with you throughout the conflict. Before saying anything or yelling at the other person, ask for God’s help and remember that this adversity can be a way for you to grow closer to Him.

Key Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing

2. Listen to Their Side of the Story

After requesting God’s assistance, give the person a chance to speak. Too often, we plan our rebuttal to the person’s argument before even hearing them out. Before responding in an argument, actively listening to the other person. Validate what they say and then begin to think of your response. You don’t have to agree with what they said, just acknowledge that you have heard their side of the story.

Key Scripture: James 1:19 – You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger

3. Speak the Truth while Setting Good Boundaries

So you asked God for help and listened a bit to the other person, now it is time to respond. Speak the truth and offer a solution to the conflict. Often clashes take place at work because we do not communicate our expectations with co-workers. We can be bitter towards them if we do not set good boundaries and allow the same conflicts to happen repeatedly.

Frequently, in this politically correct society, we are afraid to speak the truth for fear of hurting feelings or we turn to emails and text messages to communicate difficult issues. However, to resolve conflict, it is best to engage with the other person face-to-face, or at least on the phone. Emails can often be misinterpreted and are not effective at solving problems.

For example, maybe the boss is frustrated with you because you have not finished that big project for him yet, but the deadline isn’t for another few days. Politely go up to him and explain that he needs to make his expectations clear to you, if he wants it done earlier, he needs to let you know.. This can help avoid conflicts in the future if he communicates key due dates, provided they are realistic.

Maybe you are frustrated with a co-worker who keeps asking you how to do a certain process even though you showed him how to do it many times. Next time he asks you for help, firmly explain to him that he needs to learn how to do the process on his own and cannot always rely on you for help. Give him the tools to succeed, but don’t enable him.

You may also face conflict when an angry customer calls or emails you to file a complaint against the company. If the company did something wrong, do what is in your power to make things right. However, if the customer is trying to bilk the company for money, do not comply with their request. Resist the temptation to bend over backwards and disregard company policy just to appease a dishonest customer and avoid conflict.

Key Passage – “To defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity.” – Caritas In Veritate I

These are but a few examples of conflicts that arise in the workforce and some tools to deal with them. They certainly are not a one-size fits all way of solving every problem that you face. However, for whatever trouble comes your way today, recall the words of St. Francis de Sales: “Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your world seems upset.”

Remember that all the trials you face today are passing things and just minor road bumps along the journey to our true home in heaven.

Have you ever had a workplace conflict? How did you resolve it?

March 26, 2014 By Sam Guzman 15 Comments

Catholic in the Cubicle, Part 2: Interacting with Co-Workers

The following is a guest post by Bob Waruszewski.

In my first post, I talked about three ways to be Catholic at the cubicle. As a follow up, let’s look at some ways to be a Catholic Gentleman when interacting with our co-workers.

1) Use Words to Build Up, Not to Tear Down – Most offices have a gathering place for complainers. Maybe it’s at the lunch table, that cubicle on the other side of the floor, or the water cooler. As you pass by these spaces, it is easy to get sucked into the negative conversation. Maybe it’s a cold rainy Monday and no one feels like working, or maybe you inbox is flooded with emails that all need to be answered by this afternoon.

Whatever the reason, many times we use the office as a place to grumble about the problems in our lives. Yet as Catholics, we know that Christ has a higher standard for us. We are called to use words in a constructive way. Think about the conversations that you have at work. Are you creating a positive environment or dragging people down into negativity with complaints?

Key Scripture Passage to Remember: Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you should respond to each one.”

2) Pray Before Lunch – A simple way to share your faith with co-workers is to pray before lunch, yet this basic practice can be intimidating to do. Often you may be the only person to pray before a meal. It may feel awkward to pray alone while everyone is starting lunch, but do it anyway. Prayer keeps us grounded in what really matters even in the busyness of our day-to-day activities. A simple sign of the cross and silent prayer before you eat lets your co-workers know that God is important to you. Remember that the sign of the cross is powerful and that God can pour graces into our lunchtime discussion through that simple prayer of thanks.

Key Takeaway: The Tradition of the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer. Some are daily, such as morning and evening prayer, grace before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours. (CCC 2698)

3) Ask the Holy Spirit for Teachable Moments to Share Your Faith – The thought of evangelizing at the office can be rather scary. Fears of offending others, losing one’s job, or standing out as the crazy Catholic can keep us from sharing our Faith. Yet there are simple ways we can share our Faith without coming across as pushy. The key is to be open to the Holy Spirit. Pray for the grace to speak the right words at the right moment to your co-workers. If you try to create moments for Faith-sharing, you can come across as fake and cheesy. Trust that the Lord will give you opportunities to share your faith if you follow his lead.

For example, if someone asks you what you did this past weekend, mention that you went to Mass. If the co-worker follows up with a further question about Mass, tell them more about your Faith. If not, don’t awkwardly try to bring the conversation back to the Catholic Faith. Let it go for the moment. You have planted a seed in their hearts. They now know that Catholicism is important to you. If they have more questions, they will come back and ask you later.

Key Scripture: Matthew 10:19-20 “do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

These are just a few more ways of ways to live out one’s faith at work. For further study of this subject, I highly recommend, The Catholic Briefcase by Randy Hain.

What are your experiences sharing your faith at work?

March 15, 2014 By Sam Guzman 19 Comments

How to be Catholic in the Cubicle

The following is a guest post by Bob Waruszewski. It is the first in a series on sanctifying our work.

A few weeks ago, I was reading an excerpt about how a man chose to serve as a missionary on a college campus following graduation. He said that he decided to become a missionary because he wanted to something meaningful with his life and not just push papers in an office. As an office worker his story struck a chord with me and I began to wonder, Can you only be holy if you work for the Church? Are those who work in an office destined to live a life of mediocrity without meaning?

Upon further reflection, I realized that the various saints show us that holiness is possible in every state of life, even at the office cubicle. Maybe one day we will even have a patron saint for office workers. Yet until an office worker is canonized, I have offered a few suggestions in living out your faith at work.

Schedule Brief Times for Prayer at Work – I like to start my day with a prayer to St. Joseph, patron saint of workers. This helps me focus for the day and reminds me that my work should bring me closer to Christ. Other ways to pray could include saying the Angelus, grace before lunch, spiritual reading during lunch or a prayer of thanksgiving at the end of the day. While an office worker is not a monk, and should not attempt to pray the whole Liturgy of the Hours during work, we should aside a few moments each day to communicate with God as we go about our work.

Offer Up the Annoyances of Cube Life for the Souls in Purgatory – Cube life has little privacy. The habits of our co-workers such as loud talking on the phone, barging into your cubicle without permission, or crinkling open a bag of chips can be rather annoying. However, whatever irritations you encounter, treat them as opportunities to grow in patience and offer them up to Christ for the souls in purgatory who are suffering much greater than any irritations at the office.

Contribute Financially to the Needs of the Church – If God has blessed you with a well-paying job, then one of the easiest ways to serve Him is to support the different ministries of the Church. Maybe you can’t do a year of service in Jamaica or work full-time at the soup kitchen because of your office job, but you can support full-time missionaries and religious of the Church. By financially supporting charities and religious, our work can take on a new dimension. Not only are we providing for our needs and those of our family, but also for the needs of the Church at home and abroad. Even if our work does not always appear to be meaningful, we can take solace in the fact that a part of our labor is sponsoring people serve the needs of Christ around the world.

These three ideas only scratch the surface of ways to grow closer to Christ through our work. As we approach Lent, consider new ways to become holy, especially at the office. Remember that in our work, “Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others” (Colossians 3:23)