Work Ethic, Work-Life Balance, and Catholic Social Teaching
by CAPP-USA
A strong work ethic is a Christian work ethic promoting the dignity of people.
What is Work Ethic?
A work ethic refers to a set of values and beliefs around the importance of hard work, dedication, responsibility, and commitment, both individually and in a team.
A strong work ethic is often associated with qualities like discipline, integrity, and a sense of accountability. Someone with a good work ethic takes pride in their work, consistently delivers quality results, and remains motivated even when facing challenges.
“[T]he Bible shows that work is one of the original conditions of the human being.” (Pope Benedict XVI) and a strong work ethic, in many ways, is directed by God since “We were created with a vocation to work.” (Pope Francis, 128)
We Really Were Born to Work
Our work ethic should be grounded in the fact that “the human person must indeed work”. (Pope Benedict XVI)
Why? Because “man expresses and fulfils himself by working“. (Pope St. John Paul II, 6) The “door” to our dignity “is work”. (Pope Francis)
And the nature of that work is not the basis for evaluating its value! “[T]he basis for determining the value of human work is not primarily the kind of work being done but the fact that the one who is doing it is a person.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 6)
“Labor…is not a mere commodity. On the contrary, the worker’s human dignity in it must be recognized.” (Pope Pius XI, 83)
How to Find a Work-Life Balance?
“Work-life balance” refers to the equilibrium between the time and energy we devote to professional responsibilities (work) and our personal life (family, leisure, health, hobbies, etc.).
Achieving a good work-life balance means effectively managing both areas without allowing one to dominate or negatively impact the other.
A healthy work-life balance helps prevent burnout, reduces stress, and promotes overall well-being. It involves setting boundaries, managing time efficiently, and ensuring that work commitments don’t overwhelm personal needs and vice versa.
One way Catholic social teaching approaches work-life balance is through the lens of workers’ rights. Pope Leo XIII listed these rights in the first modern social encyclical, Rerum Novarum:
- the right to a limitation of working hours.
- the right to form private and professional associations.
- the right to legitimate rest.
- the right of women and children to be treated differently with regard to type and duration of work.
- the right to a just wage.
- the right to freely discharge one’s religious duties.
Respect for these rights promotes a work-life balance that respects the dignity of the human person and the dignity of work.
Learn what makes work “decent”
The Christian Work Ethic is a Strong Work Ethic
“‘[B]y enduring the toil of work in union with Christ crucified for us, man in a way collaborates with the Son of God for the redemption of humanity’”. (Pope Francis, 98)
“In the work of man, the Christian finds a small part of the cross of Christ and accepts it in the spirit of redemption with which Christ accepted his cross for us.” (Pope St. John Paul II, 27)
Through work, man becomes a “cooperator with God in the work of creation”! (Pope St. John Paul II, 37)
The qualities many businesses and organizations prize; diligence, detail-oriented, humility, quality of work, respect, good communication, teamwork, etc. come from the Christian view of work and the worker.
The Bottom Line
“May the Christian who…unites work with prayer know the place his work holds not only in the earthly progress, but also in the development of the Kingdom of God”. (Pope St. John Paul II, 27)
