A Biblical perspective on Employer-Employee Relations

 Read Genesis 30. 

The competitiveness between the two wives continued as they used their children to gain Jacob's attention and love. 

Meanwhile, Jacob has faithfully served the deceitful Laban all these years.  Verse 27 provides a wonderful statement every faithful employee wants to hear from his employer: "...the LORD has blessed me because of you."  Jacob's response in verse 30 showed his desire to provide for his own family, not just Laban. 

So, the two made a business decision enabling Jacob to launch out on his own.  Laban surely thought he would get the better of the deal.  But Jacob had been running the business for over 14 years and knew what he was doing.  As a result, the LORD prospered him greatly with large flocks of all kinds. 

Jacob's behavior thus far toward Laban exemplifies the admonition of Paul in Ephesians 6:5-9.  Though the opening word is "slave", it is rightfully referring to any employed worker and the attitude of a Christ-follower toward the employer.  "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eyeservice, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free." 

Then in the next verse, to employers, Paul wrote: "Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven and that there is no partiality with him."  Unfortunately, Laban was a greedy, selfish man and will end up losing the best employee he ever had.