Sonlight on the inside

I pray that Sonlight as a company never settles for the status quo. For one, we strive to be an excellent place to work. We also aim to do business in an upright manner with all our vendors, contractors and customers. That's why we wrote about the lemonade stand dilemma and our stewardship practices.

What I see when I enter the Sonlight building – a reminder of who is in charge and whom I serve.

When it comes to how we treat employees and how we view work, we believe:

1. People matter. That seems obvious, right? But I'm not convinced every company actually believes this. Our conviction comes from our Christian belief that people are created by God and have inherent value and significance. In other words, our employees are important. This is why we seek to provide a comfortable workplace. When we built our building, we put in many windows for natural lighting. We put mats in the warehouse so our employees don't get backaches. We expect our managers to treat employees with respect and dignity. We strive to listen and will implement good suggestions, no matter who offers them.
2. A worker is worthy of his hire. Some homeschool companies ask their employees to work as a ministry, for very little pay. But we believe that it is a Scriptural principle to pay a worker his or her due. And so we pay our employees very competitively. We provide profit sharing, give bonuses when deserved, and generally seek to take care of our hard-working employees.
3. Our money is not our own. Sonlight's money is not ours to use however we wish. Instead, we are stewards and caretakers of it. Every time I meet with our CFO to discuss money matters, I pray that we would be as careful as we can be with the money and resources entrusted to us. Our significant financial support of Christian missions is just one aspect of this stewardship.
4. Work is not a four-letter word. Adam and Eve worked in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. I believe that one day we are going to work in heaven. I believe work is a good thing, but that it's not always easy because of the Fall. Work can be challenging, stressful and hard. But since it's something we were created to do, we find inherent satisfaction in a job well done.
5. Balance in life is important. Work is surely important, but it is not the only important thing. I base that on the fact that the Bible says there are six days we should work and the seventh we should rest. We discourage employees from putting in many extra hours. We want them to go home at the end of the week and enjoy their families. I often ask employees when their next vacation is, and encourage them to take a break.
6. Work hard. God sees what I do, and I want to make sure I work as carefully and as well as I can. I pray the same is true for all our employees.

How do you feel about work? Even though homeschooling doesn't earn a paycheck, please know that your hard work will pay dividends for years to come.

In the end, everything we do here at Sonlight is for the sake of serving God and helping you. I count it a privilege to come alongside you as you go about the business of raising and educating your children.

Blessings,
Sarita