Why workplace spirituality is the key to organisational flourishing

In today's fast-changing organisational environment, new ways are being sought to boost employee motivation, self-efficacy and performance. Similarly, given the high emotional strain and the high risk of burnout that go hand in hand with working under increased stress, thought is also being given to how to encourage employees' emotional resilience and build stress management skills.

Since 2000, a promising new trend has attracted the interest of both organisational leaders and researchers in psychological science around the world, the integration of which into corporate culture can help to significantly reduce much of the emotional complexity that people in organisational settings face on a daily basis.

The growing importance of the spirituality of work

The new psychological approach, defined under the title spirituality of work (workplace spirituality), was only offered as a niche idea in 2000. However, with the explosion of public interest in the spirituality dimension, workplace spirituality is now recognised as a vital element that can contribute both to a positive working environment in the organisation as a whole and to the individual well-being of each employee at work.

At its core, the spirituality of work is "recognition that employees of organisations have an inner life that thrives and flourishes through meaningful work done in the community" (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000).

The spirituality at work approach aims to create an environment where employees find meaning and personal purpose in their work. This is done by offering methods and techniques through which employees develop a conscious connection to:

• your inner world - your soul, its vocation;
• a higher, protective, intangible force that is important to you - a conscious relationship with it;
• your colleagues as a community;
• a higher mission for the organisation in the world, in which everyone has a role to play.

Through the tools of work spirituality, each person in the organisation is supported in acquiring and consolidating an inner sense that he or she has a place in this world, and that this place can be realised through the work of the organisation. As a result of the spirituality of work, the person gains a deep, personal connection to his or her work.

Spirituality at work as a support for meeting the challenges of today's work environment

As the world becomes more complex - both due to digitalisation and geopolitical events - the environment of organisations and the needs of their employees are changing. Each year brings new challenges that spirituality at work can help to address. Here are three examples:

• Preventing burnout risks - In a fast-paced business environment, emotional detachment (doing business because it's work) is widespread. Unfortunately, the long-term consequences of this approach to work are often burnout and procrastination. Traditional management models, which focus mainly on rationality, control methods and incentive systems that offer only external validation or momentary gratification, often fail to address the emotional and spiritual needs of employees. The spirituality at work approach offers a refreshing alternative - focusing on integrating employees' personal goals and self-fulfilment into the work environment and building a sense of community.
  
• Reducing labour turnover - entering the labour market For Generation Z, every organisation is confronted with the need to meet a different type of expectation. Retaining and engaging this generation tends to be challenging, as they are characterised by lower loyalty to their employers. In addition, unlike previous generations, this generation seeks not only financial security in the workplace, but also the opportunity to be authentic and have a sense of meaning in their professional lives. A spirituality at work approach can bridge this gap by creating an environment where employees feel valued, act internally in line with the organisation's mission and are therefore interested in staying with the organisation for the long term.
  
• Justifying post-pandemic expectations - The Covid-19 pandemic dramatically transformed employer-employee relations. In 2021, data show that 25% workers considered leaving their jobs or changing careers. In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on the need for organisations to prioritise employee mental health, well-being and the importance of meaningful work. By promoting workplace spirituality in the organisation, managers can address these needs and at the same time bring stability to their work teams.
  

The benefits of working spirituality

Research in psychological science to date has shown that introducing workplace spirituality can have positive results for the organisation as a whole and for each employee personally.

Benefits for the organisation:

• Improved employee well-being (well-being) - employees feel more positive about their daily tasks.
• Improved organisational performance, performance.
• Higher team cohesion.
• Increased employee loyalty to the organisation.
• Encouraging innovation
• A more ethical and respectful working environment, etc.      

Benefits for employees at individual level:

• Higher commitment - employees are more willing to take responsibility.
• Higher job satisfaction.
• A higher sense of meaning in work.
• A greater sense of belonging to a community.
• Higher self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation.
• Higher creativity, etc.

What spirituality at work is not - overcoming misconceptions

It is important to note that addressing the topic of the spirituality of work often involves peeling back the initial misconceptions, associations and interpretations about it. For example, some might see 'workplace spirituality' as synonymous with religion or fear that its introduction would mean imposing certain beliefs on the people working in the organisation. However, workplace spirituality is not about promoting religious doctrines. The aim of workplace spirituality is to emphasise and promote the presence of universal human values in the organisation, such as compassion, respect, depth, interconnectedness, the desire to give, to create and others. Similarly, the use of workplace spirituality does not change or affect each person's individual spiritual worldview and beliefs - it merely brings them to the fore and connects them to their work. Moreover, it is done in a sensitive way that is appropriate to the professional environment and does not require the individual to share his/her spiritual beliefs publicly with colleagues (unless he/she wishes to do so).

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Sources:

Ashmos, D. P., & Duchon, D. (2000). Spirituality at Work: A Conceptualization and Measure. Journal of Management Inquiry, 9(2), 134-145. https://doi.org/10.1177/105649260092008

Sujla, D. & Sarbjit Singh, B. (2024). A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 21 (1), 83-128. https://doi.org/10.51327/CQER6430