To paraphrase Giacalone et al, “Workplace spirituality is a framework.. that promotes employees’ experience of transcendence through the work process, facilitating their sense of.. connected to others in a way that provides feelings of completeness and joy.”
In short, spirituality makes us feel like our work has meaning, both to ourselves and others. It gives us the morality we use in our business decisions and is just as important in modern business as ever.
How far a business is willing to go
The discussion of where spirituality fits in the workplace isn’t new. The most commonly accepted idea is that spirituality gives us our regulative ideals. What we believe informs what we consider normalcy, and during our work or business decisions, we internalize that normalcy. We then pursue the course of action that meets what our spirituality tells us is good or best, shaping our overall sense of business morality. Thus, it also affects the success of our business.
Spirituality can encourage employees to be healthier
Spirituality in business has a practical health benefit. One study asked a group of citizens, some of whom were spiritual and some of whom were not, to report on their health to the researchers. Those who were more spiritual were more likely to step forward and admit their poor health habits, likely due to a belief that they shouldn’t be dishonest. The researchers also noted that the spiritual citizens who were honest were less likely to be sick over the study’s length. For overall health, it is important to find tools or methods to increase self-reflection such as meditation or tarot readings and have time to do them on a regular basis.
Spirituality encourages cooperation in business so all benefit
Spirituality is different from religion, as it refers more to a belief that there is more to life than the self or the material, whereas religion attempts to give the exact form to this belief. To that end, a cynical view of spirituality is that it is similar to the instinct that tells us to help each other for the good of the collective species. Regardless of its interpretation, spirituality can push employers or employees to focus on the overall health of the company, rather than their own short-term gains.
Spirituality is a driving force in modern business. It encourages you to place the business, your fellow employees, or others above short-term gains even if you may not benefit from it personally. It informs the morality of workers, lowering the chance they will cheat each other or act selfishly. And it helps inform what workers are or are not willing to do, which can shape what opportunities a business pursues, and decides whether your business is portrayed positively or poorly.
