Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace –
The New Diversity
Judith Neal, Ph.D.Director, Tyson Center for Faith and SpiritualityIn the WorkplaceSam M. Walton College of BusinessUniversity of Arkansas
Moment of Silence
Agenda
Overview of the relationship between faith, spirituality and religionTrends and statisticsPersonal reflection on what these mean for you and your workEEOC Guidelines on religion in the workplaceOrganizational examples Tyson Center
My Faith BackgroundRaised EpiscopalianExplored many Eastern and Western religious traditionsReturned to Episcopal church Interest in interfaith dialogueChurch of Nazarene spiritual directorFocused on faith and spirituality in the workplace since 1992
Guidelines for Discussion
Respect diversityListen for common groundHave an open mind and an open heartOther?
Exercise
Your definition:◦ Faith◦ Religion◦ Spirituality
Evolution of Management Thought
Classical – Taylor (early 20th century)Human Relations – Hawthorne (1930s)TQM (1970s-1980s)Conscious Capitalism◦ Ethics◦ Sustainability◦ Corporate social responsibility◦ Diversity◦ Stakeholder management
Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace
Love
From my faith perspective, the final puzzle piece is Love. Love for our neighbor. Love for our enemies. Love for our rivals. Love of justice. Love of service to others. Love of building the kingdom together. Love transforming us and those around us.
Through faith and spirituality being actively expressed in humility, service, and love for one another - the puzzle can be put in perspective and assembled in ways we never imagined.
Faith, Hope, and Love - but the greatest of these is love.
- Glenn Miller
Definitions – Webster
Summary ◦ Faith = Belief and trust in something greater
◦ Religion = Institutional system of beliefs and values
◦ Spirituality = Connection to God and each other
Interconnection
Religion
SpiritualityFaith
Religion is for those who are afraid of Hell…
Spirituality is for those who’ve been there!
Gallup Poll
48% of Americans have had the occasion to talk about faith and spirituality in the workplace in the past 24 hours 95% of Americans believe in God or a Universal Spirit51% of Americans say that modern life leaves them too busy to enjoy God or to pray as they would like.
Spiritual Audit of Corp. America
60% of those polled by Mitroff & Denton say they believe in the beneficial effects of spirituality in the workplace, so long as there is no promotion of traditional religion.
Contemplative Practices(Schaefer & Darling 1997)
80% - “Spiritual not religious”93% engage in contemplative practice at work50% engage in spiritual/contemplative organizational practices
Pew Research - 2009
U.S. has consistently been a highly religious nation.83% say they never doubt the existence of God78% agree that prayer is an important part of their lives
U.S. Religious Landscape Survey
Evangelical Protestant 26.3%Catholic 23.9%Mainline Protestant 18.1%Unaffiliated 16.1%Jewish 1.7%Buddhist . 7%Muslim .6%Hindu .4%
Also see USA Today 12/10/09
Spiritual Life of College Students
112,000 students surveyed at 236 colleges75% “searching for meaning/purpose in life” Nearly half say it is “essential” or “very important” for them to seek opportunities for spiritual growthHigh percentages reported that they had attended religious services during the past yearThey derived “strength, support, and guidance” from their spiritual or religious beliefsThey gained “spiritual strength by trusting in a Higher Power.”
University of Arkansas - Faculty
Religious Affiliation Percent in Sample*
Christian – Non‐Catholic 45%
None, Atheist, Agnostic 30%
Christian – Catholic 15%
Jewish 3%
Muslim <1%
Don’t Know, Inquiring, Reevaluating <1%
Other** 5%
*does not total to 100% due to rounding and missing information on some faculty**Other includes a number of affiliations (i.e., Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Unitarian Universalism, Native American, Pagan, Celtic, or New Age spiritualism) that were identified by some, but very small numbers of, respondents.
University of Arkansas - StaffReligious Affiliation Percent in Sample*
Christian, non‐Catholic 67%
None, Atheist, Agnostic 21%
Christian – Catholic 9%
Don’t Know, Inquiring, Reevaluating 3%
Muslim <1%
Jewish <1%
*does not total to 100% due to rounding and missing information on some faculty**Other includes a number of affiliations (i.e., Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Unitarian Universalism, Native American, Pagan, Celtic, or New Age spiritualism) that were identified by some, but very small numbers of, respondents.
University of Arkansas - StudentsReligious Affiliation Percent
Christian – Non‐Catholic 58
Christian – Catholic 13
None, Atheist, Agnostic 14
Don’t Know 3
Jewish <1
Muslim 2
Other* 10
*Other includes a number of affiliations (i.e., Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Unitarian Universalism, Native American, Pagan, Celtic, or New Age spiritualism) that were identified by some, but very small numbers of, respondents.
Two Streams Merge
Spiritual Lifeline Exercise
Depict in symbolic form critical turning points in your careerDepict in symbolic form critical turning points in your spiritual or faith journey
The New Diversity
Corporations uniquely suited for this conversation on faith and spirituality in the workplaceBaseline: EEOC◦ Accommodations◦ Avoiding harassment and discrimination
Possibility: Valuing diversity◦ Bringing the whole person to work◦ Values-driven
Fears and Concerns
“It will create conflict”“People will proselytize”“We’ll get sued”
EEO - Most Common Situations:
Request for a scheduling accommodation (breaks, change in schedule, change in work day, etc.)Employee clothing, jewelry, or other “outward appearance” issueObjects in or around an employee’s work areaRequirement (express or implied) for employees to participate in an employer sponsored activity.
Less Common Situation Nowadays
Hiring/promoting/termination:Can an employer legally make a hiring/promoting/termination decision based on the applicant’s religion (or lack thereof)?
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NONO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NONO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NONO NO NO NO ...*
*Unless it is the VERY RARE situation of a “Bona Fide Occupational Qualification”, such as a Catholic Church requiring the Priest to be of the Catholic faith.
Every situation is decided based on the unique, individual facts
To establish a prima facie case of failure to accommodate a religious belief or practice, an employee must show that: ◦ He/she has a bona fide religious belief or
practice that conflicts with an employment requirement;◦ He/she informed her employer of her belief
or practice; AND◦ He/she was disciplined for failing to comply
with the conflicting employment requirement.
Every situation is decided based on the unique, individual facts
Once an employee has established a prima facie case, an employer can avoid liability by showing:
◦ It has offered a reasonable accommodation; OR ◦ Accommodating the belief or practice would
impose an undue hardship.
Public EmployersAn employer who is a government entity, quasi-government entity, and/or receives taxpayer money has a special, additional consideration to be aware of:
THE FIRST AMENDMENT OFTHE U.S. CONSTITUTION
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Public Employers
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;...”Has been interpreted to mean that taxpayer funds cannot be used to promote any one religion over another. Taxpayer money cannot be used to “establish” one religion over another, nor to “suppress” one religion over another.
Business Case for Nurturing Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace
InspirationCreativityStress managementLoyaltyService
Organizational ExamplesWorkplace Chaplains◦ Tyson Foods
Hiring focused on values and fit◦ DaySpring
◦ Ouimet-Tomasso
◦ ConnerPartners
Training for personal as well as professional development◦ Eileen Fisher
◦ Memorial Hermann Hospital
Servant Leadership◦ Wal-Mart
◦ SafeFoods
McKinseyA telecommunications company with a 35% turnover rate saw a 65% decrease in 4 months.
Several clients saw 400% productivity increases twice the work in half the time, as executives developed a deeper sense of mission with an ecological and evolutionary perspective.
Jordan Difani
Tyson Center For Faith and Spirituality in the WorkplaceMission: To advance the state of research, practice, and education in the field of faith and spirituality in the workplace.
We learn best practices from exemplary organizations and disseminate this information to students, faculty, business, and the faith and spirituality community.
Our goal is to expand what is good, humane, and effective about leadership and organizations.
Tyson Center Outreach
Our Stakeholders:◦ Students◦ Faculty◦ Researchers◦ Business leaders◦ Entrepreneurs◦ Faith leaders◦ The environment Jordan Difani
Programs & Projects
Corporate trainingCertificate programResearch Speaker seriesWorkshopsWebsiteEdgewalker workshopsCreating Enlightened Organizations
Exercise
Describe one thing you can do differently in your workplace as a result of attending this Diversity Workshop
Jordan Difani
Questions?
