Spiritual wellbeing in the workplace

However, spiritual wellbeing is incredibly important to your overall wellbeing and, chances are, you have naturally engaged in thinking about your spirituality more than you think. Not only this, but more people are finding fulfilment in their jobs by implementing spiritual techniques in the workplace.

What is spiritual wellbeing?

Spiritual wellbeing is often misconstrued for being specifically related to religious and/or spiritual practices. The actual definition is: “the human need for meaning, purpose and connection to something greater than ourselves”.

While this aspect of our wellbeing can be met through the practice of religious faith, you can be spiritual without attending (or believing in) a religious institution. It is actually much broader, and it can incorporate our connection to culture and community. These relationships help form the beliefs, values, mental models and ethics we hold.

A strong sense of spirituality can be empowering and help us realise we are not defined by our circumstances. For example, how often have you been going through a stressful time and caught yourself wondering: “why this is happening to me?” It’s the answers we find in these moments that contribute to our overall spiritual wellbeing. The clearer these revelations are, and the more we understand them, the more resilient you will be when going through tough times in the future.

This makes spiritual wellbeing not only the most personal aspect of our overall wellbeing, but also one of the most important. A strong sense of spirituality can inspire a host of benefits, including:

• Feeling content with life
• Maintaining balance and control
• Being better equipped to build positive relationships
• Feeling purpose and meaning in life
• Being able to better deal with challenges and negative external events

Spirituality in the workplace — what does it mean?

It’s important to remember that religion relates closer to beliefs and rituals, while spirituality is more personal. The frequent conflation of the two can lead organisations to overlook the importance of spirituality in the workplace. This is especially true given their need to not impose religious beliefs onto their workforce.

It is difficult to define the term “workplace spirituality” precisely as it means different things to different people. As a result, studies into the practice have presented varying definitions, but one published in the Journal of Business Ethics perhaps best explains it. Authors Robert Giacalone and Carole Jurkiewicz define workplace spirituality as: “a framework of organisational values evidenced in the culture that promote employees’ experience of transcendence through the work process, facilitating their sense of being connected to others in a way that provides feelings of completeness and joy.”

In short, spirituality in the workplace is as simple as having a sense of connection between our own ‘self’ and the workplace. It is about finding meaning, value, and motivation in one’s work beyond salary and performance. It is about people finding a sense of oneness and togetherness in an organisation as a whole.

The importance of spirituality in the workplace

Working in an environment that supports the employees’ right to openly express their beliefs helps them achieve better working relationships, feel safer and become more engaged in their work — and that’s not all. It can:

• Improve overall wellbeing
• Increase employee productivity
• Reduce absenteeism
• Increase job satisfaction
• Increase employee morale
• Reduce employee stress and burnout

These individual-level changes have a positive impact at the organisational level. Along with reduced employee turnover rates, businesses can make a greater contribution to society and raise the consciousness of the organisation.

How spirituality can be nurtured in the workplace

Creating a spiritual workplace cannot happen overnight. Leaders and organisations need to play a key role in fostering spirituality at work over a period of time. There are numerous ways to establish and nourish spirituality in your workplace, including by:

1. Defining a clear mission
   Organisations need to set a clear purpose on how the company will serve its clients with its products and/or services. Ultimately, the goal is to create a purpose that is beneficial for society as a whole, not just individuals.
2. Communicating goals
   It’s imperative that all employees and managers are made aware of the company’s purpose and ethos.
3. Hiring the right people  
   Instead of just hiring people on based on their CV, recruit people who understand, and who can implement, the company’s ethos.
4. Promoting an inclusive environment  
   Create an environment of inclusion and diversity and encourage employees to celebrate these qualities.
5. Limiting fear and fostering trust
   If employees are afraid of making mistakes, they will never be able to learn from them. It’s important that people feel trusted to their job — even if they make a mistake.
6. Encouraging mindfulness activities
   Activities like meditation and yoga can help people become more self-aware, reduce stress, and improve overall wellbeing. Set aside an onsite meditation room, or offer deals for employees to take up yoga at a nearby studio.
7. Organising development seminars
   Along with skills-based training encourage personality development seminars for employees. This can help them manage their social, personal and professional lives better. It will also help them deal with negativity and stress.
8. Getting to know individuals  
   An employer getting to know individuals will demonstrate your concern for them and their beliefs. This can help the employee build a sense of purpose and connection with the organisation, improving their morale and productivity in the process.
9. Encouraging time away from work  
   Actively encourage employees to spend time away from work to help them focus on their families, personal lives or health. This not only demonstrates that the company cares about the wellbeing of their workers, but it will also help foster happiness, contentment and peace of mind in the workplace.

Activity promoting spirituality in the workplace can help individuals find meaning and fulfilment in their jobs and in their lives. Meanwhile, spiritual employees give back in the form of better performance and productivity. But they also help create better places to work and help companies make the world a better place in general.