Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal

Spirituality at work: enhancing levels of employee engagement

Sangeetha Devendhiran, J. Reeves Wesley,
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Sangeetha Devendhiran, J. Reeves Wesley, (2017) "Spirituality at work: enhancing levels of employee engagement",
Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, Vol. 31 Issue: 5, pp.9-13, https://doi.org/10.1108/
DLO-08-2016-0070
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 Viewpoint
Spirituality at work: enhancing levels of
employee engagement
Sangeetha Devendhiran and J. Reeves Wesley

Introduction Sangeetha Devendhiran

is based at the VIT
It is reported that 85 per cent of executives have ranked employee engagement as a top University – Chennai
priority (Deloitte, 2016) and as such a pivotal issue, millions of dollars are spent on Campus, Chennai, India.
improving it. Many authors cite organizational factors (such as job satisfaction, work J. Reeves Wesley is
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environment, rewards, and recognition) as being connected to employee engagement. Professor at the VIT
However, one of the key determinants that has, as yet, had less attention is “spirituality” in Business School, VIT
University – Chennai
the organizational context. In this paper, we assert that spirituality at work will enhance
Campus, Chennai, India.
levels of employee engagement, and we offer insights on how to go about building your
levels of organizational spirituality.

Organizational spirituality
Workplace spirituality is not about promoting a particular ideological system but about
creating a culture that recognizes the employees’ spirit at work. Such recognition has
benefits for both the organization and the individual. Organizations experience improved
employee loyalty and retention, thereby reducing recruitment costs and increased
productivity, performance, profitability, and growth (Krishnakumar and Neck, 2002).
Individuals experience lower levels of job-related stress; improved morale; greater
creativity, and innovation; a higher quality of work life and greater team spirit (Daniel, 2015).
Where organizations have conducted programs to enhance spirituality, they have seen
improved employee satisfaction and commitment, reduced employee turnover and
absenteeism, and ultimately improved quality at relatively low cost (Kinjerski and Skrypnek,
2006).
Robbins et al. (2011) characterized a spiritual organization as one that focuses on its
purpose and objectives and has a culture of trust and openness. Employees are given
autonomy to make decisions without fear and are provided with the necessary resources to
help them discover their talents. Creativity is promoted and the organization assists all
employees to improve and develop their abilities. Within a comfortable work environment,
employees are encouraged to be themselves at work.
Employees who perceive themselves as spiritual look for a sense of meaning and
purpose in their work and seek alignment with their organization’s values and goals.
They pursue competence and mastery and have a sense of belief in themselves and
others. They are connected with their co-workers and look to be a part of the
community. Nowadays, employees are keen to search for meaningful work in the
organizational context, and fostering spirituality in the workplace will create a more
reliable individual. Spiritual organizations inculcate a deep sense of meaning and
purpose in the work, and the employees thereby feel committed and connected to the
organizational goals and values.

DOI 10.1108/DLO-08-2016-0070 VOL. 31 NO. 5 2017, pp. 9-13, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1477-7282 DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN ORGANIZATIONS PAGE 9
 Human beings are innately spiritual in nature. By tapping into their spiritual quotient, an
organization can help their employees feel more engaged at work. An engaged workforce
creates a positive work environment, generates higher productivity, loyalty and
performance and thus profits. In this way, a spiritual organization is essential as it drives the
employees’ spirit at work and creates an engaged workforce.

Employee engagement
Employee engagement is viewed as a roadmap for optimizing organizational success. It
has been claimed that disengaged employees create negative consequences for
organizations, while, on the other hand, engaged employees are drivers of organizational
growth and are committed to give their best to the organization.
Organizations treat engaged employees as a valuable asset as they:
 contribute to higher financial performance;
 help improve profitability;
 help increase productivity;
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 act like a brand ambassador – as they say positive things about the organization;
 are likely to stay longer with the organization; and
 create a competitive edge.

Spirituality and employee engagement

Gallup (2013) reported that US employees were in a state of active disengagement,
emotional disconnection, and exhaustion at work. A later report indicated that 71 per cent
of millennials who were not engaged were actively disengaged at work (Gallup, 2016). To
combat this, it is imperative to dial up levels of spirituality and reinvigorate engagement
within organizations. Among others, Saks (2011) has identified a link between workplace
spirituality and employee engagement in that spiritually driven employees feel:
 encouraged;
 recognized;
 inspired;
 supported;
 given opportunities; and
 valued.
From the above, we could propose that the relationship between spirituality and employee
engagement constitutes a perfect conceptualized framework that could be empirically
tested.

Where organizations have conducted programs to enhance

spirituality, they have seen improved employee satisfaction
and commitment, reduced employee turnover and
absenteeism, and ultimately improved quality at relatively low
cost.

PAGE 10 DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN ORGANIZATIONS VOL. 31 NO. 5 2017

 Theoretical framework
Milliman et al. (2003) determined workplace spirituality as a three-dimensional construct
that includes meaningful work, sense of community, and alignment with organizational
values. We present below a theoretical framework that depicts this definition of workplace
spirituality as a key determinant of employee engagement.
Meaningful work refers to an individual’s experience at work; the degree to which an
employee has a sense of fulfillment, joy, and purpose in their work. Contributing energy and
effort can ultimately lead an individual to seek broader meaning in life.
Sense of community encourages employees to maintain cordial relationships with
co-workers and be concerned about the well being of others. It pertains to the working
environment in which employees feel they are valued and supported.
Alignment with organizational values creates an affiliation between an individual’s values
and the organizational values. A well-aligned organization ensures that employees are
working on the right things and that each individual’s work is in line with the overall
organizational goals.
Figure 1 demonstrates the relationship between workplace spirituality and employee
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engagement.

Building spirit at work

Many organizations are working on developing spirituality at work including Google, where
employees are provided with a spiritual center and courses on spirituality to enhance
mental and physical fitness. Maruti Suzuki India, an automobile manufacturer, conducts
spirituality and mind enlightenment programs, and Apple has a separate space for
practicing meditation, encouraging employees to meditate for 30 min a day.
So, what strategies can organizations adopt to encourage the development of spirituality in
their employees? The following practical steps will help organizations establish spirit at
work:
 Provide a space (a spiritual exercise center) within the organization and encourage
employees to practice. This will help employees establish a clear and focused mind at
work and eventually lead to a more stress-free life.
 Instigate corporate based mindfulness training programs (CBMT): this will upskill
employees to mindfully deal with various situations like handling endless emails,
meetings, and deadline based work. This would also improve abilities to effectively
handle tough situations. It has the potential to transform both their personal and
professional life.

Figure 1 Theoretical framework

VOL. 31 NO. 5 2017 DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN ORGANIZATIONS PAGE 11

 A later report indicated that 71 per cent of millennials who
were not engaged were actively disengaged at work.

 Encourage autonomy through endorsing employees’ uniqueness, individuality, and

their ability at every possible opportunity. This will help employees to find meaning at
work.
 Implement feedback systems at work: empower employees to speak out, listen to
them, and recognize their valuable views and opinions.
 Instigate an employee assistance program to help employees recover from and find a
resolution for work-related and family-related conflict.
 Initiate corporate wellness training programs to enhance the health and fitness of
employees.
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 Advocate internal support groups where people can come together to address issues
of common interest, to exchange ideas and share personal experience that will create
a warm fellowship among members of the organization.
The aforementioned strategies have the potential to influence and develop individual
spirituality (shape employee’s sense of meaning, purpose, mission, value, beliefs), which in
turn will have a positive effect on employee engagement.

Conclusion
This article demonstrates organizational spirituality and its potential effect on employee
engagement. The conceptual framework shows that workplace spirituality is a
three-dimensional factor and includes meaning in work, sense of community and alignment
with organizational values, and influencing employee engagement. Further research needs
Keywords: to be undertaken to empirically test the conceptualized framework. Practical strategies are
Strategies, offered which, if implemented, will drive the development of organizational spirituality,
Employee engagement, capturing the spirit of the workforce. A spirit-led employee will develop higher levels of
Workplace spirituality engagement which, consequentially, will improve organizational outcomes.

References
Daniel, J. (2015), “Workplace spirituality and stress: evidence from Mexico and US”, Management
Research Review, Vol. 38 No. 1, pp. 29-43.

Deloitte (2016), “Global human capital trends 2016, the new organization: different by design”,
available at: www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/HumanCapital/gx-dup-
global-human-capital-trends-2016.pdf (accessed June 2016).

Gallup State of the American Workplace Report (2013), “Employee engagement insights for U.S
business leaders”, available at: http://employeeengagement.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/
Gallup-2013-State-of-the-American-Workplace-Report.pdf (accessed May 2016).

Gallup State of the American Workplace Report (2016), “Few millennials are engaged at work”,
available at: www.gallup.com/businessjournal/195209/few-millennials-engagedwork.aspx?g_source⫽
EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT&g_medium⫽topic&g_campaign⫽tiles

Kinjerski, V. and Skrypnek, B.J. (2006), “The promise of spirit at work”, Journal of Gerontological
Nursing”, Vol. 34 No. 34, pp. 17-25.

Krishnakumar, S. and Neck, C.P. (2002), “The “what”, “why” and “how” of spirituality in the workplace”,
Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 153-164.

PAGE 12 DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN ORGANIZATIONS VOL. 31 NO. 5 2017

 Milliman, J., Czaplewski, A.J. and Ferguson, J. (2003), “Workplace spirituality and employee work
attitudes: an exploratory empirical assessment”, Journal of Organizational Change Management,
Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 426-447.

Robbins, S., DeCenzo, D., Bhattacharyya, S. and Agarwal, M. (2011), Essentials of Management,
6th ed., Pearson, p. 138.

Saks, A.M. (2011), “Workplace spirituality and employee engagement”, Journal of Management
Spirituality and religion, Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 317-340.

Corresponding author
Sangeetha Devendhiran can be contacted at: d.sangeetha2014@vit.ac.in
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