Yearning for a More Spiritual Workplace Dr. Joan Marques, Woodbury University, CA ABSTRACT Spirituality in the workplace is a term, which, for some, has merely meant yet a new buzzword in the business environment, but which is fortunately for an increasing number of business executives and workers at various levels, emerging into a serious trend that can no longer be pushed aside with an annoyed shrug, or rejected with the cry that it is just another disguise for bringing religious practices into work environments. This paper reviews 3 main insights that have arisen since the topic of spirituality in the workplace has become such an extensively discussed one, and subsequently elaborates on some major advantages of applying this mindset versus some major disadvantages of refraining from doing so. The paper finally examines one of the main reasons for today’s corporate workplaces to remain unspiritual. INTRODUCTION 'Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being.' Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) Spirituality in the workplace is a term, which, for some, has merely meant yet a new buzzword in the business environment, but which is fortunately for an increasing number of business executives and workers at various levels, emerging into a serious trend that can no longer be pushed aside with an annoyed shrug, or rejected with the cry that it is just another disguise for bringing religious practices into work environments. The multiple publications and presentations on this topic have, by now, educated the reader’s world enough about the difference between spirituality and religion, and at the same time, have brought about some significant realizations within the minds of members of Corporate America. Three Main Insights The first and least complicated insight that the American workforce has picked up on is the acknowledgement that something is wrong with the majority of our work environments: more and more people want to feel comfortable and important in their workplace, and don’t want to be considered yet another name tag with yet another set of functions to fulfill. Workers want to be recognized for who they are: people, with families, ups and downs, skills and talents, and diverging - and oftentimes very useful - perspectives on matters. The second and slightly more comprehensive realization is that the implementation of spirituality in the workplace is not happening as smoothly and rapidly as may have initially been expected. This unfortunate setback has a number of important reasons of obstinate nature at the core: Cultural values and social trends that have been in place for almost a century, and that are therefore very hard to correct. The individualistic mindset of the average U.S. corporate worker and its encouragement from childhood on immediately come to mind. While spirituality in the workplace calls for an interconnected approach and an enhanced level of trust among workers at various levels, the bare-boned reality is, that we learn not to trust anyone but ourselves; definitely in the workplace where, as we learn, “everyone may be out for your position.” The third realization, although more subtle in nature, may be the hardest to overcome on our way toward comprehensive implementation of spirituality in the workplace: It pertains to the human tendency to surround ourselves with similar looking and -reasoning associates, because this guarantees faster decision-making, less time investment in learning about each others’ perspectives, and a higher level of reflectivity. In other words, the human inclination toward homogeneity as opposed to diversity. There has been much upheaval with regards to the implementation of this phenomenon, which can now consequentially be traced as a particular point of attention on practically all contemporary corporate websites. Unfortunately, the comfort zone of remaining surrounded by kindred individuals, predominantly based on backgrounds and looks rather than on mindsets, has turned out to be a more persistent and insurmountable one than one could initially estimate. Yearning for a More Spiritual Workplace Reviewing the trends since the 40s and 50s, running from company picnics, anti-smoking programs, and on-site yoga sessions, Raizel (2003) asserts that, in contemporary times, "People have made the link between mental health and productivity and absenteeism--and the whole notion that people who are happy at home and happy at work are more productive in the workplace" (p. n/a). However, it is also Raizel’s (2003) opinion that “the well- The Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge * Vol. 7 * Num. 1 * September 2005 14 9