Article
Workplace Spirituality and
Employee Well-being: An
Empirical Exploration
Naval Garg
1
Abstract
The popularity of concept of spirituality is increasing exponentially in the field of human resource
management. Both academicians and practitioners are looking at spirituality to solve modern day human
resource challenges. Spirituality at work is about search for meaning or higher purpose, connectedness
and transcendence. The present research article addresses conceptual and empirical gap using the
concept of workplace spirituality and empirically examines relationship between workplace spirituality
and employee commitment, job satisfaction and work–life balance satisfaction. The article successfully
augments literature by suggesting one more dimension (Karma Capital) of Indian spiritual values. This
is one of the pioneer studies that used necessary condition analysis (NCA) to explore workplace
spirituality. Workplace spirituality was reported as a necessary determinant of employee commitment,
job satisfaction and work–life balance satisfaction. Relationship between these variables is further
investigated through correlation matrix and regression analysis.
Keywords
Workplace-spirituality, well-being, necessary condition, karma capital, authenticity
Introduction
Workplace spirituality is an emerging area of interest among management scholars and practitioners.
This resulted in a quest for more rational and logical investigation into workplace spirituality, its construct
and its impact on employees and organizations. In its initial years, empirical research works on workplace
spirituality faced serious challenges of clarity about constructs of spirituality. While the dimensions of
workplace spirituality are being clarified, the concept can be visualized through one of its foremost
elements, that is, impact of workplace spirituality on well-being of employees. Organizations have
witnessed significant transformations in the organizational climate and culture in recent years (Driver,
2005). Technological and structural changes, increasing call for excessive optimization leading to
downsizing and layoffs and extreme specialization and division of labour create an atmosphere in which
Journal of Human Values
23(2) 1–19
© 2017 Management Centre
for Human Values
SAGE Publications
sagepub.in/home.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0971685816689741
http://jhv.sagepub.com
1
Administrative Officer, Oriental Insurance Company Limited, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Corresponding author:
Naval Garg, Jagadhari, Yamunanagar, Haryana, India
E-mail: naval.garg785@gmail.com