Workplace Spirituality: An Employer-Employee Perspective

A paradigm shift in the culture of the organization is seen all around the globe. Most of the organizations are hit by downsizing, reengineering, layoffs, competition and structural changes. The Hire & Fire policy of the private players is a new mantra that is unfurling in the industry resulting in a workforce that seeks something beyond the 9 to 5 work environment. Monetary incentives no longer attract the employees, they look for something beyond the pay checks. Workplace spirituality is the contemporary issue that is emerging in modern world organizations. Organizations are nurturing spiritual practices into their culture that is resulting in a committed workforce finding meaning in their work. The present paper outlines the concept of spirituality in the workplace and the growing interest of scholars, employees and organizations in this field. It helps understand the effects of spirituality in organization from the perspectives of employer and employee. At the employer level, workplace spirituality holds out potential to improve organization earning, performance& commitment. At the employee level, it gives employees a sense of identity, gives them capacity to care and tolerate and nurtures innovation and creativity. This paper also looks at how some companies in India are incorporating spirituality in the workplace.