Do Faith Friendly Workplaces Increase Well-Being?

Abstract

Many will draw distinctions between finding your purpose and tapping into spirituality. And many more are quick to point out that they are spiritual but not religious. This predictable definitional dynamic makes me doubtful that adoption of purpose finding strategies will be the gateway to unlocking the ambivalence and stigma related to sharing one’s faith in company settings. Drawing from tenets that drive social epidemics, wellness professionals and faith leaders travel in ‘closed circles’ and it will take ‘connectors’ with ties in both circles to spread the idea that workplace wellness and faith traditions can have positive synergies. Healthy People 2030 defines health and well-being as “how people think, feel, and function—at a personal and social level—and how they evaluate their lives as a whole.” This editorial describes components of faith friendly organizations and argues that employee resource groups and trends in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives could be a catalyst for greater openness to including people’s faith traditions as a part of bringing their whole selves to work.