Finding a fit for spirituality at the office

When experts talk about leadership on issues concerning spirituality in the workplace, the conversation often begins with Dr. David Miller, the executive director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture.

That center has made faith and work a cornerstone of its efforts to “connect the good ideas of the theological academy with issues of real life,” Miller told me in a telephone interview. He said the center is trying to build a bridge between business and church by “elevating the language on work and faith for both professionals and the laity.”

According to Miller, people feel a greater urge these days to integrate their faith life with their work life. He says while people are drawn to the faith-and-work movements for different reasons, many people are increasingly finding dissonance between their closely held faith-based values and the scandal-ridden corporate environment.

Miller says for many years the workplace spirituality movement has been under the radar, but now it is on the radar and gaining a lot of steam. “Yale’s involvement in an issue like this says volumes about its prominence,” Miller said. “There are an increasing number of books on the subject and a column like yours is a manifestation of the phenomenon.”

Some of the work being done on the subject is academic and other work is more popular in its focus. Miller says he could “probably speak at a conference a week” on subjects related to work and spirituality. He cites large membership organizations, small work/faith study groups and prayer groups which grow out of the workplace as examples of ways the phenomenon is playing out in the public square and in workplaces.

I am increasingly finding more organizations interested in values and work, and they often start modestly. I recently did some speaking for an organization called the Oklahoma Ethics Consortium. A group of concerned business leaders, worried about the state of ethics and values, began a small study group that has grown into a three-chapter organization with considerable involvement with Oklahoma universities.

Miller’s center has been a key mover behind the national chaplaincy movement I wrote about several weeks ago and again last week. Miller says, “Workplace chaplaincy is an important manifestation of the work and faith movement.” He adds, “It is not the right fit for every workplace and it is not a silver bullet, but when implemented correctly in the right places we are seeing extraordinary outcomes.”

I asked Miller the question I face often and find so difficult to explain: Is faith in the workplace just a disguise for advancing Christianity in the workplace?” Miller says it is a good question, “but the question is a red herring; it presupposes a narrow understanding of living out one’s faith at work. The movement is largely about advancing ethical practices and treating people well rather than promoting a certain religious doctrine.”

Miller insists we make the issue more complicated than it needs to be. “We can allow someone at work to be authentically Jewish or authentically Christian without allowing anyone to get a de facto edge to facilitate advancement.” He says a good proprietor must encourage faith-filled approaches to work without showing prejudice or suppression.

I agree with Miller. In the early days many practitioners called their efforts “spirituality in the workplace,” but they were really interested in proselytizing Christianity. I see far less of that now. Most proprietors I encounter who are interested in ethics, values and spirituality understand allowing each individual to pursue their own path to finding something greater in work is crucial. Most are coming to understand they can help some employees find greater faith in meaning at work, while others find no merit in spirituality.

Tolerance for nonbelievers has become an essential part of spirituality in the workplace.

Tip for your search: Understanding there are different answers for different people may be the essence of maturity. Everybody needs to find a different way to manage his or her work journey. Give others wide latitude and expect it in return.

Resource: “Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation” by Parker J. Palmer (Jossey-Bass, 2000)