Religion in a Changing Workplace

Introduction

Employees are increasingly embracing the notion of "bringing their whole selves to work," and many employers are encouraging them. Those whole selves often include religious identities, however, and that can make things complicated. Employers can be uncertain about how to respond to workers' religious identities and afraid that such expression will lead to conflict.

Research and Findings

Elaine Howard Ecklund, Denise Daniels, and Christopher P. Scheitle have conducted more than 15,000 surveys and 300 in-depth interviews on the subject of faith at work in the US. In this thoughtful exploration of religious identities in the workplace—the culmination of five years of research—the authors make the case for inclusion and argue that employers should accommodate religious self-expression at work.

Approach and Insights

Their data-driven but accessible approach uses up-to-date research to show how a wide range of workers understand their work vis-a-vis their faith, and how religious identities overlap with—and may be key to fostering—other kinds of diversity. By looking at how workers from a variety of religious traditions and social groups are bringing their faith into the workplace, the authors identify why and how organizations can foster a diversity of religious beliefs and expressions in the workplace.

Implications

This book will help organizational leaders, workers, and scholars understand both the challenges and benefits of the integration of faith at work and to respond thoughtfully and respectfully to the presence of religion in the workplace.