Bringing spirituality into the ‘workplace’ is an act of love…a commitment to your employees that you see them. That they are more than just the work they do for you. It doesn’t have to be over the top, it can be a subtle message of support that shows up when they need it most. It can be a message that reflects the company core values, not through words, but through actions. It needs to be more than something that is simply written down on paper, in the employee handbook and training or hanging on the wall.
The world we are living in today is rapidly changing, crying out for more. More compassion. More connection. More being seen. More being heard. More BEING.
Just as our kids go to school for more hours during the day than they spend at home, the corporate work force spends more, FAR MORE, hours working than with their families…notice I didn’t say ‘than at home’ – because as we know it right now, the hybrid work force is ‘at home’ – but how is that diluting the idea of ‘home’. How is the sacred nature of ‘coming home’ from a long day at work changing – or really, how has it already changed. Where is the let-down of a tough day when all you have to do is walk upstairs, downstairs or into the next room to ‘be done with work for the day’. For those of us that have worked from home most of our career, it may be slightly easier to disconnect, having been given the gift of time to develop that muscle of working from home. It is a well-crafted skill. But for most of the workforce that was forced into ‘working from home’ because of our global pandemic, the gift of time to adjust was not theirs – especially if they had kids in school when ‘the world went home’.
So how does the workplace, the employer, need to shift in order to meet the demands of families today. It isn’t just the employee who is working for the company anymore. It is the entire family – the kids that hear the calls, feel the tension, see the stress on their parents faces, are left to fend for themselves while mom or dad take ‘just one more call’ or answer ‘just one more email or message’. They are left to decipher the emotion that is coming through in those moments…is it safe to ask a question right now or not is behind that look on a child’s face.
Now MORE THAN EVER, employers need to lead with love if they want to create a conscious culture, a compassionate workplace, loyal employees who feel heard, seen, cared for, connected. It is scientifically proven that this will lead to increased effectiveness & productivity, improved communications and deeper loyalty when times get tough.
So how do you do that?
You care about their children, their extended families and their aging parents. You care about their needs that expand outside of the workplace by providing comprehensive programs that are easy to access, easy to navigate & easy to build upon. You care about their sustained well-being, not just the moment in time within which they hear the words you've gathered around the program you have ‘available’.
You lead by example. As cited in the President's Column, September 2003, Dr. Wong, PhD C. Psych, President of the International Network on Personal Meaning, Coquitlam, B.C., Canada, states that "to be effective, spirituality needs to be integrated into the corporate culture and reflected in organizational policies and practices on a daily basis. This can be done only when senior management and the governing board embrace it as part of their vision. The full benefits of spirituality on morale and productivity will not be realized without a sustained, large-scale cultural transformation at all levels of the organization."
Did you catch the year Dr. Wong wrote that? 2003. This is old wisdom that WE need to inspire with new thought. What is that new thought? It's conscious thought, with mindful action in each present moment. We are living in times where it has to go BEYOND thought, and into action, mindful and inspired action that is fueled by our state of being. A state of being led by love will keep us all present. And when we are present, we are able to see more clearly the long term impact on everyone involved.
Are you leading from that present state of being? Can you see and feel into the impact of extending your well-being programs to your employee's families and what a gift that is to give them? Will you be the one to leave a legacy of love that ripples for generations to come?
To further this conversation, visit my website at https://www.joanneadducci.com/ForMyBusiness or contact me directly at contactjo@joanneadducci.com
reference: Spirituality and Meaning at Work
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