An Analysis of Workplace Spirituality Debates

Abstract

While calls for spiritual practices at work increase, the debate to position the concept of Workplace Spirituality (WS) gets thornier. This paper offers a theoretical contribution to the existing debates about spirituality in the workplace in that it addresses the issues of (a) religion, spirituality, and secularity (b) capitalizing the human soul, (c) measuring spirituality, specifically WS (d) indoctrination, (e) the trendy nature of WS. The need for meaning and fulfillment for a greater cause is a long-craved one in organizations. Profit-based organizations have started to consider using spirituality to increase their financial returns by making room for pragmatic spiritual practices, while ontological disputes still continue about whether spirituality could be an asset for inducing profit. Our study starts with a general look at workplace spirituality, continues with criticism and debates rose about “spirituality and a spiritual workplace,” and ends with our clarifications regarding these issues.