WORKPLACE SPIRITUALITY FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY: A GENDERED PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

There are a very few studies available to gain insight into the impact of yoga and alternative therapies1 on stress management, conflict resolution and work productivity. In previous studies the focus fell on the gendered perspective, exploring the impact of spiritual modalities on the physical and mental wellness of male and female employees. Spiritual practices such as yoga and other alternative therapies have been found to be significant to enhance work productivity, hence be part of organisational wellness programmes. However, this aspect is not fully implemented due to various reasons including a lack of spiritual understanding, religious preferences and organisational cultures. The aim of this article is to expand upon and enhance this analysis by aligning spiritual practices to workplace productivity. Books, journal articles, dissertations, and conference proceedings dealing with spirituality at the workplace were reviewed. Based on the literature available, two hypotheses are explored, namely (a) that workplace spirituality enhances employee wellness and has a positive impact on improved productivity; and (b) that workplace spirituality impacts differently on male and female employees (gendered perspective) and leads to improved productivity. The article formulates a model called Workplace Spirituality for Gender-based Productivity (WSG-bP) for consideration under the umbrella of existing Employee Work Wellness programmes

Keywords

• gender, spirituality, workplace spirituality, productivity, employee wellness