Faith in the Workplace
"Religious diversity is the next big issue confronting corporate America."
Dr. Georgette Bennett, Founder and President, Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
Discussions about the changing demographics of the U.S. workforce often focus on race, ethnicity, gender, and age. However, religious diversity is becoming an increasingly important aspect of corporate diversity and inclusion objectives. This is not surprising when one considers that 80% of adults consider religion to be important to their personal lives1 and employees are increasingly advocating for accommodation of the requirements of their faith.
In Megatrends 2010, Patricia Aburdene identifies spirituality in business as one of the top seven megatrends of the coming decade. Companies that are succeeding in creating inclusive workplace environments build organizational cultures where employees feel their whole selves are welcomed. As explained by Stew Friedman, Director of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project, "The old paradigm of leaving your beliefs behind when you go to work is no longer satisfying. More than ever, people want work that fits in with a larger sense of purpose in life. For many people, that includes a concept of God, or something like it."2
