Religion may enhance satisfaction and productivity in the workplace, new research suggests. People who identify God as a "secure base" for intimacy and attachment are significantly more committed and satisfied with their jobs and workplace, according to researchers.
After analyzing data collected from a national random survey conducted in 2011 by The Gallup Organization, researchers from Baylor University found strong links between "divine attachment" and job dedication.
"Attachment to God may relate to a sense of safety and confidence that encourages exploration of the world -- and as adults, our primary form of exploration is work," lead author Blake V. Kent, a doctoral candidate in sociology in Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences, said in a statement.
Kent believes that encouraging spiritual or religious activities at work will promote productivity.
"Research suggests that workplaces which allow their employees to engage in spiritual activity at work -- even if it's just 15 minutes a day of meditation -- tend to see boosts in employee satisfaction," Kent added. "What we're doing here is providing evidence that how people relate to God matters for their commitment and satisfaction at work."
Kent and his team measured employee's "affective commitment" by analyzing participant responses to statements like "I really feel this organization's problems are my own" and "I do not feel a strong sense of 'belonging' to my organization." Participants were asked to indicate their opinions with answers ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."
"This type of commitment is a measure of the emotional bond between a person and an organization, in which employees keep their jobs because they want to rather than because they need or ought to," Kent explained.
Previous studies have linked higher "affective commitment" with higher performance and productivity at the workplace as well as lower rates of absenteeism, conflict and turnover rates.
"Existing organizational research overlooks divine attachment as a 'personal characteristic' relevant to work. We argue that secure attachment to God as an internal working model can function as a 'secure base' from which individuals form meaningful attachments to their workplace and work position," researchers wrote in the study.
The latest "findings demonstrate that secure attachment to God positively related to affective organizational commitment and job satisfaction," researchers concluded.
The latest study was published in the journal Review of Religious Research.
