By Maria Fontana ~
Over the past three years, we have seen a sudden interest and an increased interest in spirituality at work and within businesses.
There are many key factors to this. Corporate downsizing and greater demands on the remaining workers have left people exhausted and stressed – Too much so to be creative and spiritual. At the same time, the globalization of markets requires more creativity from employees so it hasn’t been a great match. Organizations must offer a greater sense of meaning and purpose for their workforce.
In today’s highly competitive environment the best talent seeks out organizations that reflect their inner values and provide opportunities for personal development and community service, not just larger salaries.
Today’s information and services dominated economy requires instantaneous decision-making and building better relationships with customers and employees. Adding elements of spirituality within the work environment is greatly going to help with this.
We know that people are the most important resource within a business. Therefore an increasing number of business owners find that the key area for applying spirituality is in how employees are treated. Very basic things can be incredibly powerful:
Take the time throughout every day to appreciate someone. Thank them for a job well done. Or just take some time to listen to their concerns. Generosity with your time can be as important as generosity with money. You don’t need to be a business owner to do this. Anyone working within a workforce can take time to thank people and listen.
People are definitely the most important resource. Many organizations are incorporating policies to treat employees like family, knowing that if they are treated well they, in turn, will treat customers well.
“SPIRITUALITY COULD BE THE ULTIMATE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN COMMERCE.” Maria Fontana