Get Education and Information: THE MEANING OF WORK FOR THE MODERN-DAY EMPLOYEE IS UNDERGOING A SIGNIFICANT EVOLUTION

THE MEANING OF WORK FOR THE MODERN-DAY EMPLOYEE IS UNDERGOING A SIGNIFICANT EVOLUTION

THE MEANING OF WORK FOR THE MODERN-DAY EMPLOYEE IS UNDERGOING A SIGNIFICANT EVOLUTION. AND ORGANISATIONS OUGHT TO KEEP PACE WITH IT

    “Spirituality, to me, includes both vertical and horizontal aspects. It includes a vertical connection to the universe. But I also see spirituality as my horizontal relationships with other people, family, friends, co-workers and humanity as a whole,” says Corinne Mclaughlin, co-founder, The Centre of Visionary Leadership, which is an education centre that has helped people become effective leaders. She feels that meditation is the most popular and fastest-growing spiritual practice currently being introduced in many companies around the world, including very successful technology companies in Silicon Valley.
    The world today is truly flat and the concepts of spirituality and religion are hardly synonymous. This is proven effectively by Dr Kent Rhodes, senior lecturer, Pepperdine University Graduate Programs and an associate with The Family Business Consulting Group, who has developed the six components of workplace spirituality. He says that identifying desired characteristics of spiritual workplaces can bring us closer to understanding the role that spirituality can play in organisations and the way it can function to positively impact the bottom-line. The six effects that can be associated with a model of workplace spirituality, according to Rhodes are:

    Emphasises
    sustainability;
    Values contribution;
    Prizes creativity;
    Cultivates inclusion;
    Develops principles;
    Promotes vocation.

    “Some of the best examples of corporate cultures that strongly support workplace spirituality are global family enterprises. They tend to think generationally rather than quarterly or annually and so their leaders and board members work to incorporate corporate strategies that reflect that long-term view,” says Dr Rhodes. He adds, “While they never lose sight of the fact that they exist to be profitable, this approach to strategic planning actually supports spirituality because the culture encourages thinking beyond one’s self to thinking more tangibly about how to make smooth pathways for those that will follow in future decades. This, in turn, forces a different set of questions: what can we do now that will help ensure an employee group that not only wants to be here over any other company, but also embodies the values of spirit that have made us successful? How can we care for the environment to help ensure that our descendants can thrive and carry forward that spirit?”
    Medtronic (USA), which sells medical equipment, initiated a meditation center at its headquarters 20 years ago and it remains open to all employees even today. Each year, six customers share their personal stories with employees, sharing how the company’s products have saved their life or that of loved ones, and this inspiration fuels the passion and commitment of employees.
    60 Minutes (USA) did a television show on SAS, a billion dollar computer software company that has low absenteeism and only three per cent turnover, which saves them $80 million each year in training and recruitment. Their secret? A no-layoff policy, 35 hour workweeks, flex-time, and on-site amenities such as a gym, medical clinic, and massage therapists.
    Ever heard of a ‘mood chart’? IDEO (International), one of the award-winning global design firms has incorporated an out-of-thebox system called the ‘mood chart’ that helps employees adapt to change when new projects are at hand. They believe that there is always a phase when an innovation team will feel demoralised. And a mood chart will help gauge just that.
    Ram Chatterjee, director of spa and recreation at Grand Hyatt Goa tells us how yoga and meditation are changing how employees handle customers in the hospitality sector and how spirituality at the workplace is proving to develop a brighter future. Chatterjee says, “Before we start our daily drill, five to seven minutes are initially spent on meditation and three times in a week, it is extended to about 45 minutes.”
    Hence, the importance should be shifted from only profit-making to the creation of the ‘whole person’ and spirituality can help you achieve just that.