A spiritual workplace: Employers who help nourish the soul get healthier workers, say advocates
Times Colonist (Victoria)
Fri 23 Dec 2005
Page: F8
Section: Life
Byline: Rosemary McCracken
Source: For CanWest News Service
Sterling Rempel starts every morning with some quiet time, reading the Bible, particularly the Psalms, Old Testament writings, which he says "encompass a wide range of emotions: joy, fear, anger and hope." And he prays.

"It grounds me," the 42-year-old Calgary financial adviser with Future Values Estate & Financial Planner and a member of the Mennonite Church of Canada says of his daily spiritual exercise. "It reminds me of my place in the universe -- that everything is not about me.

"I remember that, whatever I'm going through, God is with me, other people have had trouble too and these troubles pass. I remember that there is hope."

In Toronto, Francois Duguay, 32, rises at six in the morning and meditates. A Zen Buddhist, he says meditation is the daily implementation of the Buddhist belief system. "Meditation helps me be present, helps me be aware of what's going on within me. It's paying attention to my inner divinity. I also swim three times a week, and I meditate while I'm swimming."

Rempel and Duguay find spiritual nourishment from their religious observances. But many people who don't belong to an organized religion also recognize the importance of nurturing the spirit to create a healthy balance in their lives.

"Religious observance is a formal practice of spirituality. But non-religious people can feel nurtured by walking in the woods or looking at the stars," says Peggy Grall, a psychotherapist and executive coach in Milton, Ont. "It's getting in touch with what we honour in our lives. Especially as we get older, we start thinking about the bigger questions. 'I've got a successful career, money, a family, why do I still feel unfilled?'

"Our spiritual outlook affects how we approach every day," she adds, "and how we feel inside. It's the difference between feeling we're crashing around here with no purpose and feeling grounded. I notice in psychotherapy that folks with a firm sense of the spiritual tend to heal faster."

Wellness is a matter of body, heart, mind and spirit, says Sherry Connolly, a doctoral divinity candidate and the founding director of the Centre for Spirituality at Work in Toronto.

"People do all sorts of things to promote healthy bodies, hearts and minds, but the spirit is too often neglected," she says. The Centre for Spirituality at Work offers programs to help people strengthen the connection between who they are and the work they do.

With the amount of time spent at work, and getting to and from it, Connolly says the workplace has a huge impact on people's spiritual health. And the incessant drive for productivity -- the need to better last year's sales figures -- can sap the spirit.

"I see people struggling with the work they do," she says. "Employees who are responsible for co-ordinating a company's production, for example, feel conflicted if a team member is going through a difficult time."

Ann Coombs, author of The Living Workplace (HarperCollins Canada, 2001) and a Vancouver "thought leader" who explores issues of spirituality in the workplace with clients, came to her specialty after running a human resources practice for 20 years. "I was seeing a total disregard for spiritual and personal values -- truth, honesty, thoughtfulness, graciousness -- in the workplace," she says.

"It's a proven fact that a workplace that honours people's values has less absenteeism and higher staff retention," she adds.

"It's currently assessed that 56 per cent of Canadians are not happy in their jobs. The impact of this on an individual's spirit, and on his physical health, is profound."

A responsible employer should be "damned concerned" about creating a "living workplace" that fosters employees' physical and spiritual health, Coombs says.

"Employers who honour their employees allow flexible work hours whenever possible and down time on and off the job. They should allow employees to take days off without having to explain why. A living workplace is based on trust, not control."

Connolly cites TELUS Mobility as a company that tries to help its employees maintain balance in their lives. Linda Lewis-Daly, Toronto-based national wellness manager, started TELUS’ wellness program in 1999, and says its mandate is promoting individual, team and organizational well-being, which in turn will maximize productivity. The company's five wellness managers across Canada try to meet the needs of staff in each region. Some offices offer onsite massage services, or yoga and pilates classes. Most have quiet rooms that can be used for prayer or meditation.

"We've held a parenting series; in 2004 we held 'journalling' classes in our B.C. offices showing employees how to write down their thoughts and examine their writing later for insights and patterns," Lewis-Daly says.

The company is open to flexible hours, she adds, depending on the work that needs to be done. She was recently granted a four-day work week to spend more time with her family.

Would a program such as this be cut in bad economic times? "I'm 100 per cent confident it wouldn't be," Lewis-Daly says. "It's part of our corporate culture. I've never had to prove myself on return on investment."

But not everyone is fortunate enough to have a workplace like this.
"A lot of people are struggling with who they are and what they do at work," Connolly says. "You can try working for yourself, but this is not always possible.

"Programs such as we offer at the Centre for Spirituality at Work can result in a change of perspective," she said.
"People may come to realize that there are aspects of their jobs that are very fulfilling, or that the people they work with bring a lot of joy to them. Sometimes it means accepting your work situation and looking for fulfilling things outside of work, such as volunteer activities."

Grall often gives clients a "values" test to help them see that the work they do is at odds with their core beliefs. "They check off the values that mean the most to them from a list, then examine their behaviour in light of these values," she says. "They're often surprised to realize that they value integrity yet they're competing tooth and nail at work and that this is the source of the unhappiness they're feeling."

Rempel says he's fortunate that he doesn't have to separate his spirituality from his work. "As a financial adviser, I hear about clients' concerns. Will I have enough money in retirement? How will my kids spend their inheritance? I can help, first by listening, and then by bringing my experience and judgment to bear upon their situations."

Employees have to take responsibility for their spiritual selves, Coombs says.
"It isn't enough to be working just for money. Eventually your spirit and your body will pay the price. You need to make sure your job allows you down time, allows you to stay connected to the people who matter in your life, to stay connected to your community. Most of all, you need to remain authentic in your jobs.

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