The Ten Disciplines of Workplace Spirituality

By Mitchell

One of the best things about blogging is finding out things that add to your storehouse of knowledge. In some cases that storehouse isn't very big to begin with, so anything that can be added is helpful!

Case in point is this very good piece that Herb Ely wrote last year. He linked to it in this week's Catholic Carnival in relation to my post on authority. Were it not for the Catholic Carnival, I might never have read this piece. Believe me, I'm very glad I did.

Herb references Gregory F.A. Pierce's book Spirituality@Work, in which Pierce outlines the ways in which spirituality of the workplace helps answer basic questions:

• What is the meaning of work?
• How should we deal with others at work?
• How do we balance work with the rest of life?
• How do we determine what is right and wrong?
• How do we maintain – and sometimes change the workplace?

These questions flow from the basic premise that "work is both creative and a service to others; it is an attempt to bring God’s wishes into the world." In order to achieve these goals, Pierce suggests practicing the following ten disciplines. I'll merely give an overview of those disciplines, and direct you to Herb's post to read how they are applied in the workplace:

1. Decorating the workstation with personal reminders of our values and beliefs. [these need not be obtrusive]
2. Living with imperfection.
3. Striving for quality.
4. Giving thanks and congratulations.
5. Building community through welcoming and support.
6. Practicing the Golden Rule
7. Discerning how much [money, success, work] is enough.
8. Finding balance among work, family, community and church.
9. Making the “system” work.
10. Ongoing balanced self-renewal.

I think we've all worked in places where many of these qualities were, shall we say, lacking. Sadly, I have been in one or two where all ten were routinely ignored, if not stomped upon. I fear that this is becoming more and more the norm, as corporations find their own version of the Golden Rule ("Whoever has the gold rules.") threatened by outside interests - that is, God Himself.

Some of this no doubt is due to the false god of diversity, at whose altar many corporations worship on a regular basis. Buying into this creates a tremendous pressure to accept everything as being of equal value. While it's true that we should respect divergent viewpoints, we should not be afraid to ask others to respect our basic Judeo-Christian heritage, a heritage that we should not deny. Ah, but the only heritage that many corporations are interested in nowadays is inheriting the throne of King Midas.

Well, I've added too much of my own thoughts to this post; read Herb's full version. I'm looking forward to talking with him more about this area of mutual interest.