Leadership and Fuels Employee Well-being & Productivity

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Abstract

Spirituality at the workplace involves integrating spiritual values and principles to create a work culture that encourages personal growth, ethical behaviour and a sense of purpose. Implementing spirituality in organisations has been reported to simultaneously enhance multiple forms of employee well-being, including performance and job satisfaction. This research explores employees’ and leaders’ perceptions of workplace spirituality and its impact on their well-being, productivity and leadership quality. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was distributed among the employees at Thrivetribe Wellness Solutions Private Limited, Pune, to assess their opinions about workplace spirituality. Of 38 respondents, 97% either agreed or strongly agreed that the workplace provided meaning & purpose, psychological safety, alignment with core values, and supported their well-being. Over 90% of employees agreed or strongly agreed that in the workplace, integration of spirituality into daily work was reflected through a supportive environment, fostering mindfulness, commitment, personal growth, and productivity. Moreover, about 84% of those in leadership roles agreed or strongly agreed that workplace spirituality deepened their self-awareness, resilience & visionary approach. In conclusion, the employees and those in leadership roles perceive workplace spirituality as a possible contributor to their enhanced well-being and productivity. 

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Keywords: Organisation, spirituality, perception, leadership, productivity

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Introduction

Workplace spirituality may be defined as the integration of inner values, ethical principles, and a sense of purpose into professional life, fostering a work environment that promotes personal growth, mindfulness, compassion, and meaningful engagement (Koul, S., 2025). It emphasises values like openness, sense of purpose, and community, while remaining distinct from religious expression (Pandey, A., 2017; Rathee & Rajain, 2020). Workplace spirituality has proven effective at the individual, leadership and organisational levels as depicted in Figure 1 (Pandey, A., 2017; Zhu, Y., 2025). A notable positive correlation between employee well-being and workplace spirituality was found in prior studies (Sode et al., 2024). This approach is believed to have encouraged healthier work cultures, performance growth, resilient teams/leaders, stronger work ethics, and higher job satisfaction (Oriaku et al., 2020; Koul, S., 2025).

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Over the years, the workplace has become increasingly complex due to fast-paced industrialisation, giving rise to new challenges such as psychological stress, anxiety, burnout and lack of purpose within the workforce (Rasool et al., 2020; Asbe, C.D., 2023; Al Issa, H.E., 2022).  For example, start-ups and small businesses often lead to high employee stress levels, increasing the risk of burnout due to the higher workload. Fatigue, therefore, affects organisational performance and individual productivity. Thus, strategic burnout prevention and management measures are crucial for long-term growth and in maintaining a healthy workforce (Bice, S., 2024). This has garnered an increased interest in the concept of workplace spirituality among management students, scholars, and organisations (Garg, N., 2017). However, despite extensive research in this area, not much has been explored on how spirituality has been implemented at start-ups and Micro and Small Enterprises (MSMEs). 

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This study explores the employees’ and leaders’ perceptions of spirituality in the workplace and its impact on their productivity, growth, wellness and leadership quality. A quantitative, descriptive research design using a 5-point Likert scale was adopted to assess employee and leadership perceptions of workplace spirituality.  It also aimed to understand how workplace spirituality influences purpose, connection, well-being, performance and personal growth of the employees and leaders alike. 

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This research study gathers insights from both employees and leaders to offer a perspective on how spiritual activities might be perceived as advantageous or stressful in a professional context. The findings can provide valuable insights for organisations aiming to enhance leadership development, foster employee engagement, and cultivate a value-driven organisational culture. By recognising the potential role of spirituality in the workplace, employers may create a more inclusive, meaningful, and supportive environment that benefits individual and organisational performance.

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Review of Literature

Spirituality has conventionally been understood as an individual's connection with a divine presence or higher power. In the workplace, spirituality generally refers to a personal, transcendent experience through work, centred on purpose, self-growth, connection, and shared values. In contrast, religion in the workplace often involves viewing work as a form of worship, ethical service, purpose fulfilment, and management aligned with divine principles (Miller, D.W. & Ewest, T., 2018; Choudhary, P., 2025). Workplace spirituality is said to cover various dimensions (Figure 2), including job commitment, personal wellbeing, psychological empowerment, self-actualisation, work-life-balance, emotional resilience, sense of purpose, sense of community, mindfulness, job satisfaction, among others (Choudhary, P., 2025; Bhutia, K.C., 2024; Tripathi, S.K., & von Kimakowitz, E., 2022).

According to Oriaku et al. (2020), workplace spirituality is essentially about strengthening emotional resilience in employees. Previous studies have found a negative relation between a toxic workplace environment and organisational support, and a positive relation between organisational support and employee engagement (Rasool et al., 2020). Workplace spirituality has thus become a widely discussed topic in organisational studies to promote employee performance and wellbeing, ethical leadership and purpose-driven work environments (Bhutia, K.C., 2024; Choudhary, P., 2025). 

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Garg, N., & Saini, D. (2024) have demonstrated that workplace spirituality positively affects employees' creativity. Other studies have shown that organisations that inculcate workplace spirituality had higher levels of job commitment, increased motivation, and higher productivity, lower levels of stress, and higher levels of job satisfaction (Setiawan et al., 2025; Choudhary, P., 2025). According to Choudhary, P. (2025), spiritual leadership plays an integrative role in creating a meaningful, compassionate, and ethically driven workplace enriched with values and purpose. This approach enhances employee well-being, trust, and engagement with the organisation, leading to improved organisational performance. Furthermore, researchers have found a positive association of workplace spirituality with improved employee performance and overall organisational effectiveness (Oriaku et al., 2020). The integration of spiritual values fosters an ethical and purpose-driven culture, which is increasingly relevant for small business practitioners and policymakers seeking authentic implementation strategies (Driscoll et al., 2019).

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Workplace spirituality in small businesses requires further exploration due to the dearth of studies. The present study builds on these insights by examining how employees and leaders at Thrivetribe Wellness Solutions Private Limited, Pune (iThrive) perceive workplace spirituality. These results should be instrumental to entrepreneurs, research scholars, policy makers and small businesses in providing information and grounds for further research in assessing the impacts of spirituality in the workplace.

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Methodology

In this cross-sectional exploratory study, a quantitative research approach was used to assess employees' opinions about workplace spirituality. We developed an online questionnaire employing a 5-point Likert scale with responses that varied from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’. The survey was administered using the convenience sampling method to the employees at Thrivetribe Wellness Solutions Private Limited (iThrive), Pune. A total of 38 employees participated in the study anonymously. The employees were all Indian nationals, belonging to different states, aged between 20-50 years.

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The survey consisted of 5 sections i.e. Section-1. Participant demographics, Section-2. Engagement in organizational spiritual practices, Section-3. Employee perception of workplace, Section-4. Employee perception of spirituality at the workplace, Section-5. Perception of leaders about workplace spirituality.  Section-1 recorded the departments to which the employees belonged within the company. Section-2 of the questionnaire consisted of various spiritual practices conducted at the workplace as depicted in Table 1.

Section-3 of the questionnaire evaluated the parameters such as: purpose, community, alignment, safety, integrity & well-being in the workplace. In Section-4, parameters such as integration of spiritual values, access to spiritual practices, performance, productivity, mindfulness, commitment & well-being were assessed.  The final section evaluated the impact of workplace spirituality on leadership skills and qualities. It involved parameters such as self-awareness, resilience, courage, empathy, inspiration, continuous improvement, motivation, vision and optimism. The data were collected using an online survey platform and analysed using Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel.

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Results

Participant Demographics

The study saw 100% participation from the employees. A total of 38 employees filled out the survey questionnaire anonymously. Among them, 8% (n = 3) have been with the company for more than four years, 26% (n = 10) for 3-4 years and 39% (n = 15) for 1–2 years. While 16% (n = 6) fell in the 3–12‑month tenure range, 11% of them (n = 4) were very new (< 3 months). The majority of responses came from the marketing team (31%, n = 12), followed by nutrition (17%, n = 7) and the core leadership team (13%, n = 5). Sales and supplements team each contributed 11% (n = 4), research team 8% (n = 3), and one respondent (3%) each from Finance, Projects, and Human Resources teams.

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Engagement in Organisational Spiritual Practices

The survey results revealed near-universal participation in daily spiritual practices. All respondents (100%, n = 38) participated in OM (AUM) chanting, while 97% (n = 37) joined the morning Asatoma Sat Gamaya mantra chanting sessions. Structured activities like the Thursday “Soul Values” workshop (95%, n = 36) and team-building events (92%, n = 35) saw high engagement, along with participation in cultural festivals (89%, n = 34). Conscious-connected breathwork sessions (82%, n = 31) and monthly meditations, conducted on the first day of the month (66%, n = 25), demonstrated moderate participation. The participants reported less frequent involvement in “The Mother by Sri Aurobindo” book reading (71%, n = 27) and the Inner Awakening Journey/Heal the Healers program (32%, n = 12). The results are depicted in Figure 3 below.

Perception of employees towards the work environment

Of the 38 respondents, nearly all reported positive perceptions across the six work‑environment dimensions. Specifically, 97.3% agreed or strongly agreed that the work gives their life meaning and purpose. All participants reported feeling connected to and supported by co-workers. Similarly, 97.3% of the participants indicated alignment with the organisation’s core values. A strong majority (94.8%) felt safe expressing creative and innovative ideas at the workplace, whereas 5.3% remained neutral about it. All respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were encouraged to bring their sense of purpose and ethics into daily work. Finally, 89.5% (57.9% strongly agreed, 31.6% agreed) expressed positive opinions about the work culture supporting their spiritual, mental, and emotional well‑being, while 11% remained neutral (See Figure 4).

Perception of employees towards workplace spirituality

Overall, employees reported strong positive perceptions regarding spirituality at the workplace across all ten items. A large majority (92.1%) felt that spiritual values were meaningfully integrated into daily work, and the environment was perceived as spiritually supportive (92.1%). Ninety‑two point one percent reported having had opportunities to engage in spiritual activities and could apply what they learn. A majority of people (78.9%) believed that spiritual practices positively influenced their performance and productivity. Practices like meditation and breathwork were credited with enhancing mindfulness and focus by 86.8% of the employees, and 89.5% of them reported that such practices fostered a greater sense of responsibility and commitment. Regarding the company’s overall leadership model, 92.1% agreed that it promoted spiritual awareness, while 86.8% reported that it encouraged their own spiritual and personal growth. 89.5% of the participants reported improved mental and emotional health from these practices, and 92.1% voted that they are likely to continue their engagement with such practices (See Figure 5).

Among the 15 employees who took part in the specialised twelve-week “Inner Awakening Journey” program, a clear majority of 93.4% agreed or strongly agreed that identifying their triggers & working through their emotional patterns enhanced their self-awareness and emotional balance. Only one respondent remained neutral, while no one disagreed or strongly disagreed (See Figure 6).

Perception of leaders towards workplace spirituality

Among the employees, 11 of them occupied various leadership roles, and their perceptions on the influence of workplace spirituality on leadership were assessed. Ten (91%) of them agreed or strongly agreed that spiritual practices deepened their self‑awareness and personal growth. Ten (91%) of them found the application of spiritual values to help maintain their calm during challenges and adapt confidently to change. A substantial majority, i.e., 72.8% (8 out of 11), felt that spirituality strengthened their sense of duty and dedication to their team’s success, and an equal proportion agreed that it enhanced their empathy and ability to connect authentically with team members. When it came to inspiring others, 10 leaders (90.9%) reported that modelling spiritual values better enabled them to motivate their teams toward shared goals. Nine (81.9%) of the leaders found that workplace spirituality encouraged them to seek new insights and continuously improve their leadership skills, and nine (81.9%) agreed that it gave them a positive outlook and helped articulate an inspiring vision for their team’s future. Likewise, 81.9% (n = 9) felt that integrating spirituality into their leadership role supported their own mental and emotional well‑being while enabling them to rise above their inner fears and become better leaders. No respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with any of the statements regarding leadership and spirituality at the workplace (See Figure 7).

Discussion

The study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of the employees and leaders towards spiritual practices at the workplace. The survey saw a majority of positive responses towards the incorporation of workplace spirituality at a small enterprise. Previous studies have correlated workplace spirituality with a reduction in stress, burnout and increased employee retention. Pawar et al. observed that workplace spirituality had positive effects simultaneously on multiple forms of employee well-being, such as psychological, emotional, social and spiritual well-being (Pawar, B.S., 2016). An analysis by Aboobaker et al. revealed that, along with employee well-being, the implementation of workplace spirituality enhanced the intention of employees to stay (Aboobaker et al., 2019). In another similar study, it was observed that workplace spirituality had a significant positive influence on the loyalty of employees towards the organisation. They found that loyal employees were more likely to have alignment with the organisational values. Also, a sense of community and belonging made more employees stay with the organisation (Aboobaker et al., 2020). In another study involving multiple industries, Afsar et al. observed that spiritual leadership brought a positive influence on intrinsic motivation and passion of the employees (Afsar et al., 2016).

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In the present study, a majority of employees expressed that they could find meaning in the work they do, and they could also bring their sense of ethics and purpose to the workplace. Employees also expressed that they had sufficient access to spiritual practices at the workplace, and engaging in such practices made them increasingly mindful, responsible, productive, and encouraged their personal growth. Those who were in leadership roles, such as managers, were of the opinion that spiritual practices increased the qualities of resilience, adaptability, and enhanced their self-awareness and responsibility. These findings suggest that incorporating spirituality in the workplace may be beneficial for both employees and those in leadership positions alike. 

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Strengths and limitations of the study

The present study was conducted in a start-up environment, a context that remains underexplored, offering new insights into spirituality in a niche organisational setting. A self-developed tool, though not formally validated, was tailored to the specific context, ensuring relevance to the target population. Descriptive analysis of Likert scale responses allowed for a clear representation of employee perceptions, appropriate for the exploratory nature of this research. While inferential statistics and distribution testing were not implemented, the high participation rate (100%) within the organisation strengthens the internal validity of findings. These results lay the groundwork for future studies using validated instruments and larger samples to build on these preliminary insights.

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Conclusions

Integration of spiritual values and principles in the workplace creates an opportunity for a work environment that fosters personal as well as professional growth, compassion, and ethical behaviour. Thus, organisations would be able to develop work cultures that help employees to grow professionally without causing mental or emotional burnout, and equip them better to face such challenging situations, encouraging higher job commitment. Thus, more than a trend, it offers a sustainable approach to achieve long-term success through alignment of personal values with organisational goals. Moreover, it could create a workforce that is more committed, loyal and balanced, leading to improved productivity and performance, boosting the organisation's growth.

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