Iriana Sartor
The economic field is commonly characterized as rational, technical and, therefore, secular, with its own dynamics that differentiate it from other fields. However, various works identify a large segment of business people associated with “conservative” religious communities, for example, and others highlight the growing importance of new age spiritualities within the business community. This indicates that the economic field is not entirely separate from other spheres of life, and therefore the circulation, production and transformation of (non)religious beliefs in the field can be explored.
I am interested in exploring the perceptions of nonreligious and Catholic business people and entrepreneurs in Córdoba (Argentina) about religious diversity in their workplaces. We conducted 14 in-depth interviews that asked participants to respond to two hypothetical situations.[1] Five of the participants identified themselves on the nonreligious spectrum (atheists, agnostics, non-believers with an interest in Buddhism), while the rest are Catholics, some of them belonging to organizations such as Opus Dei and Saint John Society. They work in various fields: technology, media, development, services, food, toys and cooperatives. This research is part of a broader project on the trajectories, beliefs and practices of business people that is based at the Catholic University of Córdoba.[2]
The individual or the company?
The first hypothetical situation raised during interviews consisted of an employee’s request to leave work for a religious holiday when they had to deliver goods or provide a service in a very short period of time. A dilemma emerges between the needs of the company and the needs of the worker; that is, between the pragmatic, the economic and the financial on the one hand, and human dignity and respect for the individual on the other (Porth, 1997).
We found that nonreligious participant responses were guided by an intention to prioritize their well-being. This was part of a personal vision that some described as “put people first,” which is actually intended to permeate their companies. In this regard, it was important for these interviewees to maintain a flexible work structure, as it seeks to create an environment in which employees feel comfortable working. Therefore, an employee’s ability to request time off for a religious holiday becomes a “necessity” along with other personal and/or family needs that may arise and require time off.
In contrast, for the five religious participants, their responses were mostly associated with respect for religious beliefs and its underlying importance. This approach is in line with a broader vision and values they demonstrated throughout their interviews. For example, Norberto[3]stated: “[Y]ou have to respect it because it is one of the transcendent values of the human being, so there is no discussion on that.” Danielsaid: “I am the first to respect religious holidays so I would never force anyone not to respect it.”
Four of the nine Catholic participants explained that some negotiation would be necessary for granting time off since productivity cannot be affected; that is, the individual can be benefited to the extent that the company can be benefited as well. Only one of five nonreligious respondents held this view, specifically for when the religious holiday is not an official public holiday.
Lastly, two participants, both self-identified agnostics, recognized that the company would perceive a benefit by granting the holiday, since it would have positive consequences on the employee’s work performance: “[T]his issue of believing has so much influence on the human being that he would come to the factory unhappy (…) I know that if I give him that day he will give it back to me with [economic] growth” (Ezequiel). In this way, “believing” or the emotional well-being of the individual in their terms, translates into profitability and productivity for the company in the medium/long term.
Few participants have experienced a situation like this hypothetical one proposed during interviews. One interviewee commented that his company respects Sabbath as a non-working day for Adventist employees; and another acknowledged that his work team was mostly atheist.
Religious and nonreligious expressions in high hierarchical positions
The second scenario involved the staging of a meeting with executives of the company or other companies, where one of the participants proposes a moment of prayer or meditation. The nonreligious participants expressed that they would respect the prayer, depending on the context and in some cases, as long as religion is not integrated as a central theme of the meeting; they commented that this scenario is more common when it comes to meetings with clients from other countries or executives from other companies. However, they are more open to the idea of meditation in the workplace. Two participants mentioned underlying benefits of meditation, stating it helps to detach from “daily baggage” and to be able to think “straight.”
Seven Catholic participants affirmed that they have encountered situations of this type, both within their companies, and with clients and executives from other companies. Some of them are part of business networks such as the Christian Association of Business Leaders (ACDE), where this kind of practice is common. In other cases, they seek out colleagues (usually of a higher position) with whom they share the same religion, and take advantage of certain work spaces to pray.
Norberto (Catholic), on the other hand, views religious practice as a private matter; such a situation would be inconceivable within his company. He states: “I would not do it to others because it seems to me that [one] should pray in his room and very much with God and there is no reason to go around publicly involving third parties in your moment of prayer.”
Conclusion
The link between beliefs and business or the economic field has been scarcely explored in the Argentine academic literature. The objective of this article is to make a small contribution by exploring the perspectives of 14 business people in the city of Córdoba about religious diversity in their workplaces, based on their answers to two hypothetical situations.
In general, a respectful attitude towards religion prevails in our interview data. Nonreligious business people conceive it as part of the individual’s emotional well-being, and Catholics as a “transcendental value.” A dilemma emerged from the first hypothetical situation that creates a tension between the individual and the company. However, two interviewees found a positive link between “believing” and profitability, so that such tension ceases to exist.
Regarding religious diversity, these business people did not perceive it as problematic, but its expressions and practices were not described as being promoted in their workspaces either. It seems that they limit their actions to the provisions of the Argentine regulations regarding employment, which are not very exhaustive. Nevertheless, the visibility of religious diversity in the workplace was described as being greater within hierarchical spaces and among religious peers.
[1] We have taken as a reference the work done by Stephen Porth in Religion, Spirituality and Business Decision-Making: A Preliminary Investigation, including our own adaptations. However, the participants’ answers are also based on concrete and real situations they have had in their companies/businesses.
[2] The research project “Transformations of lived religion in urban contexts of Latin America: the case of the business community in Córdoba” is directed by Hugo H. Rabbia, ph.D. (CONICET – IIPsi, UNC; UCC).
[3] All participant names have been changed to pseudonyms.
References
Porth, S. J. (1997). Religion, Spirituality and Business Decision-Making: A Preliminary Investigation. In Second International Symposium on Management Education and Catholic Social Teaching, Antwerp, Belgium. Retrieved May (Vol. 1, p. 2006).
Iriana Sartor is a CONICET doctoral fellow in the Institute of Psychological Research (IIPsi) at the National University of Córdoba (UNC). Her research focuses on the role played by religious and non-religious organizations in the processes of assistance, reception and accompaniment of refugees and asylum seekers in Argentina. She is a research assistant for the Nonreligion in a Complex Future project, and also participates in the research project “Religious and business ethos: transnational experiences and practices in and from Latin America” at the Catholic University of Córdoba (UCC).
NSRN Online 