Benefits and burdens: the paradox of religious expression in the Australian workplace

Globalisation and migration have resulted in growing religious diversity. The religious profile has shifted significantly in the past fifty years in Australia (ABS, 2017). Changes in religious diversity have not transpired without societal tensions (Ezzy, Bouma, Barton, Halafoff, Banham, Jackson & Beaman, 2020), evident in hyperpolitical discourse around the role of religion in Western societies on social issues and religious freedoms. Workplaces are sites of these tensions as evidenced in claims of religious discrimination as religious employees want to remain authentic to their religious identities in traditionally secular workplaces (Miller & Ewest, 2013). Consequently, organisations, are increasingly faced with complex challenges associated with a rise in religious diversity, divisiveness in broader society, and the desire for religious identity authenticity. The management discipline is yet to meet this challenge as its research on the impact of religion at work is small and focused on the positive outcomes of religious identity and expression for only religious employees. There is little focus on non-religious employees nor the impacts of religious expression within workgroups and organisations (Héliot, Gleibs, Coyle & Rousseau, 2020). Thus, the aim of this research was to investigate the challenges of religious expression at work considering religious and non-religious employees and both positive and negative attitudes and experiences. The research design was two separate but related studies. Study One tested a model on the influence of different sources of religious expression support and their consequences for employees; and Study Two explored the appropriateness of religious expression at work based on a mixture of open and closed questions. Both studies relied on cross-sectional anonymous surveys of over 400 Australian employees, distributed through the third-party survey provider Qualtrics. Structural equation modelling, independent sample t-tests, one-way ANOVAs, and content analysis were used to analyse data. Social identity theory and social categorisation theory provided the theoretical lens for interpretation of the analyses. The findings suggest religion and religious expression in the workplace is as sensitive and divisive as it is in broader society. The combined findings highlight supporting religious expression in the workplace is paradoxical having both benefits and burdens for employees, workgroups, and organisations. Building on the findings, a framework for religious expression is proposed. The framework considers religious expression at work from the three levels of individual, workgroup, and organisation. From a theory and practice perspective, this thesis is needed and timely. Increasing religious diversity and divisiveness means organisations will have less choice in engaging with religion at work. It is hoped the findings and proposed framework encourage future research on a sensitive yet important topic, ultimately providing organisations with more evidence to overcome the paradoxes of religious expression in the workplace.