Though workplace spirituality might seem to be an oxymoron in a country that prides itself on separation of church and state, many U.S. workers, and companies, are benefiting from corporate programs nurturing the soul.

It is a phenomenon that has accelerated in a post-Enron world, says Jesuit Father Mark Bandsuch, an LMU business law and ethics professor who has been watching this development since the movement took off in the '90s.

As co-author of "Integrating Spirituality into the Workplace: Theory and Practice" (with Jesuit Father Gerald Cavanagh), Father Bandsuch says the national corporate environment is more amenable to workplace spirituality practices than ever before.

"There's this movement to try to counteract society's scandals with values-based solutions," said Father Bandsuch. With such a high percentage of Americans professing belief in God, he points out, values in this country are based on a person's spirituality which usually comes with a moral code differentiating between "right" and "wrong."

"We may not agree about everything that we consider right or wrong, but there's probably a threshold level of things we agree on," he said. That threshold is spurring a revitalization of interest in integrating spirituality into the workplace.

Conducive climate
According to Father Bandsuch, a number of factors are contributing to the growth of workplace spirituality. Baby Boomers are in mid-to-late middle age --- often a time of self-reflection and reordering of personal priorities.

In society in general, there's also been a trend over the past few decades for greater spiritual understanding and self-fulfillment. Coupled with Americans' proclivity to working so much, the normal avenues of nurturing spirituality --- church affiliation, retreats and opportunities for study --- are often difficult to fit into hectic schedules.

"So people are bringing the spiritual dimension into the workplace," explained Father Bandsuch. With studies showing that up to 60 percent of working Americans are unaffiliated with any church (some because of a disenchantment with organized religion), people are seeking to express their personal spirituality within and across workplaces.

Some companies allow employees to voluntarily gather for spiritual fellowship such as Coca-Cola's Christian affiliation groups and the American Stock Exchange's Torah Group. Examples of "cross" industry groups where executives meet to share faith and figure out how to apply it in the business world would be the Catholic group "Legatus," founded by Domino's Pizza founder, Tom Monaghan; the Chicago-based "Business Leaders for Excellence, Ethics and Justice;" and the international Christian CEO group, "Fellowship of Companies for Christ International (FCCI)."

Common spirituality
Successful workplace spirituality requires sensitivity and structure. "You need a system within the company that respects different perspectives of spirituality while developing a common spirituality that helps people work together," said Father Bandsuch.

"It's not just about coworkers; it involves how you treat your consumers, your suppliers and how the company relates to all stakeholders. It requires support from management which needs to model it and support it in financial ways, too."

Surprisingly, noted the priest, more companies are implementing workplace spirituality than one would think. Just as religious denominations have beliefs, rituals and community, so do companies with a commitment to developing workplace spirituality, he explained.

Consider the company mission statement at Starbucks. It lists "six Guiding Principles" in company decision making, including treating employees with "respect and dignity" and contributing "positively to our communities and our environment." The guiding principles are an example of company "beliefs" shaping corporate decisions.

Values-oriented mission statements, says Father Bandsuch, tap into people's spirituality by providing a workplace that's more fulfilling. "People recognize that this isn't just about a product making money. It's really about having them find some degree of fulfillment and helping society whether it's a good or service."

Corporate rituals
Successful workplace spirituality integration, according to Father Bandsuch, requires that companies implement values-based beliefs in their rituals and community group interactions.

For example, some companies utilize corporate chaplains who are present at the "ritual" of new employee orientations. One such corporation is McLane Southern California Co. in San Bernardino, a food distribution and warehouse company. McLane, one of 284 companies in 36 states contracting with Dallas-based Marketplace Ministries, provides confidential chaplaincy care to its 450 employees as part of the company's benefits program.

"We're trained to handle any type of emotional, family or work-related problem," said McLane chaplain, Ron Lewis, a Nazarene associate pastor at The Bridge Church in Bloomington. Lewis says employees really appreciate the chaplains' friendly presence during the workday and availability for private, pastoral counseling. "We take church to the workplace with employees' permission," said Lewis.

Randy Turnbow, CEO of EME Inc. metal finishing company in Compton, started a chaplaincy program a year ago after hearing Marketplace Ministries' CEO, Gil Strickland, a former military chaplain, speak at a FCCI conference.

"It just caught me, because 90 percent of what's going wrong in a company has to do with problems people bring in from their personal life," said Turnbow. "People here have really embraced the chaplain program. It's absolutely helped in employee retention and recruitment."

As far as Turnbow is aware, EME Metal is the first business in L.A. County to have a company chaplain, but major corporations like Coca-Cola and Tyson Foods have had them for several years. "This is a cutting edge kind of thing in Los Angeles," declared Lewis, who adds that it will become more commonplace as local companies see the benefits of employees who are spiritually "well cared for."

Guy Gabriel, a student in LMU's yoga therapy program who teaches yoga classes at the Thousand Oaks-based bio-technology company, Amgen, and Universal Studios, agrees that awareness is rising in Los Angeles about the positive benefits of workplace programs emphasizing employee wellness.

"Society has put so much faith in technology, people are hungry for the spiritual aspect in their everyday lives," said Gabriel.

Workplace community
Besides empowering employees with spiritually nurturing environments that allow for personal growth, companies interested in developing workplace spirituality need to strengthen relationships with other stakeholders such as local community members and consumers, says Father Bandsuch.

He points out corporate citizenship activities like those practiced at Hewlett Packard --- including employee service programs, donation of profits, socially conscientious investing, faith-based initiatives, and environmentally sensitive production --- all promote community and social responsibility.

"Stakeholder relationships are becoming bigger and bigger as we become this global economy," said Father Bandsuch. "We need to expand our stakeholder sensitivity to how we relate to one another. We know we have consumers now in China. We need to learn about the Chinese. What are their spiritual values?"

Editor's note: Father Bandsuch will be leading a one-day retreat titled, "Workplace Spirituality: Finding God in Your Work" at Mary & Joseph Retreat Center in Rancho Palos Verdes on Sept. 9, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For registration information, call the retreat center at (310) 377-4867 ex. 256.