Religion in the Workplace

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between individuals’ religiosity, morality, and their views on religion in the workplace. Individuals identifying as atheist or agnostic demonstrated different responses to the Moral Foundations Scale with higher ratings for Fairness/Reciprocity compared to individuals who identified as Christians who scored higher on the Authority/Respect and Purity/Sanctity measures. No significant differences were found regarding one’s willingness to work with atheist and agnostic individuals across a variety of workplace roles based on one’s religious beliefs, but a main effect of work position was observed, with individuals of all religious backgrounds indicating higher acceptance of atheist/agnostic subordinates compared to supervisors. Responses to the Moral Foundations Scale were found to have no significant predictive value on one’s willingness to work with individuals who identified as atheist or agnostic. Considering the diverse population of individuals in the workforce and entering the workforce, it is important to consider how one’s beliefs and background may impact their ability to co-exist with others in a variety of workplace roles.