Newswise, March 3, 2016 — People who see God as a “secure
base” for intimacy and attachment are more likely to be emotionally committed
to their workplace and satisfied with their jobs.
They also tend to see their work as a calling from God, which
correlates to higher levels of job commitment and satisfaction, according to a
Baylor University study of working American adults.
“Attachment to God may relate to a sense of safety and
confidence that encourages exploration of the world — and as adults, our
primary form of exploration is work,” said Blake V. Kent, lead author and a
doctoral candidate in sociology in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences.
The study — “Attachment to God, Vocational Calling, and Worker
Contentment” — is published online in the journal Review of Religious
Research.
The research is an analysis of data from Baylor Religion
Survey 2011, a national random survey about Americans’ religious attitudes,
beliefs and values that was conducted by The Gallup Organization.
Respondents in this study included 860 adults who are full- or
part-time employees or volunteers and who believe in God or a higher power.
While other studies have found a link between job commitment
and such religious influences as faith-work integration beliefs and
congregational involvement, the Baylor research differs in that it suggests
that inner feelings of attachment to God rather than statements about God may
relate to attachments elsewhere — as in the workplace.
From a management perspective, research has shown that employees’ work experiences in previous jobs generally trump personal characteristics — such as age, race/ethnicity and gender — when it comes to effectively managing them after hire.
The Baylor study, however, suggests that “divine attachment”
may be viewed as a personal characteristic that should be taken into account in
the workplace.
“Research suggests that workplaces which allow their employees
to engage in spiritual activity at work — even if it’s just 15 minutes a day of
meditation — tend to see boosts in employee satisfaction,” Kent said.
“What we’re doing here is providing evidence that how people
relate to God matters for their commitment and satisfaction at work.”
For the research, “affective commitment” was measured by
individuals’ responses to such statements as “I really feel this organization’s
problems are my own” and “I do not feel a strong sense of ‘belonging’ to my
organization,” with answers ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly
agree.”
“This type of commitment is a measure of the emotional bond
between a person and an organization, in which employees keep their jobs
because they want to rather than because they need or ought to,” Kent said.
Such commitment is linked to lower absenteeism and conflict,
lower turnover rates, and higher performance and productivity, previous studies
have found.
The measure of “job satisfaction” as used in other published
research is broader because many factors can affect satisfaction — among them
pay, benefits, co-workers and bosses.
Respondents considered two statements: “In general, I do not
like my job” and “All in all, I am satisfied with my job.” Their responses
range from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”
Attachment to God may have a “spillover effect,” serving as a
buffer against negative emotions and experiences and helping people to cope
with workplace challenges, Kent said.
In the study, a “calling” was defined as “a sense of work as a
‘transcendent summons’ for meaning and purpose in the workplace,” he said.
“The work may be seen as a ‘mission from God’ or as serving
God, even if it is a very commonplace job without religious orientation.”
Previous research indicates that a sense of vocational calling
might sustain people in difficult circumstances, Kent said. Individuals who
feel called show higher levels of motivation, stronger coping skills, lower
absenteeism and higher work satisfaction.
Types of attachments generally are formed in the first 3 to 5 years of life and affect an individual in future relationships with family, friends, romantic partners, God and work. They include:
• Secure attachment. “This is when the child knows the primary caretaker — usually a mother — is available to hug and hold you. That creates a certain confidence in the child to explore his or her surroundings but still be confident that the caretaker will be there when the child returns,” Kent said.
• Insecure attachment. “This is formed when the primary attachment figure seems cold or distant and is often unavailable for emotional connection,” Kent said.
• Anxious attachment. “These attachments are ambivalent,” Kent said. “You feel that the caretaker is sometimes there for you with a lot of love to give, but sometimes they’re not.”
Theories differ about how a person’s concept of God — “the
ultimate attachment figure” — is developed. One theory is that one’s view of
God as caring, personal and responsive — or as impersonal and indifferent —
mirrors the relationship with the main childhood caregiver. Another theory
holds that a person’s notion of God can change over time and compensate for a
lack of attachment to others in early life.
*Co-researchers were Matt Bradshaw, Ph.D., assistant professor
of sociology, and Kevin Dougherty, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology,
both in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences.
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