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Religion and Work Reading List
Learn how to navigate religious diversity at work with a curated list of thoughtfully chosen articles, videos, and podcasts.
Religion is deeply personal, and it can feel awkward to broach it in official and business settings. However, it is critically important to acknowledge and engage religious diversity wherever we find it. As the stories in this resource show, engaging religious diversity in the workplace can produce a cascade of positive effects for employees, managers, customers, and even shareholders.
If you’re interested in creating a faith-friendly workplace but don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place. Inside this curated reading list, you’ll find data about the importance of engaging religious diversity in the workplace, stories about companies doing it successfully, and practical advice from experts.
We begin with data about religious diversity in the workplace. Then, we offer a few stories of religious diversity in action at Starbucks, Google, and Germany’s first Islamic bank. These are short, bite sized articles you can read whenever you have a free moment.
For those wishing to go deeper, we offer several suggestions for articles, podcasts, and video clips for those wishing to learn more about the involved but worthwhile process of engaging religious diversity. You’ll receive information about the role of religious diversity in creating a pluralistic society, the importance of building bridges across religious divides, and listen to a former Hindu and a retired Baptist chaplain model conversation across differing beliefs.
Finally, we have recommended reading (and listening) for those who are ready to act. This section of the resource highlights podcasts and lectures with practical advice for managers, tips for talking about religion at work, a conversation about bridgebuilding, a guide for making all kinds of events engaging and meaningful, and a Buddhist perspective on work.
Every article, podcast, and video highlighted is accessible and short enough to fit into your busy day. You’ll find excellent media selections designed to convince your colleagues that religious diversity is worth engaging, inspire your company to take it seriously, and give you the tools to make your workplace faith-friendly.
Did you know...
- Religious diversity is positively correlated with economic development.
- Religion contributes $1.2 trillion in value to the US economy every year.
- Companies that are religiously inclusive have higher levels of inclusion in other areas like race, gender, and sexual orientation.
This guide will help you dig deeper into how religious diversity shows up at work and how you can engage difference to turn your team’s diversity into an asset.
Read First
Eboo Patel writes about the vast potential for companies as they begin to “get religion.” (3-minute read)
Mya Jaradat tells a story of how religious diversity came to be valued at Google. (3-minute read)
Ali Aslan Gümüsay, Michael Smets, and Tim Morris tell the story of Germany’s first Islamic bank and the lessons it holds for organizations of all types. (7-minute read)
Megan Johnson, Amber Hacker, Michael Hill, and Eboo Patel share seven best practices companies should adopt to positively engage with and benefit from religious diversity in the workplace. (5-minute read)
Learn More
Building Bridges- Religions’ Role in Our Society
Eboo Patel describes his vision for a country in which religious practice helps bring unity and pluralism. (11-minute video)
Interfaith Cooperation: An Invitation for All Beliefs
Elizabeth Sink recounts how her religious and non-religious experiences have helped her build bridges across religious differences. (16-minute video)
Some Light Dinner Conversation (Interfaith-ish Podcast)
A retired Baptist military chaplain and a Hindu-turned-atheist discuss their beliefs as they model interfaith dialogue. (45-minute podcast)
Take Action
Want Proven Advice for Bridgebuilding? Be Humble and Curious
Journalist Mónica Guzmán discusses the role of curiosity and humility in dialogue across difference. (43-minute podcast)
Zen in the Workplace
Gerry Shishin Wick Sensei writes about the perspective his Buddhist faith gives him in his work as head of software development for Merriam Webster, modelling how faith can give us new perspectives on our work. (7-minute read)
Are Non-Christian Employees Represented in Your Holiday Policies?
Amber Hacker explains how Interfaith America approaches religious holidays for our employees. (3-minute read)
How to Talk About Religion at Work
Simran Jeet Singh discusses practical ways for leaders to welcome religious diversity in the workplace. (5-minute read)
Religious Literacy for Managers
Parth Bhansali discusses ways that managers can support their religiously diverse employees. (20-minute podcast)
Religious Literacy for Managers
Priya Parker talks about her experiences bridging divides through common experiences and gives tips to get more out of your gatherings. (10-minute video)
