Workplace Spirituality Among University Administrative Employees in Southeastern Georgia

AbstractWork engagement in the United States is reportedly below 30%, and a 4.6% decline in employee tenure with worker devaluation concerns university management in higher education. The specific management problem was university management’s lack of university worker’s knowledge concerning workplace spirituality’s influence on the lived experiences of university administrative employees who were unsatisfied, depersonalized, and devalued at a university located in Southeastern Georgia. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to identify and report the lived experiences of university administrative employees regarding workplace spirituality. The reciprocity theory was the conceptional framework in this study. The study research question addressed the lived experiences of university administrative employees regarding workplace spirituality in Southeastern Georgia. A convenience sample of 20 university administrative employees completed the interviews. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, transcribed, hand-coded, and analyzed. The study findings yielded 8 themes from 8 interview questions. These analyses indicated 11 of 20 participants agreed that spirituality provides purpose in the workplace contributing to a positive organizational culture. Fourteen participants believed that their spirituality brought about positive change in workplace spirituality and worker satisfaction. This study shows that workplace spirituality could increase productivity and enhance job performance quality among university workers. Implications for positive social change may exist for university management in higher education by spiritualizing the workplace to benefit the employee value system, organizational management, and stakeholders