Fostering inclusive religious and spiritual working environment in Higher Education Institutions

With globalisation and internationalisation, there has been a continuous increase in the diversity of students and staff in higher education institutions globally. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to foster inclusive working environments which cater for the diverse religious and spiritual needs of staff. This chapter explores the differences between the concepts of religiosity and spirituality and argues that focusing on religion only may provide a rather limited perspective. Hence the chapter provides a persuasive discussion of the need to consider spiritual inclusion for higher education institutions to address religious and spiritual inclusivity. Some examples drawn from western countries such as the UK are provided to demonstrate some practical approaches that higher education institutions can adopt to develop inclusive religious and spiritual working environments. In addition, the chapter explores the benefits and challenges of ensuring religious and spiritual inclusivity, as well as the link between religious and spiritual inclusivity and organisational performance