Spirituality at workplace and its relationship with job satisfaction a study on public and private insurance sector in Punjab

Abstract

The importance of spirituality in the workplace is gaining recognition among researchers, academics, and business professionals. The Indian insurance sector is highly competitive and, as a result, stressful. Encouraging spirituality at workplace may help employees cope with the stress. In this light, this study framed four objectives to explore the relationship between spirituality at workplace and job satisfaction in public and private insurance companies in Punjab, India. This study also determined whether a significant difference exists between spirituality at workplace and job satisfaction among the employees of public and private insurance companies in India. During the research, some new factors affecting spirituality at workplace and job satisfaction were identified. Spirituality at workplace (the independent variable) was measured using four existing dimensions: meaningful work, sense of community, organizational values, and compassion (Ashmos and Duchon, 2000; Kinjerski and Skrypnek, 2006; Petchsawang and Duchon, 2009). In addition, three newly identified dimensions were used: work commitment, trust, and unbiased behaviour. Job satisfaction (the dependent variable) was measured using a short version of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (Weiss et al., 1967), which covers aspects like the work itself, supervisors, job security, company policies, growth of salary, working conditions, autonomy, and opportunities for growth. In addition to this, two new dimensions were also identified: working hours and customer loyalty. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between spirituality at workplace and job satisfaction across the entire insurance sector (public and private).