Religious Diversity at Work: The Perceptual Effects of Religious Discrimination on Employee Engagement and Commitment

Abstract

As the workforce is becoming more diversified in terms of culture, ethnicity, and religion, many individual values are carried over to the workplace. Now, in the post-9/11 world, employees working in religiously diverse organizations might be prone to increased interpersonal conflicts and misunderstandings because of their religious affiliation. Yet, exploring the effects of religious diversity in organizations is still in its embryonic stages. This study investigated the perceptual effects of perceived religious discrimination on employee work-related behaviors, mainly commitment and engagement. The study surveyed 548 employees working in religiously diverse organizations. The findings suggested that when workers perceive religious discrimination in their organization, their commitment and engagement are affected. It is recommended that managers in general and specifically human resource managers devise strategies and develop management interventions to mitigate the negative organizational and personal consequences of religious discrimination in the workplace. Further studies should assess the effects of employees’ perceived religious discrimination on other behavioral outcomes. Keywords: Employee Engagement, Commitment, Religious Discrimination, Religious Diversity To cite this document: Leila Canaan Messarra, "Religious Diversity at Work: The Perceptual Effects of Religious Discrimination on Employee Engagement and Commitment", Contemporary Management Research, Vol.10, No.1, pp.59-80, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/cmr.12018