The employees at Intel and other employers who routinely practice their religion are better able to work together. Their productivity and commitment to their work are greater because they have a strong sense of what they’re missing when they’re absent. It’s an intriguing notion, but not a theory to test at home. Companies can do their work without taking a firm stance on religion, or encouraging employees to bring their entire selves to the workplace, or even creating a friendly, welcoming office environment where religious differences don’t make others uncomfortable. Instead, if you work for Intel, your job is likely to be outsourced, like it is at many of the company’s locations around the world.
Why Intel Makes Room for Religion
Gelsinger is not the first tech leader to make the connection between religious toleration and a healthy workplace. Steve Jobs and Apple’s culture is a prime example, and many major companies have tried to ride along. But many struggle to balance corporate imperatives and employee rights. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a “pray-in” clause in a 1993 California law that prohibited religious activity on public property, the CEOs of Yahoo, Motorola, and Microsoft held a conference on the issue. More than 200 business leaders turned out to discuss how their organizations were handling religion in their work cultures. “They see it as more than a PR issue,” says Wayne Besen, founder of the secular advocacy group Truth Wins Out, who was at that conference. The challenge is getting big corporations to care about such issues, says Phil Zuckerman, an associate professor at Pitzer College who authored The Secular Denial of Religion in the Workplace.
The Competition in the Market
In a telephone interview, Catherine Grim, CEO of the Institute for Corporate Leadership, which sponsors the event in which Intel is a sponsor, called the job description of a successful CEO the “opportunity to help people,” adding, “It doesn’t matter how big you are, how many people you employ.” A recent survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life in partnership with The Leadership Conference Education Fund (LCEF), found that the vast majority of Americans are very or somewhat uncomfortable with the thought of an employer asking candidates for their religious views. Among the attitudes held by adults ages 18 to 34, nearly half hold favorable views toward employers requesting religious views.
What Is Religious Freedom?
American companies are generally required by law to allow all employees to express their faith. But faith tends to be an inward focus–what people believe is private and matters only to them, not to the company. At Intel, “You can believe and work at the same time,” says Scott Jaschik, director of content at the Society for Human Resource Management. “And if you want to talk about it, you’re not taking something away from other people.” The School For Emotional Intelligence provides a training model to other companies–companies that may not be tech-heavy but nevertheless need to create a welcoming workplace culture for all employees. In keeping with the Grim mission, many secular companies invite religious groups to share their perspectives at leadership and management events.