Meaningful Workplaces: Reframing How and Where We Work

Spirituality and Work

Robert Putnam (2000) used a wonderful metaphor, “bowling alone,” for a phenomenon he observed in Western society. People are working the equivalent of more than a month more every year than they did a decade ago. Then they sit in their car in traffic for hours going to and from work, and then get home only to have to answer their cell phone or check email. Work is grueling, home life is hectic, and many people experience disconnect from friends, social activities, neighbors, and community life in general. Bowling has always been as much a socializing activity as it is a sport; most people would never think of bowling alone. Mitroff and Denton (1999), in their groundbreaking study of spirituality in the workplace, found ...