Religious identity in the workplace: A systematic review, research agenda, and practical implications

• Author: Denise M. Rousseau,Céline Rojon,Adrian Coyle,YingFei Héliot,Ilka H. Gleibs
• Date: 01 March 2020
• Published date: 01 March 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21983

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Religious identity in the workplace: A systematic review,

research agenda, and practical implications

YingFei Héliot

1

| Ilka H. Gleibs

2

| Adrian Coyle

3

| Denise M. Rousseau

4

|

Céline Rojon

5

1

Surrey Business School, University of Surrey,

Guildford, UK

2

Department of Psychological and Behavioural

Science, London School of Economics,

London, UK

3

Department of Psychology, School of Law,

Social & Behavioural Sciences, Kingston

University London, London, UK

4

Heinz College and Tepper School of Business,

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh,

Pennsylvania, USA

5

University of Edinburgh, Business School,

Edinburgh, UK

Correspondence

YingFei Héliot, Surrey Business School,

University of Surey, Rik Medlik Building,

University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2

7XH, UK.

Email: y.heliot@surrey.ac.uk

Abstract

We conducted a systematic review of relevant literature to address how religious

and occupational identities relate to each other in the workplace. We identified

53 relevant publications for analysis and synthesis. Studies addressed value differ-

ences associated with religion and occupation, identity tensions, unmet expectations,

and the connection of religious identity to well-being and work outcomes. Key vari-

ables in the connection between religious and occupational identities included per-

sonal preferences, the fit between religious identity and job-related concerns, and

the organization's policies, practices, and expectations. We highlight the personal and

organizational consequences of being able to express religious identity at work and

the conditions that promote high congruence between religious identity and its

expression in the workplace. From these findings, we develop a research agenda and

offer recommendations for management practice that focus on support for expres-

sion of religious identity at work while maintaining a broader climate of inclusion.

KEYWORDS

identity compatibility, identity conflict, diversity, identity, religion, work/nonwork identities

Being religious, being observant, being ultra-Orthodox is

something that is inside you in everything you do—in your

business, in your meetings, in your interactions, in your

food (Kleinhandler, 2016).

1|INTRODUCTION

Religious beliefs can profoundly affect how employees do their

jobs. In the United States, n early 80% of individuals are religiously

affiliated (Pew Research Cent er, 2015), and in England and Wales,

68% (Office for National Stati stics, 2012), suggesting a la rge seg-

ment of the workforce may iden tify with a religion. Yet, religious

identity in the workplace is often negl ected in human resource

(HR) theory and practice, making it a wor kplace diversity issue

prone to tension and conflict (Gebert et al., 2014). In 201 4, the

case of two Catholic midwives seeking to avoi d supervising abor-

tion procedures reached the U K's Supreme Court, which ruled

against them (BBC News, 2014 ). In 2017, in response to t he firing

of a Muslim receptionist, the Eur opean Court of Justice ruled that

workplace bans on wearing hijab s need not constitute discrimi na-

tion (BBC News, 2017). Recen tly in the United States, sev eral retail

pharmacy chains faced public bac klash after some pharmacist s

declined to fill prescripti ons they deemed against thei r religious

beliefs (Turesky, 2018). These ev ents have prompted media atten-

tion and public debate, pointi ng to potential conflicts betwe en the

expression of occupational and religious identities.

[The copyright line for this article was changed on 23 October 2019 after original online

publication.]

DOI: 10.1002/hrm.21983

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reprodu ction in any medium,

provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2019 The Authors. Human Resource Management Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hum Resour Manage. 2020;59:153–173. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrm 153

Religious identity is tied to an array of important workplace out-

comes. It can inform and enhance an individual's workplace decisions

and contributions when there is a clear connection between occupa-

tional and religious values and behaviors (e.g., Morrison & Borgen,

2010). On the other hand, tensions between religious and work iden-

tities can adversely affect employee well-being and other individual

outcomes (Ghumman, Ryan, Barclay, & Markel, 2013). Nonetheless,

the intersection of religion and the workplace is not widely studied in

either HR or organizational research (Lynn, Naughton, & Vander Veen,

2010). For this reason, there are calls for more investigation of the

relationship of religion with discrimination in the workplace

(Cantone & Wiener, 2017), work-related stress (Brotheridge & Lee,

2007), diversity practices (Gebert et al., 2014; Stone & Stone-Romero,

2002), and attitudes toward work (Stone-Romero & Stone, 1998).

We seek to advance research and practice related to workplace

diversity by analyzing a neglected facet of diversity research, religious

identity in the workplace. We do so through a systematic review

(SR) of the relevant though fragmented literature in management, psy-

chology, sociology, and occupational studies. SR is a “key methodol-

ogy for locating, appraising, synthesizing, and reporting the best

evidence”(Briner, Denyer, & Rousseau, 2009, p. 4). We undertake a

methodical examination of existing literature to synthesize available

evidence on the positive, negative, and neutral impact that religious

identity can have on workplace decisions and behaviors.

Our review makesfour contributions. First, through a systematic lit-

erature review, we advance understanding of the relationship between

work and nonwork identities and its implications for individuals, work-

groups, and organizations. Second, our review yields an organizing

framework that explicates the relationship between religious identity

and occupational identity in terms of the fit or congruence between

them. This framework helps identify the antecedentsand consequences

associated with this congruence and calls attention to the role of reli-

gious identity as an important workplace dimension with respect to

person-environment fit (c.f., Milliman, Gatling, & Bradley-Geist, 2017).

Through our review and resulting framework, we contribute to theory

and practice related to workplace diversity by explicating how, when,

and with what consequences religious identity is compatible or incom-

patible with the workplace. In doing so, we respond to Lynn et al.'s

(2010) call for research to address gaps in our understanding of work-

faith integration and its implications for organizations. Third, based on

our findingswe offer directionfor future research to stimulatemore sys-

tematic investigation of religious identity and its potential multilevel

workplace dynamics. Fourth, we expand the standard conceptualization

of workplace diversity by linking religious identity and its important

deep-level implications for diversity management. In doing so, we pro-

vide advice for practice regarding how to promote more inclusive orga-

nizationswith respect to religious and otheridentities.

In the sections that follow, we first define key terms, explicate the

connection religious and occupational identities have to the work-

place diversity debate, and present the specific questions that guide

our SR. Next, we specify our review methodology and detail our find-

ings. Finally, we identify a research agenda and the implications of our

findings for management practice.

2|DEFINITIONS, CONCEPTUALIZATIONS,

AND GAPS

Identity is variously defined across disciplines and intellectual tradi-

tions (Alvesson, Ashcraft, & Thomas, 2008; Miscenko & Day, 2016).

We define identity as how an individual thinks about, understands,

and judges her/himself as a social being. Identity incorporates the

interests, values, abilities, and norms a person ascribes to the self in

the context of a social role, such as the occupation of a professor or a

nurse or the religious faith of a Christian or a Muslim (Ashforth &

Mael, 1989; Tajfel & Turner, 1979). Narrowly formulated, the compo-

nents of identity are cognitive (Iam), evaluative (I value), and emo-

tional (I feel about). In a broader sense, identity has both content

(e.g., values and beliefs) and associated behaviors (e.g., routine prac-

tices; Ashforth, Harrison, & Corley, 2008; Tajfel & Turner, 1985).

Religious and occupational identities constitute a deep structure

comprised of both conscious and unconscious processes that underlie

the individual's broader self-concept (Rousseau, 1998), a self

concept both individually crafted and shaped by relations with others

(Breakwell, 2001; Dutton, Roberts, & Bednar, 2010; Tajfel & Turner,

1979). Although identity can be thought of as an individual's socially

shaped response to the question “Who am I?”, it also reflects a collec-

tive's answer to the question “Who are we?”(Horton, Bayerl, &

Jacobs, 2014).

Our conceptualization of identity draws upon social psychological

theories, such as theories of social identity (Tajfel & Turner, 1979,

1985) and self-categorization (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, &

Wetherell, 1987), collectively termed “the social identity approach”

(Haslam, 2004). According to social identity theory, people identify

with social groups and categories that fit their self-perceptions, pro-

viding a sense of pride and self-esteem. Social identities derive from

the social categories (e.g., gender, ethnicity, class, religion) with which

individuals identify. Self-categorization theory explicates the nature of

category membership (voluntary or prescribed), and its boundaries

(ingroups and outgroups). As argued by Brewer (1991) in her optimal

distinctiveness theory, individuals seek to integrate their various iden-

tities so that they experience both belonging (e.g., to important groups

like religions or ethnicities) and distinctiveness (e.g., to differentiate

their personal contributions and attributes from others). These social

psychological theories underpin our conceptualization of identity as a

coconstruction among communities, groups, and individuals.

Although identities differ in their content, all share the same fun-

damental processes (Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 1985; Turner et al., 1987).

In the workplace, many identities can exist in relation to careers,

teams, organizations, and occupations (Ashforth et al., 2008;

Miscenko & Day, 2016). We focus on occupational identity

(Ashforth & Mael, 1989; Skorikov & Vondracek, 2011)—the sense of

self as a member of a profession, typically via education, training,

and/or work duties (e.g., nurse or police officer). This concept is

broader than organizational identity (e.g., as a company's employee)

and more specific than work identity (i.e., meanings attached to the

self by the individual and others in the work context; Miscenko &

154 HÉLIOT ET AL.