The Spring issue of The Public Relations Strategist, published by the Public Relations Society of America, has a fascinating cover story about the faith-at-work movement.
It’s titled “The merger of faith and work: Think religion and work are as separate as church and state? Not anymore.”
Across America, it says, there’s a growing trend to recognize and incorporate spirituality and religion in the workplace.
Religion, once a taboo topic at work, has come out of the closet and into the office in the form of gospel choir rehearsals, lunchtime prayer meetings, on-site chaplains and even “quiet rooms” for meditation.
It quotes David Miller, executive director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and author of the book “God at Work: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work”:
“The soul train is going through town. If you haven’t thought through a structured policy and appropriate training for your management, you’re going to make a misstep and find yourself on the back end of a lawsuit.”
In short, religion in the workplace is the next hot diversity issue.
This is such a great story, for so many reasons. It offers compelling visuals, like the photo that accompanies this article. It shows two Muslims, kneeling on the floor in their prayer room at work. They’re praying during work time.
The topic is also controversial. And it’s part of a trend.
If your company has religion-in-the-workplace policies in place, and has dealt with the issue successfully, let the local media, national media, trade journals and business journals know. (See “How to Use Business Journals to Tell Your Story.”)
Can’t think of stories to pitch about your business? In Chapter 5 of my ebook “How to be a Kick-butt Publicity Hound,” I offer 22 ideas that will have you pitching in no time. You can read them all right now for free, my way of giving you a taste of the book.