The Effects of Spiritual Expression at Work During the Covid-19 Crisis: Evidence from a Hospital

Abstract

This paper aims to explain the effects of spirituality at work on organizational commitment during the Covid-19 pandemic. In detail, it investigates whether the active part of spirituality at work, called spiritual expression, has a positive influence on organizational commitment in a hierarchically organized private hospital. In addition, it explores whether the sense of belonging at work mediates spiritual expressions and a person’s commitment towards the employer during times of severe crisis. We test our hypotheses on a range of healthcare personnel, including doctors, nurses, physicians, administrators, managers, and cleaning staff. Drawing on quantitative data of more than one third of the employees of that private Austrian hospital (n=96) and on insights from 12 qualitative interviews over a per¬iod of four months during spring 2021, we find strong evidence that spiritual expression at work is directly related to belonging and indirectly related to organizational commitment through belonging. Furthermore, our study provides insights on how to facilitate spiritual expression at work in order to increase flexibility and resilience in the healthcare sector.