Dr. Anshul Gupta, a workplace spirituality researcher, HR professional, and founder of The Corporate Spirituality, has spent more than seven years studying how meaning, purpose, and human values shape successful organizations. Through her MPhil and PhD research, she looked at an important question: Why do many employees feel less connected to their work, even when companies invest more in employee well-being and workplace benefits?
Many companies have better systems, better technology, and better ways to track performance than ever before. Yet problems like burnout, low employee engagement, high attrition, and lack of trust continue to grow. Dr. Gupta believes that while modern management has an important role, traditional Indian management values can also add useful ideas. Her research focuses on workplace spirituality, a unique construct in the modern management, promoting Spiritual Human Resource Management. A lot of its principles can be found in long lost and forgotten traditional Indian wisdom too.
When Work Loses Its Sense of Purpose
Work has become faster and more demanding. Employees spend much of their time meeting deadlines, achieving targets, and handling constant change.
Companies measure output, sales, and performance, but they rarely ask a simple question: Do employees find meaning in their work?
When people lose that sense of purpose, they often do only what is expected of them. Over time, this can reduce trust, commitment, and long-term loyalty.
What Traditional Indian Values Can Teach Organizations
Dr. Gupta’s research shows that people want more than a salary. They also want purpose, respect, healthy relationships, and a feeling that their work has value.
Many traditional Indian values also speak about responsibility, ethical behaviour, self-awareness, and working for the good of the larger group. While these ideas came from a different time, they still have value for organizations trying to build stronger workplace cultures.
This does not mean companies should replace modern management practices. Instead, these values can add a human side that many workplaces are missing.
Turning Workplace Values Into Daily Practice
One clear lesson from workplace spirituality research is that people perform better when they understand why their work matters.
Organizations can also benefit by building trust, encouraging teamwork, and creating a culture where employees feel respected.
Leaders who act with honesty, empathy, and self-awareness are often more successful in earning the trust of their teams. These qualities are supported by modern leadership research and also reflect many traditional Indian values.
When employees feel valued as people instead of only workers, they are more likely to stay committed to the organization.
What Workplace Spirituality Really Means
Many people think workplace spirituality is linked to religion. That is a common misunderstanding.
Workplace spirituality is about helping employees find meaning in their work, build healthy relationships with colleagues, and feel that their personal values match those of the organization.
Research shows that when people experience this sense of purpose and belonging, organizations often see better teamwork, stronger trust, higher engagement, and greater commitment.
Why Self-Awareness Makes Better Leaders
Dr. Gupta’s research also highlights the value of self-awareness in leadership. Leaders who understand their own thoughts, emotions, strengths, and limits are often better able to support their teams during change.
Many traditional Indian values also place importance on self-discipline, ethical behaviour, and leading by example. Although these ideas come from different sources, they point to the same message: good leadership begins with understanding yourself.
Creating Organizations That Grow With Their People
Many workplace problems cannot be solved by technology, policies, or processes alone. Organizations also need to build trust, purpose, respect, and healthy relationships.
Workplace spirituality gives one research-based way of thinking about these issues. At the same time the startup-Thecorporatespirituality.com is the only firm currently in India measuring these principles of workplace spirituality and connecting it to companies bottom line. They have quantified the intangibles and made it part of companies’ balance sheet.
When organizations combine strong business practices with these human values, they are more likely to build workplaces where both people and business can grow together.
About the Author
Dr. Anshul Gupta is a workplace spirituality researcher, HR expert, executive coach, and founder of The Corporate Spirituality. She holds a Doctorate in Human Resources and has spent years researching the role of meaning, values, and purpose in organizational success. She is the author of The Spiritual Indian Corporate and The Corporate Spirituality. Through consulting, leadership coaching, and certification programs, she helps organizations build more human-centered workplaces.
