Introduction
Religion is a powerful aspect of a person’s life since it affects people’s views on life, their purpose in this world, and the individuals and ideas around them. It would be natural to assume that while studying and discussing workplace behavior, questions regarding religion would arise. However, this subject has been severely neglected. It has even been claimed that because workplace matters are so secular in nature, religion and the work environment cannot coexist (Saunders, Naser, & Alaali, 2022). However, because religion has such a significant effect on people, how it and its ways of thinking influence the workspace must be investigated and evaluated. In order to develop this religious assignment, the researcher consulted the Holy Bible (King James Version, 1769/2022).
Antecedents, Interventions, and Biblical Worldview
Antecedents, mediators, and interventions can affect the workspace and workflow in many ways. There are four types of antecedents: individual, group, job, and organizational (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2018). The individual type is of the utmost interest in discussing religious influences on workflow since it covers a person’s values. Mediators are presented in the form of both the shift from antecedents to misbehavior and manager interventions. Employee misbehavior caused by antecedents varies significantly, from social loafing and bullying to violence and sabotage. It can also appear not only in profit-aimed companies and plants but also in governmental institutions (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2018). The fact that misconduct caused by antecedents can affect different areas of human activity calls for more prevention-oriented approaches, as fixing the consequences of espionage would call for more than a fine.
From the management’s perspective, the most efficient way to deal with misbehavior is to point it out in the pre-employment stage. Job interviewers need to notice individual antecedents that can hinder job performance or clash with the company’s or organization’s goals or policies. In the case of management, involvement is inevitable; it can occur not only at the individual but also at the job, group, and organization levels (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2018). These interventions can come in the form of attempting to make a change or punishing the person faulty of misbehavior. Attempts to make a change are represented by training and education, as well as offering EAPs. Punishment concerns suspensions, sanctions, and dismissal or threats of dismissal.
Biblically, dealing with misbehavior appears to focus more on support and help than punishment. For example, in Galatians, Paul encourages love for another to be equal to a person’s love for themselves (King James Bible, 2022, Galatians. 5:14). His rhetoric heavily implies that good should not be done to serve the law, but with the purpose of serving another person. In the context of work environment and management, this supportive and compassionate approach to the upheaval of the law would correlate with the use of interventions and the handling of antecedents. The biblical view of the world also opposes punishment, according to Luke 6. In verses 27 to 49, a description of how to handle misfortunes and evil deeds of other people is provided. To deal with enemies is to love them and to be kind to them, to show compassion. It teaches us to forgive the enemies’ wrongdoing and accept them as loved ones (King James Bible, 2022, Luke. 27–32). A similar notion is implied when managers opt to use intervention or try to handle antecedents. The point of these approaches is to ensure that people who work there are safe and secure and provide stability and success for the organization.
Antecedents and Interventions as More Efficient Measures of Management
Dealing with antecedents and using interventions could be more efficient than administrating punishment after the fact. It is the case mainly because these are preventive measures that would not allow for detrimental outcomes of misbehavior. In addition, it has been shown that employees largely contribute a healthy working environment to the actions and faculties of their leaders (Widman & Strömberg, 2020). The leaders in this situation are the managers who decide to take preventive actions rather than letting the company or organization suffer the consequences of employee misbehavior. The punishment administrated to the offender indeed can mend the damage done to the company (for example, fines). However, it cannot provide a sufficient incentive not to repeat it that is not based on fear. In some cases, it can even further the influence of an antecedent or create one. Given that outcomes of misbehavior can lead to bankruptcy and lawsuits, the efforts put into combating antecedents and using interventions prove to be more beneficial.
Conclusion
In conclusion, religion and religious approaches can play a critical role in establishing a healthy work environment. Such concepts as antecedents, mediators, and interventions have the potential to affect the workplace environment in a plethora of ways. Given that the Biblical worldview stands for love and support to those guilty of wrongdoing and the ideas of forgiveness, it makes sense that preventive measures and interventions align with it. The damage done to the company or organization by an employee’s misbehavior can be much more costly than any intervention or action to combat antecedents. Therefore, these preventive actions are likely to be more effective than punishment for malpractice. Since this approach, which coordinates with Christian values, proves to be beneficial, the consideration for religious aspects within the workspace appears to be more essential than it has been given credit.
References
Ivancevich, J. M., Konopaske, R., & Matteson, M. T. (2018). Organizational behavior and management. McGraw-Hill Education.
Jha, P., & Bhattacharya, S. (2021), The impact of emotional intelligence and servant leadership on employee job satisfaction. International Journal of Innovation Science, 13(2), 205–217.
King James Bible. (2022). King James Bible Online. Web.
Saunders, B., Naser, H., & Alaali, F. (2022). Religion and its impact on organizational behavior. IGI Global.
Vidman, Å., & Strömberg, A. (2020). Leadership for a healthy work environment–a question about who, what and how. Leadership in Health Services, 34(1), 1–15.