Influencing and supporting religious identity in the NHS
While the significance of religious identity within diversity frameworks is widely acknowledged, and its protected status recognised by the Equality Act 2010, the intersection of religion and workplace dynamics remains a relatively under-explored area.
According to an NHS Staff Survey in 2014, nearly 70 per cent of the NHS workforce was religiously affiliated, suggesting that a large part of the workforce identified with a religion.
Since then, Dr YingFei Héliot, Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour, has been investigating religious identity in the NHS workplace. Her research found high levels of religious discrimination and a lack of faith competency in the NHS, with staff reporting experiences of conflicts in decision-making, job performance, and poor wellbeing.
Funding for research
Wanting to explore this workplace dilemma further and to enable NHS staff to practise their faith safely whilst carrying out their roles effectively, YingFei received Economic and Social Research Council Impact Acceleration Account (ESRCIAA) funding to help address this issue. She worked with NHS Trusts:
- to raise awareness of religion and beliefs
- to give people of faith a voice in the workplace
- to challenge assumptions, and
- to provide learning and development specialists with a framework to address this complex issue.
Supported by NHS Employers, the membership-led body representing NHS trusts, YingFei worked with seven NHS Trusts across the UK. Through online workshops with NHS staff, she established shared experiences around faith in the workplace and engaged with HR managers to adopt new policies. It’s borne fruit….
Religious identity is an inherent facet of workforce diversity, one that organisations and managers should be prepared to address. The review finds fairly strong evidence that religious identity tends to be a net-benefit to an organisation and its members. My work highlights the sustained effects of religious identity on positive individual contributions such as citizenship behaviour, ethical conduct, and quality service to an organisation’s clients and customers. This project’s outcomes point to new opportunities for supporting religious identity in the workplace and reducing potential conflicts.
Prof YingFei HéliotPolicy change in Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust
YingFei has created significant policy change with Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust and continues to develop her work further in the UK with the NHS.
Further research and grants
As a direct result of her IAA-funded project, YingFei was awarded an NHS grant to conduct research into ‘Faith and Belief Networks in the NHS’ for NHS Trusts in England. Her latest achievement is a national NHS staff survey on faith and belief in the workplace, and her initial research findings have been published on the .
YingFei has recently been awarded a further small IAA grant, to co-create a toolkit from her ‘Faith Competency Framework’, with partner Brooklands Hospital, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust. This takes YingFei a step closer to creating a national resource for NHS Trusts to adopt when developing their faith and belief policies and processes.
Related sustainable development goals
