Workplace Support for Spirituality and Burnout
Join the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab and Dr. Kerby Goff for a discussion of the recent research article “How Workplace Support of Religion and Spirituality Buffered Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic” (Sociology of Religion, 2025).
The article is available here; the abstract is as follows:
“The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing resource gaps, particularly in the workplace, often leading to burnout. Research shows that religious and spiritual resources buffer workplace burnout, but little research examines the impact of workplace support for religion and spirituality (R/S) on workplace burnout. Using a nationally representative survey of U.S. workers during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 1,492), we analyze the association of workplace support for R/S with workers’ frequency of burnout and how this association differs between essential and nonessential workers. We find that greater workplace support for R/S was associated with less frequent burnout, net of personal religiosity, support of a faith community, and general workplace support during the pandemic. We also find a greater buffering effect for essential workers, compared to nonessential workers. These findings underscore the importance of workplace support for R/S in mitigating burnout, particularly for those most vulnerable to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Learning Outcomes
We have indexed this webinar to the following learning outcomes, which should not be construed as endorsement of this event by either ACPE or BCCI:
ACPE Category D: Spiritual Care Interventions – Outcome 2: Use of Cultural, Religious and Spiritual Resources – Level IA – IA.14 – Demonstrate an understanding and initiate the use of spiritual resources that address spiritual wellbeing.
ACPE Category E: Professional Development – Outcome 5: Research-Based Care – Level IA – IA.25 – Demonstrate an awareness of how research is relevant to spiritual care.
BCCI Section I: Integration of Theory and Practice (ITP): ITP6 – Articulate how primary research and research literature inform the profession of chaplaincy and one’s spiritual-care practice.
Kerby Goff is Associate Director of Research of the Boniuk Institute at Rice University. He received his PhD in sociology from Penn State University in December 2022. He investigates the cultural causes and consequences of social conflict and change, particularly with respect to gender and race in religious contexts. His dissertation analyzes the emergence of the largest women’s movement of the 19th century, the Woman’s Missionary Movement. He also researches contemporary social movements and cultural conflict in education. His research has been published in Sociology of Education, Socius, Criminology, and the Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion, and he has written on the 2020 racial justice protests for The Monkey Cage blog at The Washington Post.
