Work as Livelihood Versus Sacred Service

Most workplaces don’t quite know what to do with faith. It often gets simplified, avoided, or treated as something too divisive to bring into professional life. Elaine Ecklund studies what happens when people try to leave that part of themselves outside the workplace, and what is lost when they do. Her research shows that faith is rarely just about religion. It becomes a window into bigger tensions around ethics, identity, belonging, and the struggle to feel fully present at work.

In this episode, Dart and Elaine discuss how faith shapes the experience of work, why workplaces often misunderstand religion, and what designing for people of faith can teach us about designing work for everyone.

Elaine Ecklund is a sociologist at Rice University and director of the Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance. She studies religion, work, science, and how people make meaning in everyday life.

In this episode, Dart and Elaine discuss:
- Why workplaces avoid conversations about faith
- What happens when belief stays hidden
- Faith as part of bringing one's whole self
- How people decide what is ethical at work
- The difference between personal and systems morality
- Why some people see work as a calling
- The risks of feeling called to work
- How minority identity shapes belonging
- Why discrimination depends on workplace context
- How churches shape ideas about work
- How religion and science overlap
- And other topics…

Elaine Howard Ecklund is the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences and professor of sociology at Rice University. She is also the founding director of the Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance. Her research explores how people’s deepest beliefs shape work, science, leadership, and civic life. She is the author of several books, including Religion in a Changing Workplace, Working for Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work, and Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values That Move Us Beyond Fear.

Resources Mentioned:
Elaine’s Books;
Working for Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work: https://www.amazon.com/Working-Better-Approach-Faith-Work/dp/1514011263
Religion in a Changing Workplace: https://www.amazon.com/Religion-Workplace-Scheitle/dp/0197675018
Why Science and Faith Need Each Other: Eight Shared Values That Move Us Beyond Fear: https://www.amazon.com/Science-Faith-Need-Each-Other/dp/1587434369

Connect with Elaine:
Official website: https://www.elainehowardecklund.com/
Rice University profile: https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/elaine-howard-ecklund
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaine-howard-ecklund/ 

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.