Silicon Valley’s Surprising Business Booster: Faith

Part two of a four part blog series. Read part one here.

The tech industry is afraid of Christianity. A recent episode of HBO’s hit series Silicon Valley put it this way: In Silicon Valley, you can be just about anything you want. “The one thing you CANNOT be is a Christian.”

And I get it. As an agnostic my entire life who experienced first-hand the hypocrisy of faith communities, I looked down on Christianity, too. Especially at work. But the tide is turning and the numbers are undeniable. The “Faith and Work” movement is sweeping across the tech industry. Luckily, it turns out there is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, integrating faith with work could very well be one of the biggest business boosters around.

Embracing diversity…mostly

I love my job as a technology director at Salesforce. I love the diversity of people I interact with and working for a company that’s passionate about equality. My whole life I’ve championed all forms of diversity…except one. Growing up in a strict religious community, I decided at an early age that faith was for the weak. The small-minded. The anti-intellectual. As a university English instructor, I allowed my students to write about any topic they wanted — except religion. And when I moved into high tech, I didn’t want faith anywhere near my workplace. Fortunately, that wasn’t a problem in San Francisco, the least church-going city in the United States.

Why was I so scared?

Like many, I’d been trained that religion was inescapably divisive. It led to the terrible things we all see on the news: riots, wars, bigotry, hate. And I’d experienced what it was like to be excluded because of faith. The only solution was to silence the topic entirely.

But all that changed

Then last year, out of nowhere, after a lifetime as an opponent of religion, I became what I feared most: a Christian. See my story here. And I was instantly exposed to a new perspective and surrounded by new people who were— to my great surprise — inclusive, intellectual, loving, and diverse. Not at all like the stereotypes I’d clung to. They were school teachers, scientists, leaders, and engineers. They were all of us. And I realized with a heavy heart that in my zeal to prevent divisiveness, I had judged many. I was a hypocrite.

Alone in the wilderness

This decision to follow Jesus was the biggest of my life. I desperately wanted to connect with someone at work — anyone — who understood the weight of it all. I felt alone. And with fingers trembling, I posted a very scary question on my company’s social network: “Would anybody like to pray with me?”

Coming out as a Christian in San Francisco

To my relief, someone eventually responded, and within weeks, two of us became five and then 20. The group is now over 250 with multiple prayer groups all around the world every week. Christians and seekers flocked to this safe haven of fellowship and prayer so quickly that I could barely keep up. “I thought I was all alone,” they said over and over. Sanjay teared up on the video screen at his first meeting: “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve wanted this….for thirty years.” Feeling safe to be yourself in a world where you’ve been hiding is like climbing out from under a mountain. The relief was palpable. One member confided:

“In the craziness of the work week, I come here and the masks come down. It’s the most important meeting of my week.”

Boosting morale and attracting talent

It wasn’t just the Christians who found fellowship. Muslims and Hindus and Jews all discvered relief vin their faith. I partnered with members from other faiths to help establish Faithforce, Salesforce’s 10th employee resource group. Faithforce is now a model for other companies around the world, destigmatizing faith in the workplace and attracting talent. An attendee at one of our intern events reported:

“There were interns from all around the world hearing about all of our Ohana groups, but the most asked question by far was: ‘Is there a Faithforce group in my location?’”

Many candidates are now looking for a company where they can meditate or pray or talk openly about their spiritual life.

“We’ve reached a tipping point,” says David Miller, director of the Princeton University Faith and Work Initiative, “where the conventional wisdom that you keep your spiritual side at home is about to collapse.”

Work and faith stats

Business Week reported that in 1986 only one conference on spirituality in the workplace could be identified. Now there are hundreds of Work & Faith conferences, along with tens of thousands of workplace prayer groups and Bible Studies. In Silicon Valley alone, over 70 companies have said “yes” to faith diversity, including tech giants like Apple, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Salesforce, Dropbox, Cisco, and more. The vast majority of tech companies have come to the same conclusion:

“If managed properly, sanctioning faith-based Employee Resource Groups can be an effective strategy for reducing religious bias and discrimination at work and improving talent attraction, retention and morale.” — Annual Tannenbaum Report

But what about the backlash?

I’m not sweeping this under the rug, it’s just that there hasn’t been much. In the past year and a half, I’ve encountered a total of two conflicts. One employee protested the presence of faith at work at all. Another used the Christians group as a forum to discuss politics. With both, we listened, opened a dialog, and clarified our Dos and Don’ts:

• Do: Acknowledge. Value. Celebrate.
• Don’t: Proselytize. Politicize.

Groups are open to anyone, but we never push. We also leave politics at the door.

Want to be part of this movement?

The most impactful movements begins with individuals. Here’s how you can get started:

1. Begin with prayer.
2. Find someone to join you.
3. Always be inclusive and align with company values.
4. As your group grows, consider meeting with your Diversity or HR leaders to discuss your group’s mission and its Dos and Don’ts.
5. Listen to others’ concerns; open a dialogue; share this article or your own research.

The time is now

More and more companies are discovering that faith doesn’t have to be divisive. On the contrary. When implemented thoughtfully, faith groups at work increase morale, improve retention, attract talent, and brand your company as a diversity leader. The benefits vastly outweigh the risks. And if you’re one of the many employees hiding in the shadows, I encourage you to stand tall in your faith. The industry is ready, and you’ll be surprised how many are waiting for someone just like you to “go first.” The time is now.

I’d love to hear from you!

1. In comments on this post, share what your company is doing to support faith efforts.
2. If you enjoyed this post, please share it on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
3. Have questions about faith? Check out a brand new church I’m helping to plant in Silicon Valley called Newsong (newsongsv.com) or follow #FaithReflectionsSW on Facebook.