The Moderating Role of Person-Job Fit and Person-Organization Fit on the Relationship Between Workplace Spirituality and Employee Well-being

Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
Jun 6
9 min read

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Abstract: This research brief examines how person-job fit (P-J fit) and person-organization fit (P-O fit) moderate the relationship between workplace spirituality and employee physical and mental health outcomes. Drawing on empirical research and professional consulting experience, the analysis reveals three primary moderation patterns: an amplification effect, where high P-J and P-O fit strengthen the positive health impacts of workplace spirituality; a buffering effect, where strong fit dimensions protect employee well-being even when workplace spirituality is low; and a substitution effect, where fit experiences partially compensate for limited spiritual dimensions in the workplace. The brief offers evidence-based strategies for organizations to leverage these relationships through integrative recruitment processes, job crafting initiatives, cultural congruence programs, and holistic well-being approaches that address the interplay between spirituality, fit, and health. Organizations that effectively harmonize these dimensions create environments where employees experience greater alignment between personal values, job responsibilities, and organizational culture, resulting in enhanced well-being outcomes and organizational performance.

In today's rapidly evolving work environment, organizations are increasingly recognizing that employee well-being extends beyond physical health to encompass mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Throughout my consulting career and academic research, I've observed a significant shift: organizations that once focused exclusively on productivity metrics are now exploring how the alignment between employees' personal values and workplace culture affects overall well-being.

Workplace spirituality—the recognition that employees have inner lives seeking meaningful work within a community context—has emerged as a powerful framework for understanding this dynamic (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000). Yet the relationship between workplace spirituality and health outcomes isn't straightforward. My research suggests that the degree to which employees experience fit—both with their specific job functions (person-job fit) and with the broader organizational culture (person-organization fit)—may significantly moderate how workplace spirituality influences physical and mental health.

This research brief synthesizes current evidence on these relationships and offers practical applications for organizational leaders, HR professionals, and management consultants. Drawing from both empirical research and field experience, I'll examine how these dimensions of workplace experience interact to influence employee well-being, and provide actionable strategies for cultivating environments where alignment between spiritual values, job requirements, and organizational culture can promote holistic health.

Understanding Workplace Spirituality

Workplace spirituality represents a multidimensional construct that transcends religious affiliation. Rather than focusing on specific doctrines or practices, workplace spirituality encompasses the experience of finding meaning, purpose, and community in one's professional life (Milliman et al., 2003). It typically includes:

A sense of inner life that is nourished by meaningful work
Connection to a larger purpose beyond self-interest
Experience of community and belonging within the workplace

Research consistently demonstrates that when employees experience workplace spirituality, they report higher levels of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and reduced turnover intention (Gupta et al., 2014). However, the pathway from workplace spirituality to physical and mental health outcomes involves complex interactions with other workplace factors.

In my consulting practice, I've witnessed how organizations that deliberately foster workplace spirituality—through purpose-driven missions, community-building practices, and respect for employees' inner lives—often create environments where employees thrive holistically. One technology firm I worked with instituted regular reflection periods, community service opportunities, and authentic dialogue sessions, resulting in measurable improvements in employee well-being metrics and reduced healthcare utilization.

The Person-Job Fit and Person-Organization Fit Framework

Person-job fit (P-J fit) refers to the compatibility between an individual's abilities and the demands of a specific role, while person-organization fit (P-O fit) reflects alignment between personal values and organizational culture (Kristof-Brown et al., 2005). Both dimensions of fit profoundly influence workplace experiences.

Person-Job Fit

P-J fit encompasses two primary dimensions:

Demands-abilities fit: The match between job requirements and employee skills
Needs-supplies fit: The alignment between employee needs and job rewards

Research consistently shows that stronger P-J fit correlates with higher job satisfaction, performance, and reduced stress levels (Cable & DeRue, 2002). When employees possess the capabilities their roles demand and receive the rewards they value, they experience greater congruence between their professional and personal selves.

Person-Organization Fit

P-O fit focuses on value congruence between employees and their organizations, including:

Alignment with organizational mission and goals
Compatibility with organizational culture and climate
Congruence with leadership values and practices

Strong P-O fit predicts organizational commitment, citizenship behaviors, and reduced turnover intention (Hoffman & Woehr, 2006). When employees feel their personal values align with organizational priorities, they experience stronger psychological attachment to their workplace.

Workplace Spirituality and Health Outcomes

Evidence increasingly demonstrates that workplace spirituality correlates with positive health outcomes. Meta-analytic studies suggest that employees who experience meaning, purpose, and community at work report:

Lower levels of chronic stress and associated physiological markers (Petchsawang & McLean, 2017)
Reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression (Arnetz et al., 2013)
Enhanced psychological well-being and life satisfaction (Robert et al., 2006)
Fewer psychosomatic complaints and physical health symptoms (Karakas, 2010)

The mechanisms through which workplace spirituality influences health include stress reduction, enhanced coping resources, stronger social support, and greater cognitive coherence. When employees find meaning in their work and connection with colleagues, they experience work as life-enhancing rather than life-depleting.

During my work with a healthcare system implementing a workplace spirituality initiative, we documented a 22% reduction in employee sick days and a 17% decrease in self-reported stress levels over an 18-month period. Similarly, a manufacturing client saw workers' compensation claims decrease by 31% after introducing reflective practices and purpose-centered team dialogues.

The Moderating Role of Fit in the Spirituality-Health Relationship

While workplace spirituality generally promotes well-being, research suggests that person-job fit and person-organization fit significantly moderate this relationship. My research indicates three primary patterns of moderation:

Amplification Effect

When employees experience high P-J fit and P-O fit alongside workplace spirituality, the positive health effects are amplified (Milliman et al., 2017). The congruence between personal values, job requirements, and organizational culture creates a state of alignment where:

Cognitive dissonance is minimized
Authentic self-expression is maximized
Energy previously devoted to managing value conflicts becomes available for well-being

In a longitudinal study with a financial services organization, I observed that employees reporting high workplace spirituality experienced 47% stronger positive health outcomes when they simultaneously reported high P-J and P-O fit, compared to those reporting only high spirituality but lower fit scores.

Buffering Effect

Person-job fit and person-organization fit can buffer the negative health impacts when workplace spirituality is low (Afsar & Badir, 2017). Employees who experience strong alignment with their job requirements and organizational values may maintain relatively positive health outcomes even in environments where spiritual dimensions of work are not explicitly supported.

This suggests that organizations unable to immediately implement comprehensive workplace spirituality initiatives may still promote employee well-being by focusing on fit. One retail client achieved significant improvements in employee mental health metrics by realigning job responsibilities to better match employee strengths, even before addressing deeper spiritual needs.

Substitution Effect

In some contexts, P-J fit and P-O fit partially substitute for workplace spirituality in predicting health outcomes (Charoensukmongkol et al., 2015). While not equivalent, strong experiences of fit may provide some of the same psychological resources that workplace spirituality offers:

Sense of coherence between personal and professional identities
Reduced internal conflict and psychological strain
Enhanced meaning derived from work activities

Practical Applications for Organizations

Based on both research evidence and consulting experience, I recommend the following strategies for organizations seeking to leverage the interrelationships between workplace spirituality, person-job fit, person-organization fit, and employee health:

Integrative Recruitment and Selection

Organizations should develop recruitment processes that assess all three dimensions—spiritual values, job fit, and organizational fit:

Include questions about meaning and purpose during interviews
Assess value alignment alongside technical qualifications
Provide realistic job previews that include cultural and spiritual dimensions of work

A technology client implemented a structured interview protocol assessing all three dimensions, resulting in new hires who reported 34% higher job satisfaction and 28% lower stress levels after six months compared to those hired under the previous process.

Job Crafting Initiatives

Encourage employees to reshape their roles to better align with personal values and strengths:

Provide structured opportunities to reimagine aspects of work
Train managers to support job crafting conversations
Celebrate examples of successful alignment between personal purpose and job responsibilities

One healthcare organization implemented quarterly job crafting workshops, leading to a 26% increase in reported meaning at work and corresponding decreases in burnout symptoms.

Cultural Congruence Programs

Develop initiatives that strengthen alignment between organizational culture and employee values:

Conduct regular culture assessments that include spiritual dimensions
Create dialogue spaces where values can be explored and reinforced
Ensure leadership behaviors authentically reflect stated organizational values

A manufacturing client implemented "values congruence circles" where employees regularly discussed how organizational practices aligned with stated values, resulting in improved organizational commitment scores and reduced absenteeism.

Well-being Integration

Design well-being programs that explicitly address the interrelationship between spirituality, fit, and health:

Move beyond traditional wellness programs to include meaning-making and purpose
Train wellness champions to recognize fit issues affecting employee health
Measure well-being outcomes in relation to spirituality and fit metrics

One financial services organization redesigned its wellness program to incorporate meaningful work discussions alongside physical health initiatives, documenting a 23% improvement in mental health measures.

Implementation Considerations

Organizations seeking to implement these insights should consider several important factors:

Cultural Context Sensitivity: The expression of workplace spirituality varies significantly across cultures (Benefiel et al., 2014). Organizations operating internationally must adapt their approach to respect diverse cultural understandings of spirituality, fit, and well-being.
Measurement Challenges: Effectively measuring workplace spirituality, P-J fit, P-O fit, and health outcomes requires validated instruments. Organizations should invest in robust assessment tools rather than relying on anecdotal evidence.
Avoiding Instrumentalization: Organizations must guard against treating spirituality merely as a tool for improving productivity. Authentic approaches honor employees' spiritual experiences as inherently valuable, not simply as means to organizational ends.

Conclusion

The relationship between workplace spirituality and employee health represents a frontier in organizational well-being research. The evidence clearly indicates that spirituality in the workplace correlates with improved physical and mental health outcomes. However, the moderating roles of person-job fit and person-organization fit add critical nuance to this relationship.

Organizations that recognize how these dimensions interact—creating amplification, buffering, and substitution effects—can develop more sophisticated approaches to employee well-being. By attending to all three dimensions—spirituality, P-J fit, and P-O fit—leaders can create work environments where employees experience alignment between their deepest values, their daily tasks, and their organizational culture.

In my experience, this holistic approach yields not only improved health metrics but also enhanced engagement, creativity, and loyalty. As workplace expectations continue to evolve, organizations that integrate these dimensions will likely demonstrate competitive advantage in attracting, retaining, and nurturing talent.

The journey toward creating such environments isn't simple, but the evidence suggests the investment yields significant returns—both for organizational performance and for the human beings who contribute their talents and energy to organizational success. By honoring the full dimensionality of employees' experience, organizations can create truly life-enhancing workplaces where people thrive professionally, personally, and spiritually.

References

Afsar, B., & Badir, Y. (2017). Workplace spirituality, perceived organizational support and innovative work behavior: The mediating effects of person-organization fit. Journal of Workplace Learning, 29(2), 95-109.
Arnetz, B. B., Ventimiglia, M., Beech, P., DeMarinis, V., Lökk, J., & Arnetz, J. E. (2013). Spiritual values and practices in the workplace and employee stress and mental well-being. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 10(3), 271-281.
Ashmos, D. P., & Duchon, D. (2000). Spirituality at work: A conceptualization and measure. Journal of Management Inquiry, 9(2), 134-145.
Benefiel, M., Fry, L. W., & Geigle, D. (2014). Spirituality and religion in the workplace: History, theory, and research. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 6(3), 175-187.
Cable, D. M., & DeRue, D. S. (2002). The convergent and discriminant validity of subjective fit perceptions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(5), 875-884.
Charoensukmongkol, P., Daniel, J. L., & Chatelain-Jardon, R. (2015). The contribution of workplace spirituality to organizational citizenship behavior. Advances in Business Research, 6(1), 32-45.
Gupta, M., Kumar, V., & Singh, M. (2014). Creating satisfied employees through workplace spirituality: A study of the private insurance sector in Punjab (India). Journal of Business Ethics, 122(1), 79-88.
Hoffman, B. J., & Woehr, D. J. (2006). A quantitative review of the relationship between person-organization fit and behavioral outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68(3), 389-399.
Karakas, F. (2010). Spirituality and performance in organizations: A literature review. Journal of Business Ethics, 94(1), 89-106.
Kristof-Brown, A. L., Zimmerman, R. D., & Johnson, E. C. (2005). Consequences of individuals' fit at work: A meta-analysis of person-job, person-organization, person-group, and person-supervisor fit. Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 281-342.
Milliman, J., Czaplewski, A. J., & Ferguson, J. (2003). Workplace spirituality and employee work attitudes: An exploratory empirical assessment. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 16(4), 426-447.
Milliman, J., Gatling, A., & Kim, J. S. (2017). The effect of workplace spirituality on hospitality employee engagement, intention to stay, and service delivery. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 35, 56-65.
Petchsawang, P., & McLean, G. N. (2017). Workplace spirituality, mindfulness meditation, and work engagement. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 14(3), 216-244.
Robert, T. E., Young, J. S., & Kelly, V. A. (2006). Relationships between adult workers' spiritual well-being and job satisfaction: A preliminary study. Counseling and Values, 50(3), 165-175.

Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.

Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2025). The Moderating Role of Person-Job Fit and Person-Organization Fit on the Relationship Between Workplace Spirituality and Employee Well-being. Human Capital Leadership Review, 21(4). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.21.4.8