Inside the growing movement to recognize religion as a core part of workplace diversity.

Inarguably, it’s been a weird decade so far culturally speaking, not only in America but globally, with popular sentiment, public policy and corporate positions on the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion swinging like a giant pendulum all over the social spectrum. And where it will land, nobody knows.

However, as debate continues, there are a few positions that have clearly and firmly galvanized, such as overwhelming support for people‑centric principles in business, which we actually formed our center to support and promote. And one of those is a stalwart support and respect for faith in the workplace. That was a surprise to many considering how faith was once so taboo that it was not even mentioned in the workplace.

However, after what seemed like a downward trend in the latter part of the 20th century and the beginning of this one to tamp down on the expression of faith in the public square, companies nowadays are not just allowing but encouraging expressions of faith along with other personal beliefs in the workplace, and are supporting it in many other ways as well.

The Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Index (REDI) measures this kind of support each year based on 11 best‑practice indicators, ranging from employee faith‑based resource groups (ERGs), observance of holy days and dietary accommodations to external transparency and inter‑company sharing of inclusion strategies.

Its data shows a significant rise in support, with the average company score rising from 3.6 in 2024 to 4.2 in 2025 — more than double the average in 2022 — with 92% of surveyed companies now formally recognizing faith‑oriented ERGs. These ERGs include communities for Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, interfaith groups, atheist and humanist groups. All participating firms even integrate religion into HR training, and a quarter offer chaplaincy services. Additionally, donation‑matching programs have become more inclusive, with 58% of companies extending them to religious nonprofits. Every company acknowledged religious holidays, with more than half doing so both internally and externally.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of some of the key statistics from the REDI Index survey:

• Seventy-five percent of their websites mention religion and/or describe how religion is part of their workplace.
• Ninety-two percent have formally approved faith‑ and/or belief‑oriented employee resource groups (ERGs) or other such official employee‑led groups whose aim is to foster a welcoming, faith‑friendly workplace aligned with the company’s purpose.
• Ninety-two percent described their practices related to faith‑oriented ERGs or other faith‑oriented activities to other companies.
• One hundred percent address religion (including faith and belief) as a topic in their internal HR training.
• Twenty-five percent provide professional chaplaincy services to serve their employees, while an additional 50% provide other spiritual care opportunities.
• Ninety-two percent seek to understand the faiths and beliefs of their clients and stakeholders.
• Eighty-eight percent report that their employees participated in related external professional conferences or faith‑related professional events.
• Fifty-eight percent match employee donations to faith‑based and religious organizations.
• All report celebrating or honoring holy days of their employees.

You can see the full report here: 2025 Faith-Friendly Workplace Report Fortune 500 (email FINAL Updated).pdf

REDI Founder Brian Grim, Ph.D., has been tracking this shift, noting that businesses are embracing diversity practices that go beyond legal requirements to accommodate religion in the workplace. This movement aligns with the growing emphasis on allowing employees to bring their “whole selves” to work, fostering environments of mutual respect and inclusion.

Grim founded the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation in 2014, a nonpolitical, nonpartisan group that is not affiliated with any one faith but works to help organizations incorporate religious diversity into their corporate values and programs because Grim believes “the economic value and social benefits of robust religious diversity and liberty for all are tremendous.”

The bottom line is that in the United States, an increasing number — about 83% of adults — believe in God or a universal spirit, while globally, studies indicate that more than 80% of the population identifies with a religious group. And respecting those beliefs and values is a crucial component of any real push for diversity and inclusion for a whole lot of reasons that directly serve the well‑being and real value of the company, such as enhanced employee engagement and well‑being when employees feel their beliefs are respected. Faith‑friendly policies also contribute to a sense of belonging and psychological safety.

It creates a stronger workplace culture because religious inclusion fosters respect and a greater understanding among employees from diverse backgrounds, strengthening company culture and promoting unity. Companies acknowledging religious diversity also attract greater talent from various backgrounds, and employees are more likely to stay in workplaces that accommodate their personal values. Encouraging open discussions about faith and beliefs also fosters more creativity, collaboration and greater innovation because employees feel free to be themselves at work.

None of this really comes as a big surprise to us at the Center for Social Capital (www.socapcenter.com) since we have been tracking and reporting on this for several years now. In fact, our feature on it as one of our 10 seminal principles of people‑centric leadership has been consistently one of our most read articles — in a business publication to boot.

However, what has been surprising to us to some degree has been the challenge we have had getting CEOs to go on the record about this. In spite of the hundreds of companies supporting faith in many different forms in the workplace, getting anybody to agree to be quoted is a struggle.

So, we are especially grateful for the CEOs below — those who have talked to us in the past, those whose company websites lay out their policies and programs, and those who continue to share new thoughts with us.

Since the Center for Social Capital is all about the value of people‑centric leadership, we once again bring attention to this core principle of faith at work by highlighting a few of the major companies that are leading the way to respect faith at work.

Final note: Last year (2025), the index awarded Accenture as the most faith‑inclusive company in their index for the third year in a row, which is one of the reasons we continue to include them most prominently in our roundup here.

But to all those companies that proudly state their commitment to faith either in corporate pages or with the pronounced words of their leaders who supplied us with the quotes below, we are especially grateful.

Julie Sweet, Chair & CEO at Accenture

The Accenture website calls attention to the importance the company and its leadership place on this aspect of its culture, stating, “Under the very purposeful guidance of Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture, [Accenture] has emphasized [and] has fostered interfaith dialogue through initiatives like the Interfaith Employee Resource Group (ERG), which encourages conversations about faith in the workplace. It’s all part of Julie’s bedrock commitment to diversity overall (sic) and respect for diverse employee beliefs and equality overall.”

The website lists the following programs and policies:

• Interfaith Employee Resource Group (ERG)– Accenture has an Interfaith ERG, which provides a space for employees of all faiths and belief systems (including atheists) to engage in discussions about religion, spirituality and workplace inclusion.
• Faith-Based Events & Celebrations– The company hosts faith-related events, including Ramadan Iftar meals, Sabbath meals, Diwali celebrations, and prayer breakfasts, allowing employees to share their traditions and beliefs.
• Religious Accommodations– Accenture ensures that religious accommodations are built into its policies, empowering employees to request what they need to practice their faith comfortably at work.
• Commitment to Inclusion & Diversity– Accenture’s leadership actively promotes a workplace free from bias, ensuring that employees feel respected and empowered regardless of their religious beliefs.

Says Julie, according to Accenture’s website: “You can only have a culture of equality if you start with the belief that diversity matters, that it’s not only the right thing to do, but that it’s an important part of your business. You then have a commitment to actually have a diverse company. When I think about what steps that we’re taking at Accenture to build a culture of equality, I go right back to the research that we published that laid out a roadmap because it is the roadmap that we followed and it has three components. The first is leadership and that’s about having commitment from the top, setting clear goals, holding leaders accountable and being very clear that our commitment to diversity and to a culture of equality are a business priority, just like our other business priorities. The second component of that roadmap is about programs and policies and making sure you have the right ones in place and that’s everything from having the right Employee Resource Groups, to things like parental leave. And the third component, which is critical, is all about having the right environment, which means that people can come to work, they can bring their whole selves to work and that not only do we make sure that the great diversity of our workforce is reflected at our leadership tables, but that those who are at the leadership table, not only have a seat there, but they have a voice.”

Stephan Jacob, Co-Founder & Chief Global Officer at Cotopaxi

“The notion that ‘you can’t talk about religion at work’ never resonated with me,” says Stephan Jacob, Cotopaxi co-founder and chief global officer. Recognizing that faith and religion are deeply personal, he acknowledges that, while it can provide wonderful guidance, comfort and grace, it also has the potential to cause division. “To me, that is all the more reason to ensure that we provide a work environment at Cotopaxi where faith is not a taboo topic but is acknowledged as a contributor to a thriving team of diverse talent,” he says.

“For me, this starts with leading authentically by openly sharing lived spiritual experiences.

“I openly share that my family and I attend church regularly and find spiritual and emotional guidance in our faith. This is not a part of my identity that I wall off because it ‘does not belong in the workplace.’ I am mindful to share using ‘I’ language, not ‘you’ language that could be interpreted as judgment, advice or expectation. Religion is deeply personal and as such I volunteer my lived experience where appropriate, nothing more.

“As for physical manifestations of faith, we benefit from being a largely remote organization. That has its drawbacks but it does make it a lot easier for the team to live out any physical rituals and expressions of their faith.”

Haviv Ilan, Chairman, President & CEO at Texas Instruments

When Texas Instruments leadership transitioned from former CEO Rich Templeton — who continues with the company as chairman of the board — to president and CEO Haviv Ilan in 2023, the company continued its commitment to practicing diversity and inclusion — and faith is an important part of that equation.

Among the employee-led ERGs are three that are faith-based — Muslim Employee Network, Christian Employee Network and Jewish Employee Network — which were founded in 2001. These help build a bridge between different ideologies and provide the employees with opportunities to learn more about their colleagues’ beliefs and traditions. A few examples of faith-based events are “Religious Freedom and Inclusion Presentation – History of Religion in the US,” joint religious fundraising luncheons, religious panel discussions and visits to places of worship.

To support employees in living their faith, TI offers time-off flexibility around religious holidays and serenity rooms for prayers or worship. The serenity rooms at several of TI’s campuses are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to any employee and serve as a quiet space for prayer or meditation.

TI, as a global company, is well aware it has a workforce that represents a wide range of diverse worldviews. In offering faith-based ERGs, TI provides employees with opportunities to drive greater understanding across cultural boundaries.

John Goodbrake, Owner & CEO at Master’s Transportation

“At Master’s Transportation, our identity as a faith-based organization is reflected in our name and rooted in our mission: moving people forward. However, we recognize that our mission applies to everyone, regardless of their beliefs. We serve and support individuals from all backgrounds with the same level of care, respect and excellence,” says John Goodbrake, owner and CEO of Master’s Transportation.

“We practice tolerance of discussions of faith by creating a workplace culture grounded in mutual respect, open dialogue and compassion. While our faith informs how we lead, serve and grow, we never impose our beliefs on others. Instead, we aim to live out our values — integrity, service and dignity — so that our faith is seen in how we treat people, not just in what we say.

“By fostering an environment where all employees feel valued and safe to express who they are, we uphold the true spirit of our mission. This not only builds trust but also reflects how faith can work in all places, through kindness, empathy, and shared purpose.”

Expressing the company goal that employees bring their “whole self” to bear on their shared, mission of moving people forward, John explains, “We do not have a cafeteria, and the majority of people do not wear uniforms, so there is a great deal of diversity in dietary and clothing options that employees can decide for themselves, thanks to Master’s flexible policies. Additionally, our benefits package allows employees to use flexible days off to observe faith-based days. The new headquarters also features multiple reading and quiet areas for employees.”

And he makes an important note in observing that one of the greatest challenges in creating an accepting environment for faith diversity is the wide range of beliefs and practices that exist. “At times, we may not have a deep understanding of all faith systems, which can make it difficult to ensure that everyone feels equally recognized and respected,” he says. “What one person sees as an “accepting” environment might not feel that way to another, especially if their beliefs are less familiar or misunderstood. It requires humility, continuous learning and open communication to bridge those gaps.”

Despite the challenges, John believes the advantages are powerful. “At Master’s, we’re building a workplace where individuals are encouraged to let their faith inspire their work, to show how faith moves people forward and contributes to a thriving business. We have seen firsthand how faith-based values, such as integrity, compassion and service, lead to personal and professional growth.

“Master’s is a place to explore whether your faith can flourish at work and whether work can be a space for your faith. We believe it absolutely can — and should — be both.”