Lesson video

Hello there.

My name is Mr. Robertson and I'm delighted to welcome you to this RE lesson today.

Today's lesson is in our unit, "Religion and Belief in the Workplace".

How do we work together?

And today's lesson is all about religion and worldviews in finance.

We're going to be thinking about a career in the finance sector and why it might be important to have a good religion and belief literacy.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain how and why religious literacy is important for people working in finance.

We have some key words today.

Our first word is dharma.

And by dharma, we mean the true essence of all living things.

We also have emotional intelligence, and by that we mean the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and effectively respond to your own emotions and the emotions of others.

We have the word finance, and by that we mean the management of money through mechanisms such as investing, saving, borrowing, and lending.

And finally, we have religious literacy, which is the knowledge of how religions, worldviews, and beliefs shape lives.

By the end of this lesson, I think you will be really familiar with all of these terms.

So this lesson has two parts and we're gonna start by thinking about religious literacy in finance.

So let's remind ourselves what is meant by religious literacy.

So having religious literacy means being able to understand and engage thoughtfully with religion and belief as it is lived and expressed in society.

Religious literacy includes understanding that different religions and beliefs, religious and non-religious worldviews are diverse and they change over time.

Religions and beliefs are part of an identity that many people may have in their jobs and in their social lives.

So let's think about the finance sector.

The finance sector is a major employer in the UK.

In fact, about one in 13 jobs in this country connect to finance.

Now, finance can include lots of different things.

It might mean investing and trading.

It could mean banking for individuals, companies, and charities.

It could mean accountancy and audit, it could mean risk management.

So it's a really varied career and there's lots of different pathways into finance.

So Laura and Jacob are gonna help us in this lesson.

They're discussing career choices and they're both considering working in the finance sector.

Laura says, "I want to work in finance.

I'm good at maths, and I think I'd be good at taking risks and hopefully getting rewarded for it.

" Jacob says, "I can see why you might also need to be good at negotiating as well.

I want to make deals and help my clients, but I don't think people skills are that central.

" I wonder what you think about Laura and Jacob's views.

I wonder who you think might be correct.

What do you know and what do you imagine might be important about working in the finance sector?

Well, I wonder what you thought.

Let's meet some more people to find out more information.

But before we do that, let's just check our understanding of the term finance.

I'd like you to select three areas that are included in finance.

We have A, risk management, B, investing in trading, C, manufacturing goods, D, accountancy and audit.

Think about what we've learned so far.

Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent, it's A, risk management.

B, investing and trading and D, accountancy and audit.

Fantastic work if you got that right.

Laura and Jacob's school is holding a careers fair.

It's a chance for them to interview some people to find out about the skills needed to succeed in the finance sector.

I wonder if you think having a good religious literacy would be useful for working in finance, and I wonder how and why that might be important.

Laura and Jacob meet Zahra at the careers fair.

Zahra works in finance in banking, and she has an agnostic worldview.

Laura and Jacob say to Zahra, "How did you get into banking and what knowledge and skills do you think are important for working in the finance sector?

" Zahra says, "I completed a degree in business studies, but it isn't just qualifications relating to maths that you need in the finance sector.

I work a lot in the UAE, or United Arab Emirates, and religious literacy has played a key role in my success.

Finance is really international, so it's important to know your clients.

" Interesting.

Is there anything that surprised you from what Zahra's said so far?

The UAE consists of seven Emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

We could see a map there and you could see that on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula, you've got the UAE and it's got some very famous cities in it.

Places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The official religion of the United Arab Emirates is Islam.

So Laura and Jacob say, "If finance is international, why do you need religious literacy and how is it relevant to banking?

" Zahra says, "In finance, you're making decisions about people's money and investments that will affect their future.

Relationships must be built on trust.

That means understanding other people, their beliefs and culture is essential.

Even though I'm not religious myself, we live in a world where 80% of people have a religious worldview.

" So I might choose words such as "trust" and "relationships" and "decisions".

What is the missing word?

Zahra says that relationships in finance must be based on.

Excellent, she said trust, didn't she?

Brilliant if you got that right.

Zahra explains how she uses religious literacy in her role.

She says, "During Ramadan, many of our UAE team will shift their working day hours to 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

This allows them to recharge after iftar, the meal eaten after sunset during Ramadan.

I also avoid planning major deadlines near Eid al-Adha, when families reunite.

Whilst it's true that business is international, people's beliefs can affect how and when they do business.

For example, in most Islamic countries, Friday is a day off.

My company has an online calendar which shows dates of all religious festivals and the times of the five daily prayers in Islam.

Meetings should not conflict with midday or afternoon prayers.

Even if you're working in the UK, knowing about different religions and worldviews will help you as finance is interconnected and clients could be international.

" So why does Zahra think it's important to have some good religious literacy?

Can you think of some practical things she says there?

So she talked, didn't she, about people in her UAE office working different hours in Ramadan.

She talked about different countries having different days off at different religious festivals and how, as it's such an international business, it's really important to know and understand this.

Let's just check our understanding so far.

I've got a true or false question for you here.

Finance companies could apply religious literacy by having a shared calendar containing the dates of religious festivals.

It's true, isn't it?

Because Zahra talked about her company doing that so they can understand when they schedule different meetings and making sure they don't clash with important festivals.

Brilliant if you got that right.

Okay, let's draw our learning so far.

Laura and Jacob were not initially sure how religious literacy was relevant to people working in the financial sector.

Using the interview with Zahra, can you describe three ways in which she said having good religious literacy meant she was more effective in her job?

You might wanna talk about some of the qualities she talked about as a person or some of the practical things she said as well.

And you can present that in different ways.

You can describe this, you can draw them.

It's up to you.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

So you may have said, "She talked about trust and relationships are really important in finance because you're being given responsibility for people's money.

So understanding a client's religion and beliefs can help build that trust and a strong relationship.

She also talked about finance being international, meaning you may potentially work in different countries or have clients in different countries, and in places like the UAE or other Islamic countries, it might be important to take account of closing on Fridays and different work patterns over Ramadan.

And of course other countries with different religions and beliefs will have different festivals as well.

So good religious literacy will ensure that scheduling meetings is done to avoid prayer times or religious festivals.

" Fantastic if you managed to pull out some of those things so far.

Well done.

In the second part of this lesson, we're gonna be talking about religious literacy and emotional intelligence.

So Laura and Jacob are discussing what they've learned so far.

Laura says, "I can see how religious literacy could be useful in finance now, but is it just enough to know about different religions and beliefs?

" Jacob says, "I wonder if there may be different values or ways of thinking that impact how people behave.

" I wonder what you think about what they're saying there.

Is religious literacy simply just knowing some stuff about different religions and beliefs so we can have meetings at different times and know about diet?

Or is there something about values and the way people might think that we might want to know about?

At the careers fair, Laura and Jacob met Hanuman Dass.

Hanuman Dass is the CEO of Go Dharmic, which is a movement for social change and he also works in the finance sector.

Laura and Jacob say, "To succeed in finance, do we just need to be aware and good with money and aware of clients' needs?

" Hanuman Dass says, "In a rapidly changing world, especially with the rise of AI, it's the things that make us human that will take us forwards.

I think emotional intelligence is critical to this.

A study from Harvard University said emotional intelligence is more important than IQ.

Relationships are central to finance.

" So what is Hanuman Dass saying there about what is really, really important?

So he's saying that it isn't just our ability to understand finance and being good with money that's important, but it's actually really important to create relationships.

And as Harvard said, the relationships you create are actually more important than your actual intelligence.

Laura and Jacob say, "What do you mean by emotional intelligence?

" Hanuman Dass said, "The financial markets are fast-paced.

I'm involved with investments on behalf of my clients.

To make good decisions, I need to be able to manage my emotions well and not panic.

I find meditation central to this.

It helps me return to my factory setting and have emotional balance.

" So why is meditation important to Hanuman Dass?

He talks, doesn't he, about financial markets being really fast paced and one of the jobs about working in finance is making good decisions and managing your emotions when all of these stressful situations are happening at once.

For him, he finds meditation a time when he can return to what he called his "factory settings" to be calm and balanced and then make better decisions.

Hanuman Dass gives an example from his own experience of the finance sector.

He says, "When I was younger, I was working as a consultant in a global exchange company and I made a mistake.

The senior manager was not happy and decided to draw attention to this error by sending an email and copying in the entire company.

This sent a huge amount of negative energy and I think it showed a lack of emotional intelligence.

" I wonder what you think about that scenario.

How could the manager have dealt with this better?

I mean, that was a pretty terrible situation, wasn't it?

It must have been really humiliating and scary for him to have that mistake shown to the whole company.

Perhaps the manager with a bit more emotional intelligence could have paused, thought about that and talked to him directly and helped him understand the mistake rather than humiliate him in front of everybody.

True or false?

Emotional intelligence is the inability to understand and manage emotions effectively.

Excellent, that's false, isn't it?

Because actually emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage emotions effectively.

Brilliant if you got that right.

Laura and Jacob continue the interview with Hanuman Dass.

They say, "How do you apply your values through your work in finance and also Go Dharmic?

" He says, "Dharma is at the heart of everything.

This ancient Indian concept helps us understand we are all connected.

The dharma of humanity is our purpose, and that purpose is to be humane.

Dharmic values of honesty, nonviolence, or ahimsa, and self-control help me show integrity through all my work.

" So this idea of dharma is central to Hanuman Dass, the idea that our human purpose is to be humane and that if we can live with values such as honesty and non-violence, we'll actually be able to work in everything we do.

And for Hanuman Dass, that's in his work in finance and his charitable work as well.

Hanuman explains how he applies these dharmic values in finance.

He says, "In finance there are high levels of responsibility.

There can be opportunities to be greedy or dishonest.

In Hindu philosophy, prosperity or artha is one of the goals of life.

Artha is essential for supporting family and contributing to society.

To gain wealth is a blessing, however, artha must be in line with dharma.

This means wealth should be earned honestly and used to help others rather than just selfishly.

" So what does Hanuman Dass say here about wealth in Hindu philosophy?

You might want to read this again slowly and carefully and see what he's saying it says philosophically and what that means for him practically.

So he's saying that to become prosperous is not problematic.

In Hindu philosophy, it's one of the goals of life because becoming wealthy, becoming prosperous, allows you to support people and contribute and it's seen as a blessing.

But that wealth must be done in line with dharmic values, which means being earned honestly, not through greed or dishonesty, and as well as supporting your family, being used to help others, rather than just keeping all that money yourself selfishly.

Laura and Jacob ask Hanuman, "How do dharma and finance connect?

" Hanuman says, "When investing, I apply the dharmic value of ahimsa.

I consider if the company supports the arms trade or the animal industry.

Just considering a monetary gain is shortsighted, I need to look at ways of not causing harm.

I'd be looking to invest in energy efficient companies such as wind or solar.

It's important for me to speak honestly with companies to help them transition rather than simply criticize.

" So you can see that in his work in the finance sector, Hanuman is guided by his values.

He's not simply making money at any cost.

He's thinking about the work he's doing and the impact that he can have and where he's working with companies that may not completely share his values.

He wants to speak to them and persuade them.

Hanuman summarizes his thoughts on dharma and emotional intelligence.

We are all connected to each other.

According to dharma, prosperity should be in the interests of the wealth of all beings.

If we're driven by anger or greed, we'll generate selfishness.

Meditation is a tool to balance the mind and make wise decisions.

Having integrity and honesty will make you a better and more successful person.

So Hanuman's argument is that being driven by values will actually make you a better, more successful person in the finance sector because you're considering and building trust and relationships.

And these dharmic values can be lived by anyone.

True or false?

The dharmic value of ahimsa would encourage Hindus to invest finances in military or arms trade companies.

It's false, isn't it?

Because the dharmic value of ahimsa or non-violence would discourage Hindus to invest in finance in military or arms companies.

Okay, let's draw all of our learning from this lesson together.

I want you to imagine that you're working for a company in the finance sector and your manager has sent you this email.

"Dear Laura, our client has asked to move the project deadline.

The deadline currently falls during an important religious festival.

They claim a large number of staff will be observing this festival and will be away from work.

This makes it difficult for them to meet the original date.

In my view, we should cancel the contract as they're clearly not up to the job.

Please email them immediately to tell them this.

I'm annoyed you didn't find this out before.

It would've saved us a lot of money and effort.

Don't let this happen again.

Josh.

" So this is the email that your manager has sent you.

I'd like you to read that again carefully and I'd like you to write a response to them, which shows good religious literacy and emotional intelligence.

How would you reply in a way that didn't create negativity with your manager, but also try to preserve the relationship with your client?

Think about this idea of trust.

Think about the reasons why the client wants to move the deadline.

How can you keep that client on board but also try and help your manager to understand in a positive way about the problems and how they could be overcome?

You probably want to work and talk with someone about this.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

So this is my response.

I wonder what yours was.

I've said, "Dear Josh, I'm sorry to hear that the client has asked to move the project deadline and I apologize for any inconvenience it might cause.

" So straight away here, I've used my emotional intelligence to try and apologize and admit that I've got some responsibility.

So I'm not gonna get angry with him and try to be too defensive.

"However, I do not think we should cancel the contract.

The festival only lasts a couple of days as an important part of the culture.

If we can move the deadline, it will create good relationships with the client and I'm confident we'll be able to make up time on the project.

If we can make this work, it may mean we attract new business in the future based on this relationship.

Regards, Laura.

" So you can see what Laura's tried to do here.

She's shown some religious literacy by explaining that the festival is only short, but it's a really important part of the culture.

She said that if we could do what they stated, we'd create a good relationship and that might mean more work in the future.

So Laura's trying to demonstrate why having good religious literacy and emotional intelligence could actually help the company financially in the future.

So it's not just about being nice to people, it's also about helping and doing the right thing as well.

And she's applying some of those values we talked about there, isn't she?

Second question is this.

I want you to imagine you're working for a company in the finance sector and a client has asked you for your advice about where to place their investments.

In the first interview, they say they want to make profit but have not talked about what is important to them.

Think about some of the ideas of dharma and the dharmic values that we learned about in our interview with Hanuman Dass.

What values might you suggest they think about in investing?

Should they just be purely motivated by profit or can you make any arguments for any other values they might need to think about?

And where do you think you might suggest to invest in?

And are there any areas you might suggest not investing in?

You may want to draw on that interview from Hanuman Dass to help you.

So you may have said something like that.

"Investing should be something done wisely.

It may not be best to think about quick profits, but having long-term values will be successful.

" You might advise that they work with companies that value people and the rest of the world.

So perhaps not investing in companies that relate to arms or the animal industry.

You might advise working with companies that are helping to make the transitions to help them slow climate change.

And you might work with possible investors to speak to them about their plans and encourage them to work in an ethical way.

So we're bringing some important values here that in finance, it may not just be about quick profits, but having relationships will make things successful in the long term.

You might want to get from the client what values they have and then you can advise them accordingly.

But also really important about the idea of working with companies over a long period of time and encouraging them to be more ethical rather than just being negative and shunting them away.

I wonder what you came up with.

So let's summarize our learning today.

We've learned that the finance sector is an important employer in the British economy.

We've learned that the finance sector is international and includes clients around the world.

We've learned that having good religious literacy will mean better understanding of how people do business around the world and the cultures in different countries.

We've learned that trust and relationships are critical to success in finance and that having good religious literacy and emotional intelligence will help you to make wise decisions.

I really hope you've enjoyed this lesson today and enjoyed learning about the connections between having a good understanding of religions and beliefs and being successful in this industry.

And I look forward to seeing you in another lesson soon.

Thank you.