Avoid Religious Discrimination in the Workplace As an employer, you are always seeking maximum efficiency and profitability. To do this, you know how important it is to hire the right people with the talent and experience that will help grow and develop your business. Just as important as hiring these people, is keeping them happy and satisfied. Employees will perform better when they feel appreciated and comfortable in the working environment you provide for them. Avoiding any kind of discrimination or other harmful tactics is absolutely critical in creating an environment conducive to productivity. One of the areas of discrimination that has become too prominent in workplaces around the country is that of religion. The government has take steps to help ensure that this type of discrimination is eliminated from workplaces so that people of all beliefs can have a chance to earn a living based on their talents and abilities rather than their religious affiliations. The effects of allowing religious discrimination to permeate your company can be devastating. The last thing you want to deal with is a lawsuit against your company by an employee that was discriminated against because of their religion.
New Guidelines The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has deemed religious discrimination to be similar to other types of discrimination in the workplace. Their Title VII policy has prohibited discrimination as is relates to religion for prospective employees as well as current employees who may be seeking promotions or pay increases. This provision also includes the intolerance of harassment of employees for their religious beliefs. In the past 20+ years, religious discrimination charges have more than doubled, so this is a real issue that the government is taking very seriously.
Religious Belief Defined There is a difficult distinction to make between religious beliefs and personal preferences. Basically, religious beliefs and practices include moral and ethical
beliefs as they relate to right and wrong. On the other hand, personal preferences are not considered to be religious beliefs. One example that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has given is the comparison of a Catholic employee that asks for a change to their schedule to attend services on Good Friday with another employee who wants to change their schedule to help decorate or prepare food for a church-sponsored event. The first employee would be an example of religious belief while the second would fall more in line with personal preferences. There can be a lot of confusion and miscommunication involved in trying to observe the policies that have been put in place and how they apply to your business. That is why it is important to really understand the nuances of discrimination and best practices to prevent it from being a part of your organization. You want to be sure you avoid the negative impact of legal problems so you can focus on the success of your business. In this day and age, the need for training employees to be compliant is necessary. WeComply provides online compliance training solutions and can help your employees be compliant with discrimination policies. Call us today and let us help you find a solution for your harassment training needs. Photo Credit: borissey , anitab0000