Resources
Session Three: May 14, 2008
Struggling with Religious Diversity: Rekindling Respect
Following is a list of religious articles from various sources that have recently been in the news. These articles are examples of how religious diversity is prevalent in all workplace environments.
When God Goes to the Office
(Nation-wide) Mar 10, 2008 CNN/LifeWire
Rob Skinner did not expect to find a chaplain in the office when he started his sales job at Piedmont Air Conditioning in Raleigh, North Carolina. "I was a little worried because I didn't want God shoved down my throat," says Skinner, 38, a self-described liberal Christian.
Turns out Dwayne Reece, from the nonprofit, nondenominational Corporate Chaplains of America -- which provides Christian chaplains for companies that request them -- offered encouraging words instead.
Piedmont had hired him after the death of an employee, and it worked out so well, he's been visiting for nine years.
"Having him there really makes you feel that the company cares," Skinner says.
Religion, like sex and politics, once was considered inappropriate watercooler talk. Not anymore. Prayer sessions, religious diversity groups and chaplains like Reece, along with rabbis and imams, have become more common across corporate America in the past decade.
US Nursing Home Sued for Firing Sikh Employee over Kirpan
(California) Mar 7, 2008 The Hindu
One of the largest nursing home chains in the US has been sued for firing a Sikh employee, who refused to remove her kirpan while on duty, allegedly in violation of federal laws.
Baljit Kaur Bhandal, a dietary aide employed at a Manor Care Health Services in California, was given an ultimatum by the company to remove her kirpan - a ceremonial knife worn under her clothing - while at work or lose her job, a lawsuit filed by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claimed.
Community Groups Take Part in First Meeting of LAPD Muslim Forum
(California) Feb 22, 2008 CAIR Press Release
Representatives of the Greater Los Angeles Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), along with other community organizations, participated in the first meeting of the Los Angeles Police Department's (LAPD) Muslim Community Forum on Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Foundation.
Congress Considers Workplace Freedom Bill -- Again
(District of Columbia) Feb 13, 2008 Religion News Service
Congress is again considering a bill to protect religious expression in the workplace, but the bill, which has been bandied about for a decade or more, continues to draw steep opposition from business interests.
The Workplace Religious Freedom Act would require employers to be more accommodating of employees who wish to wear religious headgear, for example, or take time off for holy day observances.
NY Settles Suit over Dress Code for Prison Guards
(New York) Jan 18, 2008 Newsday.com/AP
The Justice Department has settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of state prison guards who had sought the right to wear certain types of religious clothing on the job.
The U.S. Attorney in Manhattan announced Friday that the state's Department of Correctional Services had agreed to keep new regulations in place that allow guards to request an exemption to regular uniform requirements if they want to wear head coverings like kufis or yarmulkes at work.
Previous to the filing of the lawsuit, in March of 2007, the prison system's uniformed guards had been barred from wearing visible symbols of their faith.
British Airways Worker Loses Cross Row Case
(United Kingdom) Jan 8, 2008 Yahoo! News/AFP
A British Airways worker has lost her case for religious discrimination over wearing a cross to work, she said Tuesday.
Nadia Eweida, 56, took BA to an employment tribunal claiming it effectively discriminated against Christians because they were not allowed to wear religious jewellery while Muslims were allowed to wear hijabs and Sikhs bangles.
The airline, which changed its policy to allow crosses on chains over work clothes last year amid controversy over the case, said its clothing policy did not discriminate against Christians.
The row erupted in 2006 when Eweida claimed she was asked to remove or hide her cross.
Religion-Based Employee Groups Enhance Culture of Inclusion
(Texas) Nov 29, 2007 USINFO
Washington -- Employees at Texas Instruments in Dallas are proud of their company's culture of inclusion, which is marked by the presence of employee networking groups for Christians and Muslims that encourage mutual respect and understanding.
"Understanding and tolerance are the keys for success" in a multicultural workplace like Texas Instruments (TI), according to Zafar Imam, chair of the Muslim Employees Initiative (MEI), one of the two religion-based employee groups at the company. "We think ignorance plays a big role in conflicts, in hostility, not only in the workplace but outside as well."
How to Manage Muslim Staff
Oct 16, 2007 CNN News (FSB Magazine)
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan drew to a close last Friday when observers broke their fast on Eid-ul-Fitr, a three-day-long period of prayers and festivities. But while the Islamic world allows time off for the entirety of Eid and shortened work hours throughout Ramadan, the roughly120,000 Muslims here in the United States enjoy no government-sanctioned holiday time. This means small businesses have had to create their own makeshift policies.
"Employers need to trust that Ramadan is not a license to be lazy," says Lana Taha, management analyst at the Islamic Society of Boston. "Give your Muslim workers some flexibility in work hours, and the courtesy to pray throughout the work day."
Women the World Over Find Veil Limits Job Choice
(International, United States) Aug 21, 2007 Reuters
Aysha Obeid couldn't get a job as a shop assistant in Dubai because of the veil that covered her face, exposing only her eyes to the outside world. So to improve her employment prospects, Obeid stopped wearing the veil.
"No one takes women with niqab in the retail sector," said Obeid, 22.
While women who cover up for their faith may expect problems getting some kinds of work outside the Muslim world, those in the region also say they have trouble getting jobs -- particularly ones requiring them to interact with the public.
It is common to see Emirati women in the workplace, most wearing elegant robes and head coverings, but those wearing the niqab which leaves only the eyes uncovered are rarely seen in front offices.
In Diverse World, Employers Learn to Make Room for Faith at Work
(Washington) Aug 11, 2007 The News Tribune
Managers must deal with big issues all day long - from acquisitions to runaway health care costs - but in many cases it's the little things that count the most. That can be especially true in matters of faith in the workplace.
How little? Toni Riccardi, formerly the chief diversity officer for PricewaterhouseCoopers, remembers being asked whether a lactation room in a facility in the Asia-Pacific region could be used as a Muslim prayer space as well. It was a specific question about a small area in a single office - but all of a sudden work-family matters had the potential to collide with issues of work and faith.
Religion has become a flashpoint in many offices as more employees seek to bring their whole identities to work. So managers are contending with how to create workplaces that are comfortable and welcoming for employees of all faiths - and of none.
Sources:
The Pluralism Project. http://www.pluralism.org/index.php © 1997-2008.
Session Six: Thu, Nov 13, 2008
Confronting Global Diversity: Imagining a Wide Circle of Inclusion
Patricia Digh
David Robinson