Religious accommodation in the workplace under Title VII

Ethics of Accommodating Religion

As the diversity within businesses increases at an alarming pace with the entire world transforming into a global village, employers, employees and legislators are all concerned about accommodating religious beliefs and observances. With the signing of Title VII that permits employees to observe the tenets of their religion at workplace, employers are planning how to obey the laws and utilize the religious accommodation as a growing strength for their profitable businesses. This research paper addresses the most debatable issue of accommodating religious beliefs in commercial, professional and industrial dealings. Furthermore, the paper will outline the ways in which religious accommodation can be made possible and positive for both employees and the employers. The paper will also highlight the implication of religious accommodation in the workplace and will present the future direction.

Ethics of accommodating religion

The reason for being at work is to perform a job. However, with religious awareness among the employees augmenting, today many demand religious freedom and expression on the job. This has posed various challenges for the employers and the first-line supervisors who need to accommodate employees' religious beliefs while not hampering the progress of any professional business dealing. The question is whether religious accommodation is ethically accurate, morally correct and economically as well as socially possible?

How to accommodate religion?

Following are some of the ways in which firms accommodate religious convictions of their employees. Those employers who have not incorporated the suggestions to date must follow the guidelines listed below:

Corporate leaders must learn more about religious accommodation through the notion of "servant leadership" that "brings a religious model of leadership into the business arena." (Religion in the workplace)

Hiring consultants who can incorporate spiritual values in the organizational culture by inculcating employees to "empower themselves" is yet another very effective way to accommodate religion. (Religion in the workplace)

Freedom of speech is the inherent right of an employee, which is also a religious practice that must be allowed in the organization. (Religion in the workplace)

Employers must accommodate religions by remaining flexible in matters involving personal appearance (like beards, headgear, rewriting of dress codes, making amendments in personal-grooming codes) and scheduling (like rearranging work routines in order to facilitate an employee's observance of holy days and other events). (Religion in the workplace)

Employers must pay their employees if they expect them to work on religious days.

It is the ethical responsibility of the employer to make special arrangements for its employees considering their observance of religious practices. (For instance: creating special rooms where employees can offer their prayer e.t.c.) (Religion in the workplace)

Employers must place a ban on "behaviors that contribute to a hostile work environment." For instance: include "improper humor, such as telling jokes about the Holocaust to Jewish employees; daily transmission of prayers over companies' public address systems; and preaching religion in a way that makes employees feel they're targets of conversion attempts. At the same time, employers can't discriminate against employees who proselytize in the workplace if those activities aren't interfering with business or objected to by other employees" (Lynn: 69-71)

The discussion above proves that there are some companies that display far more resilience to religious accommodation than other business firms are. This leads us to the next paragraph of our research paper that discusses a good few profit generating business enterprises that accommodate religious employees with their spiritual beliefs for they believe in talent than discrimination and faulty generalizations.

Some firms are certainly better than others!

Following is the list of the firms that are the best examples of accommodating religion:

Aventis Pharmaceuticals (Somerset, NJ):

At Aventis, employees are provided all the opportunities to practice and profess their religions as long as it does not hinder the company's progress. This firm accommodates religious observances by "personal days, flexible hours and four floating holidays" (Religious Diversity). The firm conduct religious education classes in sessions like Lunch & Learn where the employees share religious beliefs with each other. For Muslim employees Ramadan timings are also made flexible and the firm also assists those who want an early off from their work in Rosh Hashanah (Religious Diversity). Furthermore, the company issues calendars wherein important dates covering maximum religions are listed in order to provide harmony in chalking out meeting and project assignment among employees belonging to distinct religions. Aventis human resource manager shares with us the fact about her firm's flexibility in accommodating religions in the following words: "We have programs to balance work and family life. We look to retain people" (Religious diversity).

American Express:

With printed diversity calendars, team-building activities and networking grouping approach, the American Express is keeping all its employees satisfied by making relentless efforts to accommodate various religions in the same working milieu. (Religious Diversity)

Ithaca Industries & Tulon Co:

Tulon Co and Ithaca Industries are also good examples of firms that believe employees' rights to profess and practice religion. These firms allow their employees to pray on the premises and are permitted to refer their religious convictions occasionally on the job as long as other employees do not get offended. (Religion in the workplace)

RBC Royal Bank:

RBC Royal Back incorporated religious accommodations in its corporate culture years ago when the concept was only emerging for it soon realized the gains and the strengths of religious accommodations and how the firm could and does benefit (DeZube). As Norma Tombari, senior manager of diversity and workforce solutions for the Toronto bank commented: "It's all part of recruiting, rewarding and recognizing the right talent and ensuring retention" (DeZube). Moreover, a good few RBC centers offer multipurpose rooms both for their employees and customers who are interested to pray and recite other religious observances (DeZube). The best part about RBC policies is the fact that RBC Royal Bank provides its employees paid leaves for religious oriented holidays and practices, displaying the most remarkable religious accommodation example (DeZube).

Freddie Mac Reston, Virginia:

Freddie Mac is another firm that is proudly reaping benefits from incorporating religious values in its corporate environment by permitting its employees to work with various affinity groups (DeZube). As Sukhi Gill, Freddie Mac's senior diversity consultant informs the public about their rules and regulations and their organizational culture, says, "We're an organization that values and respects all individuals; [we have] an inclusive work culture." (DeZube)

Apache:

More than twelve employees have been permitted to conduct religious sessions where they can study and teach the tenets of their religion with the help of the Bible. The company has provided separated rooms for prayer sessions and for conducting Bible Study during lunch breaks (Divine Accommodations). However, this led to employees' unethical behavior of calling in more people through the firm's Internet facilities. This made Apache put a hold on such activities by stopping "the e-mails by citing its comprehensive "no solicitation" policy on company time, premises or media (e-mail, bulletin boards)" (Divine Accommodations). As one of the members of the firm, the vice president of human resources revealed: "Our no solicitation policy includes everything from religion to selling Girl Scout cookies. Employees are still free to use conference rooms for religious reasons, as long as they don't solicit others. We emphasize to employees that we are here to engage in business" (Divine accommodations).

On the whole, a research report based on a survey conducted by the SHMR Foundation reveals that as the awareness of religious accommodation is augmenting, more and more companies are willing to show consideration for their employee's religious conviction to observe religion at workplace (Malory: R1). The research report demonstrated the following percentages of employers who offer the accommodations to employees:

Sixty-eight percent of employers are drafting flexible scheduling to provide time off for religious reasons or observances. (Mallory: R1) total of twenty-four employers permit their workers to demonstrate religious materials in work area. (Mallory: R1)

Aggregates of fifteen percent of firms offer space or time for religious observance or study during breaks. (Mallory: R1)

Thirteen percent of employees are exempted from dress code or personal grooming codes by their business organizations. (Mallory: R1)

Implications

Hence from the above discussion it is evident that in the business world, employees' religious conviction must be looked into and taken care of by the employers for religious accommodations help businesses flourish. However, it can pose various challenges for the firms and the first-line managers might have a hard time drawing a line between what should be permitted and what should not be and between what is ethical and what crosses the boundaries of business ethics. Hence, religious accommodation can be a source of efficacy and success but there is no guarantee if that source might turn into never-ending conflicting situations.

Thus there are both positive and negative aspects of religious accommodations in the workplace. Positive aspects are observed when accommodation is reasonable and does not hamper the advancement of the collective progress. Negative influence is observed when religious accommodation gets out of hand and starts hindering the peace and prosperity of the company.

Positive affects of religious accommodation at workplace

Following are some of the common positive aspects of religious accommodations on the job:

Blending religious and ethical values with product development and marketing as well as sales with the help of recruiting and assimilating religious employees can be extremely helpful in preventing conflict and confusion among the masses. Since Nike and U.S. Airways did not bother being sensitive to religious background of their customers or employees, they faced not only embarrassment but also suffered massive losses and became victims of defamed reputation.

Research suggests that depriving employees their right to the liberty of speech give birth to resentment thereby generating problematic situations for the managers in charge.

Religiously rich organizational culture creates efficiency, high morale, harmony and increased interaction among employees of a business firm.

Since religion is a driving force behind government policy in many countries, sensitivity to religious issues can also help managers understand the political and social issues affecting their business in various parts of the world. This is especially true when the company's product offends orthodox religious principles" (Religion in the workplace)

Negative affects of religious accommodation on the job

Those firms that permit proselytizing as a measure to enhance religious accommodations suffer the blow of losing or offending experienced employees because this can be considered as a form of religious harassment on the job. Moreover, this action can lead to increased burden on the colleagues. (Religion in the workplace)

Furthermore, it adds additional responsibility on the shoulders of the managers for they be need to be "doubly careful that their statements and actions regarding religion are not perceived as coercive by their subordinates" (Religion in the workplace)

Conclusion

Hence from the above discussion we may culminate that if manages skillfully and tactfully, religious accommodation results in better employee-employer relationships and greater retention of valuable employees who are an asset to the profitable businesses. Moreover, religious accommodation fosters organizational harmony and is the only cure for corrupt organizations. Through religious accommodation, the economic cycle of a nation generates massive revenues due to high levels of employee satisfaction.

As defined by the experts, religious accommodation has the following important components: "accommodation takes the form of rearranging work schedules to allow individuals to observe holy days, or rewriting dress and personal-grooming codes to make allowances for employees who wear special clothing or have beards for religious reasons" (Lynn: 69-71)

Religious accommodation is not only an ethical code of business but it is a legal issue after the signing of the Title VII that prohibits all employers to discriminate employees on the grounds of their religious convictions. Moreover, authorities in charge order all business enterprises to permit their employees the right to observe their religion at workplace if it does not hamper the company's progress.

At present there are many firms like American Express, Freddie Mac, Apache, RBC Royal Bank, Ithaca Industries, Tulon Co. And Aventis Pharmaceuticals that have accommodated employees belonging to variety of religious backgrounds. Due to augmented awareness regarding the benefits that can be reaped from religious accommodation at the professional level, the business world will witness a greater number of new firms adopting religious values and the concept of religious accommodations in the near future.