Beware religious harassment in the workplace
Beware religious harassment in the workplace
January 24, 2007
Often, when employers worry about harassment, it's that of a sexual nature. They know what kinds of problems to watch for, have been instructed on how to deal with alleged offenders and understand the implication if a situation isn't halted early.
But harassment in the workplace can mean more than one employee posting offensive calendars, emailing off-color jokes or making unwanted advances. It also can relate to religion.
According to Dr. Joel Rudin, a professor of management/MIS in the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J., a boss or business owner needs to be mindful of problems of a religious nature as much as those of a sexual one.
Here are some basic tips from Rudin, who co-authored "Keeping the Faith but Losing in Court: Legal Implications of Proselytizing in the Workplace" in the June 2004 issue of Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, for businesses to consider:
1) Your company needs a religious harassment policy. Religious harassment is more complex than sexual harassment, so you can't just take your sexual harassment policy and substitute the word "religion" for the word "sex."
2) Is attendance at a company's holiday party mandatory? Are there any rewards for attending that employees wouldn't receive if they skipped the event? If so, it's a mistake to include overtly religious symbols or statements at the holiday party.
3) You are never allowed to say anything negative to your employees/coworkers about their religion.
4) You are never allowed to force an unwilling employee/coworker to listen to your religious views.
5) You are allowed to talk to your employees/coworkers about your religion as long as you don't violate the first two rules and as long as they don't complain about it.
Rudin is the coordinator of the Human Resource Management specialization at Rowan and advisor of the student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. He earned a Ph.D. in human resource management from Cornell University and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources.
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But harassment in the workplace can mean more than one employee posting offensive calendars, emailing off-color jokes or making unwanted advances. It also can relate to religion.
According to Dr. Joel Rudin, a professor of management/MIS in the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J., a boss or business owner needs to be mindful of problems of a religious nature as much as those of a sexual one.
Here are some basic tips from Rudin, who co-authored "Keeping the Faith but Losing in Court: Legal Implications of Proselytizing in the Workplace" in the June 2004 issue of Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, for businesses to consider:
1) Your company needs a religious harassment policy. Religious harassment is more complex than sexual harassment, so you can't just take your sexual harassment policy and substitute the word "religion" for the word "sex."
2) Is attendance at a company's holiday party mandatory? Are there any rewards for attending that employees wouldn't receive if they skipped the event? If so, it's a mistake to include overtly religious symbols or statements at the holiday party.
3) You are never allowed to say anything negative to your employees/coworkers about their religion.
4) You are never allowed to force an unwilling employee/coworker to listen to your religious views.
5) You are allowed to talk to your employees/coworkers about your religion as long as you don't violate the first two rules and as long as they don't complain about it.
Rudin is the coordinator of the Human Resource Management specialization at Rowan and advisor of the student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. He earned a Ph.D. in human resource management from Cornell University and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources.
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