TruthBook Religious News Blog

One-third of employers have seen clashes in the workplace about religion, and experts expect that number to rise. Training managers on ways to mediate conflicts as well as educating employees and supervisors on the issue is important.

By Kristen B. Frasch

Personal clashes about religion are not that uncommon in the workplace. Yet, most organizations do not have a policy addressing the issue.

That's according to a recent study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), which found that one-third of 278 employers surveyed worldwide have seen worker conflicts in the workplace linked to religion.

And even though personal friction over religious beliefs is not all that uncommon, nearly two-thirds of those companies say they do not have a written policy specifically addressing religious bias.

At the same time, it seems clear many organizations are still unsure about how to handle religious differences at work, researchers say.

According to the survey respondents, just 12 percent of companies have a written definition of what is considered to be a "religious belief."

More than half (56 percent) of the employers surveyed report they use in-house mediation to resolve religious disputes.

Other findings of the survey:

* More than half (55 percent) of surveyed companies provide flexible scheduling to allow people to attend religious services, yet only 33 percent offer paid time off for religious holidays.

* Three in 10 (31 percent) companies said that unsolicited sharing of religious views has been a problem in the workplace.

* Thirteen percent said that, because of their religious beliefs, employees have refused to do certain work or associate with certain co-workers.

* Six in 10 (61 percent) companies said they have made an accommodation for an employee, based on the worker's religious beliefs.

In 1999, a Tanenbaum survey found that 20 percent of respondents said they had been, or knew someone in their workplace who was, a victim of religious bias. Also in that survey, 66 percent of respondents said even if they were not personally affected, they saw indications of religious bias in the workplace.

Deborah Weinstein, employment law professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in Philadelphia, cautions that a larger number of respondents would be needed to translate the i4cp survey results to the entire global corporate environment. Nevertheless, she agrees the results are hardly surprising.

"Accommodating religious beliefs and practices at work, and educating workers concerning respect for differences -- not only in religion, but in cases of national origin, disability, sex, age and race, too -- is highly challenging for businesses," says Weinstein, also president of The Weinstein Firm, a Philadelphia-based workforce legal and counseling consultancy.

"Educating everyone at work about religious tolerance, especially managers, is extremely important so they know how to handle requests for accommodation or conflicts around religious differences," she says. "But this isn't the only area of diversity that cries out for increased training," she adds, also noting the increase in harassment claims arising from national origin after 9/11.

"To the extent that national origin correlates with religious differences," says Weinstein, "HR needs to be prepared to address incidents of disrespect and, more importantly, to make prevention a high priority. Training is the best way to [do this]."

Labels: conflict, Institute for Corporate Productivity, Kristen B. Frasch, religion, workplace spirituality

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Monday, June 09, 2008

i4cp Study Finds Employers Struggling with How to Handle Religious Differences

i4cp Study Finds Employers Struggling with How to Handle Religious Differences

Nearly a third of employers surveyed said they have seen personal clashes in the workplace linked to religion

Seattle, WA, June 09, 2008 --(PR.com)-- According to a recent study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), nearly a third of employers surveyed said they have seen personal clashes in the workplace linked to religion. Despite the frequency, it’s clear that many of those organizations are still unsure of how to handle religious differences in the work environment.

While 61% of companies said they have made an accommodation for an employee based on the worker’s religious beliefs, just 12% of respondents actually have a written definition of what is considered to be a “religious belief.” And, even though a third of respondents reported that their organization has experienced personal friction over religious beliefs, almost two-thirds of those companies said they do not have a written policy specifically addressing religious bias.

Perhaps because of this lack of clarity, most companies opt to handle disputes quietly and internally. Over half (56%) of the employers surveyed reported that they use in-house mediation to resolve religious disputes. For some, those disputes might be avoided if leaders were better trained on how to handle them. Of the companies surveyed, a mere 29% train managers on how to avoid religious bias in their decision-making.

“Businesses must find ways to handle religious conflicts while allowing room for employees’ spiritual needs,” said Anne Lindberg, research analyst with i4cp. “Effectively handling religious differences not only requires specific attention, but also creativity, empathy and fairness.”

When asked about practices used to attend to religious diversity, 68% of companies reported they “make reasonable accommodations for beliefs and practices,” implying that the remaining 32% don’t. “This is interesting because, by law, all companies are supposed to offer reasonable accommodations,” Lindberg adds.

Other findings from the survey:

-Fifty-five percent of companies provide flexible scheduling to allow people to attend religious services, yet only 33% offer paid time off for religious holidays.

-31% said that unsolicited sharing of religious views has been a problem in the workplace.

-13% said that, because of their religious beliefs, employees have refused to do certain work or associate with certain co-workers.

The Taking the Pulse: Religious Discrimination survey was conducted by i4cp, in conjunction with HR.com, in April 2008. A total of 278 organizations participated. The full results of the survey are now available exclusively for i4cp corporate members.

About i4cp, inc.

i4cp is the world’s largest private network of corporations focused on improving workforce productivity. Our vendor-free community facilitates innovation by giving our members – among the largest and most respected organizations in the world – access to:

1. Peers to spark new ideas and prevent “reinventing the wheel,”

2. Research to enable members to understand current practices and next practices,

3. Tools to put ideas and research into action,

4. Technology to enable members to easily access tailored information and execute workforce strategies.

With more than 40 years of experience and the industry’s largest team of human capital analysts, i4cp is the definitive destination for organizations seeking innovative ways to improve workforce productivity.

Labels: business, disputes, Institute for Corporate Productivity, religion