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Religious discrimination claims are not among the most numerous types of complaints. In fact, they comprise only a small portion of claims brought before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. But actual numbers can be deceiving because trends tell a different story. The trends show that religious discrimination claims are growing rapidly, faster than those for race or sex.

Religious Discrimination on the Rise 

In fact, some surveys show that religious discrimination is widespread in the workplace. Almost half of workers who are not Christian say that employers ignore their religious needs, according to surveys. One-third of workers have reported that their companies have done nothing to stop cases of religious bias. Atheists in particular report that they experience a good deal of discrimination in the workplace.

There are many ways that religious beliefs can impact workplace operations. For example, when employees are asked to work on weekends, it affects their religious observances of the Sabbath. The dress that some religious sects use can conflict with dress code policies.

What to Do 

In light of these trends, it would be prudent for companies to establish some guidelines to foster religious tolerance to avoid any complaints of discrimination. Here are a few things to do toward that end.

First of all, you need to be aware of the religious affiliations of your employees. If someone comes to work wearing a turban, you should ask them if their dress is related to a religious observance, and if it is, you should try to make allowances for it.

Another problem is that people generally do not know much about religions that are different from their own. Often, they have wrong or distorted ideas about other faiths, and this can lead to tensions in the workplace. If this becomes an issue, make information about different religions available to employees.

You should also have a written company policy on religious tolerance in the workplace. Just the fact of having such a policy will help to reassure workers that the company is taking the issue of religious tolerance seriously. However, you also need to make sure all employees are aware of the policy and make sure it is enforced as well.

If you need an experienced partner in recruiting new employees, one who can help you find the qualified and reliable people you need, Winston Resources is there for you. Our goal is to find the right people for your company, and we work with you every step of the way to achieve that goal. Give Winston Resources a call today.


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