Religion in the workplace is a thorny issue, but when religion becomes completely taboo both employers and employees lose

Written by: Christopher P. Scheitle, Denise Daniels, Elaine Howard Ecklund,

religion

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public domain

Since we spend so much of our lives at work, it’s only natural that the conversations we have with our colleagues extend beyond the task at hand. People share interests and hobbies, family struggles, health concerns, and hopes or goals, from the silly to the serious.

However, the topic of religion can trigger anxiety. Many people may doubt what the Muslim CEO of a tech company told us: “If you want to put it this way: beliefdo it! Do it at your own time.” Uncertainty about the role of religion in the workplace tends to lead to silence. Even among researchers who study workplaces, religion is often ignored.

But for many people, faith is a fundamental component of their identity.whole self“employees is increasingly encouraged bring to work. This is an important part of diversity, but it’s something managers often tiptoe around. And for many Americans, faith is part of what makes them go to work every day: one day at a time. They see their work as a spiritual calling.

We are social scientists who spent the last five years do research Open Here is the role of faith. Our findings, drawn from more than 15,000 surveys of a nationally representative population and nearly 300 in-depth interviews with some of these employees, confirm that religion faces many challenges when it enters the workplace. But the costs of ignoring or suppressing workers’ beliefs most of the time you overcome these risks and challenges.

Conflict and discrimination

The most common concern we hear about bringing up religion in the workplace is that it will lead to conflict; this includes conflicts arising from people trying to change each other’s beliefs. A Catholic woman working in aged care told us: “I think we shouldn’t talk about religion in the workplace because that’s when problems arise. I will defend what I think and they will defend what they think, their way of being, their religion.”

Many other interviewees also expressed certain forms of religious expression. may disturb peopleIt can even turn into harassment. A non-religious security guard noted that during Christmas and Easter, some Christian co-workers “say things like ‘God bless,’ ‘Let’s pray,’ and things like that. It gets very unsettling, disturbing to me.”

Asking workers to hide their beliefs as they begin the workday may seem like the easiest way to avoid these problems. Some of the workers we interviewed agreed with this view. As one Muslim federal employee told us, “If I wear my religion as a badge on my shoulder, it will lead someone astray. So why would I do that?”

Moreover, silence on the subject of religion may seem like a neutral request. After all, if no one expresses their faith, then no one discriminatoryNo one can be offended and no one can be subjected to special treatment because of their religious beliefs.

Not so impartial

But there are a few problems with this logic.

First, employers are legally required to ensure that: Reasonable accommodations based on workers’ religion. In many cases, this includes things like granting permission for religious ceremonies. Also generally includes: appropriate clothing and grooming practices Adherence to one’s religion, such as wearing Sikh turbans or Christian crosses.

Moreover, vague expectations about non-acceptance of faith in the workplace are not so neutral and are often disproportionately harming minority groups.

In our survey, we asked individuals whether they “hide their religious beliefs at work because they fear the perception of others.” About 19% of Jewish workers, 51% of Hindus, 29% of Muslims and 28% of Buddhists said they did so. By contrast, only 9% of evangelical Protestants, 15% of non-evangelical Protestants, and 13% of Catholics hiding one’s beliefs at work.

A Jewish project manager at an engineering firm told us how he tried to hide his faith from others: “When I had to pray, I would actually walk to a closed corner in the hallway to do it.”

In the same survey, we asked individuals whether they had been “treated unfairly” at work because of their “religiousness or lack of religion.” Overall, 31% of U.S. adults agree and such experiences Most common among Muslim and Jewish workers.

One Muslim woman we interviewed described how her colleagues made life extremely difficult for her, calling her sarcastic names and receiving little support from her employer. Indeed, during one meeting, her boss “stood up and talked a lot about me being a Muslim, and it was all negative.”

Satisfaction and belonging

Whether co-workers or managers like it, many US adults see this Their work and beliefs are intertwined.

For example, one of our surveys asked employees whether they “turn to trust for support during stressful periods in their work lives.” Almost half agreed.

For many Americans, faith is also part of the reason they do their jobs. According to another survey, 20% of US adults “See their work as a spiritual calling.” This rate is higher among certain groups, such as Evangelical Protestants and Muslims: 33% and 30% respectively. The likelihood of viewing work from a spiritual perspective is also higher among women, at 24%, and among Black employees, at 31%.

And it’s not just workers in explicitly religious jobs who see their jobs this way. One marine biologist “I think all truth comes from God, and as a scientist I try to understand and uncover the truth about how the world works,” he explained to us.

More importantly, our research shows that individuals who feel a spiritual connection to their work report greater job satisfaction, find more meaning in their work, and They can better manage negative experiences they encounter at work.

social science research welfare, social interactions and performance They are harmed when they feel the need to suppress an important part of themselves within a group or organization. In other words, when individuals are not allowed to bring their whole selves to work, everyone suffers.

welcome to work

Despite such evidence, our research reveals that many organizations are not taking even basic steps to accommodate individuals’ religious lives.

In a surveyWe asked workers “whether their workplaces provide environments that allow people to practice their religion.” Almost a fifth of workers disagree with this view. This rate was highest among Muslim workers: 54%.

Workers, their employers appreciate it take active steps informing employees that religious accommodations are available and that religious expression in general is not prohibited. Having open conversations about what is and isn’t appropriate (not just legally, but socially) can go a long way in setting boundaries.

For example, one Muslim optometric technician we interviewed described how grateful she was when her boss told her: “If you pray or something, feel free to go into that room; it can be your space, you can leave your mat outside.” That’s where.”

But ideally, organizations should take active steps to create and communicate policies to all employees rather than simply reacting to situations as they arise.

While we recognize the challenges in addressing individuals’ faith in the workplace, we proactively engage in conversations about the appropriate role of employees. religion It is better for employees and workplaces in the workplace.

Provided by
Speech


This article is republished from: Speech It is under Creative Commons license. Read original article.Speech

Quotation: Religion in the workplace is misleading, but when it becomes a total taboo, both employers and employees lose (2024, October 31), retrieved October 31, 2024 from:

This document is subject to copyright. No part may be reproduced without written permission except in any fair dealing for private study or research purposes. The content is provided for informational purposes only.