Religion in the workplace: discrimination is on the increase

Religious discrimination in the workplace is on the increase, despite the ëprotectioní offered by legislation. As a result, the Chartered Management Institute is today publishing a new guide aimed at helping employers tackle prejudice and misunderstanding.

In the year to April 2008, 600 cases of workplace discrimination on religious grounds were tackled in the Courts, up from 486 in the 12 months to April 2006. Research also suggests that the increase in tribunals is caused by confusion amongst employers. For example, two-thirds of employers admit to uncertainty about the faith days celebrated by staff and only 1 in 3 organisations have an explicit policy on religion and belief issues*. As a result, the CMI's new guide, called ëReligion and belief in the workplaceí, aims to inform employers about different religious beliefs.

With the rise in tribunals, religion and belief issues are coming under increasing scrutiny, so the guide explores whether religion should be brought into the workplace. It also provides a brief overview of the law and discusses the business case for taking account of religion as well as the range of issues policies should cover, such as prayer time and Holy Days or festivals.

ìThere have been several well publicised incidents recently which have bought issues of belief in the workplace to greater prominenceî says Jo Causon, director of marketing and corporate affairs at the Chartered Management Institute. ìEmployers need to know the law and work within it, but they also need to manage relationships to ensure organisations and their employees can thrive. It is unacceptable to discriminate on the basis of religion, belief or any other form of discrimination. What matters is that employees have the skills and abilities to do the job. Employers need to harness the diversity within organisations for the benefit of the business.î

The guide provides a number of best practice principles to help organisations develop explicit policy and understand the issues surrounding religion and belief. These include:

ï Update company policies and procedures to avoid discrimination against staff with particular beliefs
ï Consider the impacts of policy alterations on employees who hold different or no beliefs
ï Make sure that you, as a manager, know the law
ï Communicate new and established policies to all employees through effective channels and create feedback channels

ëReligion and Belief in the Workplaceí can be downloaded from www.managers.org.uk/beliefguide