Is Christmas getting in the way of the holiday season?
Miami Herald columnist and blogger Cindy Krischer Goodman – she’s one of the best writers on workplace issues anywhere – weighed in this week on a sensitive topic that many consider but few discuss. And it’s this:
In workplaces around the country, December typically brings religion to the forefront. Anything from office decorations to holiday parties to arranging time off can open the door to debates about spirituality and religious observances. Holiday cheer, if not managed properly, can drive away workers and, worse, lead to lawsuits.”
Yes, office Christmas celebrations can be dicey if you happen to be one of those employees who doesn’t celebrate Christmas.
Goodman’s story gets into the legal issues that can surface if holiday festivities in the workplace push some workers into uncomfortable positions that conflict with their religious beliefs – like the Jehovah’s Witness who went to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission when she was fired for refusing to wear a Santa hat during the holiday season at a department store in Raleigh, N.C.
The EEOC says that the female employee was discriminated against because her employer failed to accommodate her religious beliefs that prohibit her from celebrating holidays. “An employee should not be forced to choose between her faith and her job,” said Lynette A. Barnes, an EEOC attorney, told The Miami Herald.
All of this shouldn’t come as any surprise to experienced managers, because it simply reflects just how much more complex and difficult management has become today in our multi-faith society. Goodman makes this point in her story when she writes:
The message for employers is to proceed cautiously when considering whether to avoid or embrace religion at work. Most businesses do their best to keep religious conversations and practices out of the office. They have turned Christmas parties into holiday events and included menorahs in their decorations…
(And) David W. Miller, director of the Princeton Faith & Work Initiative, says employers should strive to be faith-friendly. “You need to gauge the religious diversity of the workforce,” he says, suggesting that prayer at a company holiday party is sometimes acceptable. “It’s a nice way of showing a focus on something bigger than profits.”
Miller feels some companies have gone too far with political correctness. “A healthy dose of common sense goes a long way.”
Yes, a little common sense would go a long way toward solving most any problem in the workplace, including issues surrounding religious holidays in an office environment. But as we have seen all too much these days – like Macy’s firing Santa for one complaint about a joke he has told hundreds of times over tow decades – common sense, unfortunately, isn’t all that common, particularly at the holidays.
Of course, there’s more than celebrating holidays at work in the news, and here are some other workplace-related news items you may have missed this week. Yes, this is a weekly round up of news, trends, and all sorts of information from the world of HR and talent management. I do it so you don’t have to.
