Phoenix Business Daily

How do companies deal with religious beliefs+cross-cultural management?

Public Comments

1. If the company is anything like the one I work for, their employees will go through some sort of Diversity Training, where things like race, sex, and to a certain degree, religion are addressed and how employees are expected to deal with these issues. This is strictly on a visual basis, however (for example, you can see if someone is a man or woman, white or black, and you can also see if an individual is of a different religion in some instances, for example a burka for Muslim women, or a bindi for Hindu women). As far as cultural differences, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or complex beliefs of individuals, it is highly stressed in our rules and regulations of the company that personal issues such as these are not to be discussed at work. This system basically frees the company of any liability to the company should a "hostile work environment" situation arise, and places the blame solely on the individual.
2. Spell it out in emplyees handbook, before hire they must sign they have read it and abide by it. Some companies have a floating holiday so if dont believe in x-mas or what ever you work/dont get holiday pay that day and take your floating holiday some other time