Religion/Belief

Religion or belief can be very personal and complex for an employee. As it's one of the nine protected characteristics, you'll want to know how to get it right when it comes to including members of staff with diverse beliefs. Inclusive Employers outlines:

  • how to include employees of faith in the workplace and how to navigate religion at work;
  • addressing monitoring and accommodating without isolating;
  • the key to maintaining open dialogue and how to manage conflicts when they arise;
  • religion and belief (including non-belief) as a legally protected characteristic;
  • best practice and useful links.

Here's a taste of what you'll read as a member on our website...

Religion/Belief | Including employees of faith in your workplace | With over 36.6 million people of working age the UK, all the major world religions and belief systems are represented.  No matter what religion or belief group an employee may (or may not) belong to, they are still an individual, and being put in a box can be patronising and demotivating.  Be open to discussions about what is important to your employees and seek to understand how you can work together to make sure both your needs are met. As ever, the more supportive you are, the more motivated your employees will be. | What the law says | Religion and belief are legally protected characteristics under the Equality Act. It is illegal to discriminate against anyone because of his or her religion, belief, or lack of belief. The legal definition of a religion or belief which is covered under the act is ‘any religious belief [including sects or denominations], provided the religion has a clear structure or belief system’ or a genuinely held philosophical belief, such as atheism, humanism, or pacifism. There is growing case law (link to case law section) in this area and it is clear that employers are expected to seriously consider making adjustments to roles and responsibilities, working hours and conditions if it is reasonable and it would not negatively impact on the business.  Refusing to take requests seriously or consider them meaningfully could be challenged...

As a member, you'd get access to the full contents and other benefits, including supplementary inclusive policy templates and how-to guides on a range of topics, which make rights, responsibilities and legislation easy to understand and accessible for both HR teams and employees. They're free for members to download and available for non-members to purchase.

Members also enjoy free and reduced rate tickets to our events, including an introduction to inclusion and interactive sessions exploring inclusion and diversity, which can be tailored for in-house delivery. We'll keep you updated on the top news on inclusion each week, monthly case law briefings and are always available to answer legal queries through our helpline. 

If you'd like to learn more about membership, we invite you to read more on our site or to contact us at info@inclusiveemployers.co.uk or 020 7803 0689 to have a chat. If you're ready to join, you can do so right on our site by invoice or company credit card.

If you're already a member, log in to access full site contents, including our digital and downloadable resources.

 

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