Bosses don’t know what to do about belief

Managers in Britain are failing to handle expressions of religion and belief in the workplace, with some workers claiming they have experienced harassment, discrimination or bullying because of their religion, according to a new study published by ComRes research, writes Rose Gamble. The Belief at Work report into faith in the workplace surveyed Human Resources  managers and other work leaders to test awareness of seven of the Equality Act 2010 categories of protected characteristics.

It found that while the majority of HR managers said their company promotes understanding and inclusion with regard to religion and belief, many employees said they would feel uncomfortable mentioning their beliefs or were upset that religion was often joked about in the workplace.

“We found that HR managers have a very different view of what’s happening in their workplace than many workers do,” said Katie Harrison, director of ComRes Faith Research Centre. “Many HR managers say they make provision for employees to pray at work and observe holy days and religious festivals, but workers say that’s not happening,” she added.

The survey found that 16 per cent of workers claimed to have experienced discrimination in the workplace, while 30 per cent said they had personally been discriminated against at work because of their religion or belief.