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An increased awareness of employee religious rights, ranging from time off for holidays to the various forms of religious expression and practices, is growing within organizations. How can your company create an inclusive environment in which employees can integrate their mandated religious practices into their day-to-day jobs? And what benefits does being religiously inclusive hold to your overall business?
In this 1,330-word article, Georgette F. Bennett, Ph.D., president of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, details how proactive companies are going beyond the baseline requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—which requires employers to grant “reasonable accommodations” for employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs—to encourage employees to bring their whole selves to work.
A clearly written employee policy and the appropriate training will provide the best response. Bennett offers comprehensive examples of discrimination against Christians and how religious beliefs play into LGBT diversity issues.
Bennett also provides companies with a detailed checklist to take their diversity “temperature” to assess where they are in their journey toward being more religiously inclusive. She also offers best practices to get on track.
Her strategies include:
- How to anticipate employee needs and become proactive toward religious inclusion
- Why scheduling meetings sensitively and keeping a calendar is necessary
- Why flexible holiday policies are critical to give all employees an equal opportunity to observe
- How to make employees feel that they can make special requests for their religious needs
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