Religious tolerance in the workplace has always been a touchy subject. In the la
ID: 460238 • Letter: R
Question
Religious tolerance in the workplace has always been a touchy subject. In the last decade it has increased by 32.5 percent according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Under the Civil Rights act of 1964 all employees who associate with any religion from Islam to the Church of Body Modification are to be protected. The most common claims against the workplace are requests for days off for religious reasons and requests to deviate from the established dress code. However, sometimes dress code deviations can lower a company’s public image or the perceived safety of the business. A Muslim woman in Philadelphia sued for being denied permission to wear her headpiece. The city claimed her head piece interfered with law enforcement and safety. The court ruled in favor of the woman. A former Disney World employee claimed to have been fired on the basis that he didn’t have the “Disney look”. Hundreds of court cases are proof of this ever growing problem surrounding inclusive excellence in the workplace.
Source(s): http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/articles/9408/1/Walt-Disney-World-dilemma-spotlights-religious-discrimination-issues/Page1.html
http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2012/01/the-disney-look-walts-strict-dress-code-gets-an-update-/613540/1
Think and Discuss about this:
Why does this issue pose an issue to the hospitality industry? If you were being helped by a man with dreadlocks at a high level luxury resort would his appearance lower your perception of the company? How can a dress code be established without offending a particular religious group? Is there a proper way to approach employees about dress code violations without running the risk of undermining their beliefs? If so, what would you say?
Explanation / Answer
Hospitality industry works on disciplined and sentiments that customers share. Any hospitality company wants to position itself in one or the other offering bracket. It has been very common that in high grade hotels discipline and service level is a differentiating factor where no company wants to compromise. Dress code or Leaves are set according to the company rule which is very much sacrosanct to its employee for proper running of company even though company always tries to incorporate religious factor into its policy.
Yes, because of the perception that one cannot expect such person or a person with such hair style in a five star hotel. Dreadlocks are common among those are mid –income people or cannot be considered as high style look
Company need to declare its requirement during the interview process so that no confusion will be caused later on. As far as possible, a few dress codes can be accommodating in company’s policies which are not causing major impact to its operation. The best way is following same dress code for the entire employee as a standard dress code across the company.
Yes, It is always good to tell the person that why his dress code doesn’t fit with the company working culture and how he/she can adjust the dress so that his religious belief remain intact and company operational culture will also not be impacted.