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Religion in the workplace

I see quite a few questions posed on here about telling family and friends that you are agnostic or atheist, but my issue is my work. I certainly don’t bring it up, but my new boss (not quite a year with him) included in his introduction to the team how his father-in-law is some big time preacher and how he met his wife through the church.

He has clearly stated what he values and if religion ever comes up in conversation, I am concerned he will view me differently if he learns of my atheist views. We already figured out we have very different working styles and that is already developing into an ongoing challenge for me.

To further complicate things, he is the head of the HR department (now called Human Capital), so he would be the one I should bring issues to.

I will continue to carry on and not voluntarily reveal my views. I don’t know if he already knows or not. A couple people do and they might have said something to him. One of my coworkers reads her bible during her lunch break. Maybe he does know and that is where some of the strain is coming from.

Any thoughts or suggestions on how to handle it when or if it does surface?

Tinocca 7 Jan 2
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42 comments (26 - 42)

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2

Are you a federal employee?

No, I work for a health care company.

@Tinocca irony.

@KittensandSage yes. And I train communication and management skills, but I can’t get my boss to use those skills.

@Tinocca it’s ironic that the leader of a business of “caring” is so blind that he can only see his own mind as the only relevant source of input!!! Shallow and arrogant. Well, just protect yourself, and keep as away from this fool as you can. If it helps to know it, you are never alone in this. So many have to manage, and no big sky daddy in sight. Hugs.

@KittensandSage yes. Ironic and sad and frustrating.
Thanks for the hugs.

2

Your beliefs don't have to be any of his beeswax if you don't want them to be. If it comes up you can say you're not religious rather than say you're a non believer. Both true one just a little less confrontational if that's your preference.

2

Not healthy to work with sticky tape on your mouth even though you know you're not going to blab giving the (religious connection) situation.
I would silently look elsewhere where you know at some point, if you needed, to express your thoughts without being judged or the threat of losing your job if the topic ever came up.

2

Join a union. Seriously. If the shit hits the fan, you want someone in your corner.

@MrBeelzeebubbles that's sound advice .
People should employ you because you were the better candidate for the job, not because of your religious or non-following.

2

Sounds like you're in a bit of a corner. Having him as the head of HR (HC? Yikes!) could be especially toxic for you! I'd keep a low profile and avoid the subject of religion while looking for a new job.

2

-If the boss ever brings up religion as a way to unfairly treat you, evaluate you, etc., carefully document what was said. Send it to your boss, and her boss. If your company is a subsidiary of another firm, copy the head of HR at the controlling firm.

-If your company is public and the Board has an ethics/whistle-blower committee, make sure you know how to use it. If serious enough, copy the point person for that group with your documented complaint.

-The best advice, though, is just don't bring it up and hope they don't mention it either. Work out the issues and enjoy the job.

@Mitch07102 and if the entire gang are all connected religious-wise and wish to judge you on your thoughts and not on job performance, or try to victimise you at work, and you resign because it becomes so unbearable to continue working in that environment, it could be seen as a technical dismissal for the labour court, if there's such in your state. You could sue for a settlement that will serve you well financially until you secure a job. That's what happens here.

2

Simple answer is dont.

@SilentRage the best actually. Avoid at all costs until you can secure a position in a free-er environment.

2

Is this the hill you choose to die on? Unless the situation becomes so untenable that it is intolerable for you then let discretion be the better part of valor. Claim you're a humanist, of which most are atheists.

2

"According to the California Labor Code, California is an At-will employment state. Under the at-will presumption, a California employer, absent an agreement or statutory or public policy exception to the contrary, may terminate an employee for any reason at any time."

[hullmcguire.com]

It's entirely possible that you may be protected by your State's Constitution.
If it were me, I'd be checking with the State Department of Labor to find out
exactly what your rights are in this situation. I'd be wanting to get out ahead of
this. You never know what's going to happen. When or if he finds out about
your non-belief, how he may or may not "deal" with it.

If he's the head of HR and has already changed the name to "Human Capital" (which makes the hairs on the back of neck stand up), there could be an actionable conflict of interest. Or, worst case scenario, you may have absolutely no protections at all, and it might be time to start looking for another/better job before anything bad happens.

Good luck!!!

Thanks. He didn't change the name to Human Capital. We recently got acquired by a larger company and that's the term they use. I detest that name as well.

Whatever rules California has regarding at-will employment in no way negate the Civil Rights Act Title VII, which protects employees from religious discrimination in the workplace. But the burden of proof is not easy and therefore employees must be sure to document everything they experience.

@Shawno1972 That's the thing though. The "at-will" states are getting away with violating Title VII. Employers can afford to "out-litigate" most employees.
Even if/when they lose, they can file appeal after appeal. Most people can't afford to keep fighting.

Documenting everything is a very good idea, but even with all that, prevailing against most employers is still extremely difficult.

Getting out in front of these situations is sometimes the only way to "win".
Get the state involved before termination or hostilities begin.
Let the government take these religious morons to task.
They can afford to keep fighting, most regular people cannot.

That's why I didn't sue when I was fired from a job in Virginia. I knew the reason was because I was an atheist (my supervisor literally asked me why I abandoned my God), but didn't have any verifiable proof.

@kiramea There is far too much advantage afforded to employers.
Also another reason to advocate for the removal of ALL religious influences
on public policy.
They cannot be permitted to continue to get away with their bullshit.
Being an anti-theist is the ONLY thing that makes any sense to me.
No more "live and let live". They were given an inch, and they took
ten fucking miles.

@KKGator All true potential issues, but none of that negates my advice one iota.

@Shawno1972 I wasn't making any effort to "negate" your advice.

@KKGator Good. You put up a rather defeatist response, so I just want to make sure the signal to noise ratio attenuates toward usefulness. She may actually need to lean on the Civil Rights Act on this one someday.

@Shawno1972 There was nothing remotely "defeatist" about my response. It was 100% realistic.
The Civil Rights Act has been fairly effectively gutted by corporations and the republicans over the past few decades and doesn't protect people as much as it's supposed to.
So your "signal to noise ratio" was an exercise in futility and basically useless.

@KKGator My "signal to noise ratio" did precisely as intended despite your attempt to dismiss it, fortunately, but with one exception: apparently you didn't catch the signal. Armchair rally cries count as noise as far as I'm concerned.

2

If he is the head of HR, then he will know very well to keep his mouth shut on religion. Religious discrimination in the workplace is prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. If he does NOT know, he faces a lawsuit if he acts in any way that indicates discrimination. Keep that in your back pocket and make sure you document anything that comes up. 🙂

Yes, I'm sure he knows. But his views toward me might be subtly impacted by his perspective.

@Tinocca Yes. So assume his views will be influenced, as you suggest. What he thinks is fine, but what he does (or doesn't do) is critical and that's why documentation is important.

2

Good luck. If this job is important to you, it sounds like you're going to need it.

1

It's tough dealing with religious fanatics in the workplace. To be honest all religious views should be kept out of work. Work should be about the objective, of meeting quantifiable numbers or goals. If you have a social relationship with some of your coworkers, it's your call if you want to let them know your views, but things are bound to change at work.

I don’t have any social relationships outside the office. I see and interact with these folks in the work setting and not beyond that. Even the few office social events we’ve had, such as a holiday luncheon or dinner for the department, didn’t feel especially comfortable on my end. I don’t seek out social connections with them.

@Tinocca I don't participate at work when they have hand holding circle prayers during Thanksgiving and Christmas parties also.

@ZenLife are you serious or joking? Actual prayer circles? God, no. My work isn't that bad. I've seen a few individuals do their own private grace before eating. I'm fine with that. They don't make a deal out of it.

@Tinocca I was serious.

1

There's no need to bring about religion when it comes to workplace unless that company or where you work is based on dogmatic person... then Fighting!

1

Interesting story, at one time the LA polices department had a Chief that was very "religious", I won't name any names but his initials were Darrell Gates. Anyway, any cops that didn't attend his church or one like it had no chance to making it up the ladder to Parker Center. As such, the force became corrupt with endless scandals and good cops either forced out or send to undesirable postings, fostered white supremacy too. If you were on the force you were labeled either a "saint" or a "sinner". The LAPD is still corrupt from this practice.

I’m a big fan of “his initials are..<full name>”. I do that frequently. Thanks for the chuckle.

As for the LAPD, that is unfortunate and more than a little scary to realize it is still so prevalent. Wow!

1

A hostile religious work environment would include ritual prEyers, mandatory bible readings in workplace emails or office mail, and this dick head HR jerk seemed to hint you should marry a xian from his church....if you have worked there you are no longer AT WILL and a job like yours probably has contracts work rules and time tables to measure your performance.....many people below told you the truth about confrontations documentation bad lawyers good lawyers healthcare is under a microscope now with Medicare 4 all on the political atumps..... keep a diary and make daily entries of details regarding religion sex promotions and hiring....hopefully you won't need to file a complaint or hire the best lawyer

1

I had a boss who would find a way to mention god in every conversation he got into. My strategy was to avoid him and eventually quit. I don't recommend it.

Oh, that sounds bad. My boss doesn't bring it up often, but I feel he has made it more comfortable for those with strong beliefs to express them more readily. And those without beliefs, like me, to feel more guarded than ever.

@Tinocca It's a shame this kind of stuff still goes on. My work once sent me to a diversity training seminar and the instructor said that when same sex couples cause harm in her community, she uses her christian morality to be at peace with it.

@RoboGraham that is terrible. I cringe when I hear things like that.

@RoboGraham 🙄

0

Ivalways answer with a very politely said, now that would not be any of your business, would it?

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