Religious discrimination survey shows little conflict on dress code or religion in the workplace

Most employers are fairly confident in their ability to manage work related issues arising from the religion or belief of employees but only 1 in 3 has an explicit policy for doing so. But while two thirds of organisations support people in meeting the dress code of the religion, two thirds mention being confused about which faith days their staff will be celebrating and how.

These are some of several key findings of the latest CIPD/KPMG quarterly Labour Market Outlook survey of 1, 369 employers that was conducted in the wake of recent public debate about whether and how employees should be able to openly express their religious beliefs while at work.

Employers with an explicit policy on religion and belief in the workplace
Although the vast majority of employers surveyed have a formal diversity policy only 1 in 3 employers has an explicit policy on managing religious beliefs in the workplace. The proportion of employers surveyed with an explicit policy is far higher in the public sector (55%) than in the voluntary sector (31%), private sector services (30%) and especially manufacturing and production where fewer than 1 in 5 employers (17%) have a policy.

Employer practices on religion and belief in the workplace
Three quarters of employers with a policy support staff in taking time off for religious observance (in 15% of cases providing time off in addition to employeesí annual leave). Just under two-thirds (61%) provide staff with time or facilities for religious observance in the workplace.

Only around 1 in 10 employers with a policy imposes restrictions on religious dress or jewellery. And this overall proportion is raised by employers in manufacturing (a quarter of who impose such restrictions) usually for reasons related to health and safety.

The role of anti-religious discrimination legislation
Almost 1 in 4 employers surveyed (23%) report that they have introduced or changed their policy as a result of the 2003 regulations outlawing direct or indirect employment discrimination on grounds of religion or belief. However, ëfollowing best practiceí and ëimproving employment relationsí are cited as being as slightly more important drivers of change.

Legal claims and grievances related to religion or belief in the workplace
Only 1 per cent of respondents had faced an employment tribunal claim in the past three years related to alleged religious discrimination, with similarly small proportions reporting they had been involved in disciplinary (1%) or grievance (3%) cases related to discrimination.

Managing religion and belief in the workplace
Only 3% of employers surveyed cite practical difficulty in implementing their policy. But policy on managing religion or belief in the workplace seems to convey relatively little benefit in terms of a positive impact on staff recruitment and retention.

Commenting on the survey findings, Dianah Worman OBE, diversity adviser at the CIPD said:
ìHow to treat the expression of religion or belief in the workplace is becoming a more pressing issue for employers as Britain becomes both a more multi-faith and secular society.

ìThe survey findings are encouraging in demonstrating that tensions evident in recent high profile cases relating to restrictions on religious dress or the display of religious symbols at work are not widespread in workplaces across the UK. However, it is likely that other issues will come to the fore as more employees bring cases against employers within the terms of the 2003 regulations outlawing religious discrimination in the workplace. To avoid this, employers should ensure that they have a clear policy that both removes any possible forms of discrimination and enables staff to make a fully engaged contribution at work regardless of their religion or belief.î

Sarah Bond, Head of Diversity at KPMG concludes:
ìThe introduction of legislation on religion and belief sent a clear signal to employers that ignoring faith at work is no longer an option. We live in a multi-faith society, and employer practices should reflect this.

We have active Christian, Islamic and Jewish societies at KPMG, and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all - irrespective of religion or belief. We believe that this makes a difference in terms of the recruitment and retention of our people, although the survey suggests that this view is not widely shared amongst employers.î