You are the leader of a company and An employee has complained to you that the marketing manager has not made any effort to accommodate non-Christians in this year's Christmas celebrations. The employee feels excluded and disappointed that an opportunity to bring the team together has instead divided the team along religious lines. Can you describe why the marketing Manager's behaviour conflicts with the values policy and/or procedures of your company? Could you Identify the relevance of one piece of relevant legislation that apply in this situation?

Why the marketing Manager's behavior conflicts with the values policy and/or procedures of my company

           The values and procedures of the company state that there shall be no form of discrimination along religious lines, color, sex, region, or tribe. Every employee needs to be treated equally regardless of their religious backgrounds. The company believes that doing this will help promote unity and teamwork among employees. Failure to recognize other faiths leads to disunity among the employees and violates the values that the company stands for. It is therefore unfortunate that the marketing manager has failed to make an effort to accommodate non-Christians in this year's Christmas celebrations. This behavior discriminates against employees of other faiths and goes against the values and procedures of the company.

Step-by-step explanation

Why the marketing Manager's behavior conflicts with the values policy and/or procedures of my company

           The values and procedures of the company state that there shall be no form of discrimination along religious lines, color, sex, region, or tribe. Every employee needs to be treated equally regardless of their religious backgrounds. The company believes that doing this will help promote unity and teamwork among employees. Failure to recognize other faiths leads to disunity among the employees and violates the values that the company stands for. It is therefore unfortunate that the marketing manager has failed to make an effort to accommodate non-Christians in this year's Christmas celebrations. This behavior discriminates against employees of other faiths and goes against the values and procedures of the company.

Relevant legislation that applies in this situation

           The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title VII of that Act protect employees from being discriminated against based on their religious backgrounds at their workplaces. The law prohibits employers from discriminating against their employees or potential employees based on their religion (Kelly, 2018). This means that they cannot treat employees more or less favorably on the basis of their religious beliefs or practices. This Act also requires employers to accommodate the beliefs of their employees or face hardship on their company's interest and fines in the event complaint is filed against them (employers). For example, if a Jewish employee is denied the opportunity to take part in Christmas celebrations and the employer denies him/her, the law allows the employees to file a charge of religious discrimination against the employer with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Employers also have the responsibility to ensure that no religious harassment takes place at the workplace by other employees or the management.

References

Kelly, E. (2018). Accommodating religious expression in the workplace. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 20, 45-56.

Zaheer, B. (2007). Accommodating minority religions under Title VII: How Muslims make the case for a new interpretation of section 701(J). University of Illinois Law Review, 2007, 497-534.

Lee, R. D. (2014). Workplace discrimination against Muslims, Arabs, and others since September 11, 2011. Journal of Individual Employment Rights, 10, 273-297.

Major, B., & Kaiser, C. R. (2016). Perceiving and claiming discrimination. In L. B. Nielsen & R. L. Nelson (Eds.), The handbook of research on employment discrimination: Rights and realities (pp. 279-293). New York: Springer.