Religion Diversity Management

Religion diversity management

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Do the religions and cultural beliefs differences that exist among people across the word determine their performance at the workplace? Do the clothes that one wears or how the hair and the beards are kept due to religious beliefs affect the efficiency at the workplace?

   The question of religion at the workplace is brought about because diversity in many areas challenges organizations. Changes that take place in workforce composition and customer populations, together with the globalized markets are increasing the number of diversity organizations must manage, both the internal and external changes.

Many workers with high qualifications are being denied opportunity to work at different organization due to their religions. Ironically, other works are offered opportunity job event without the necessary qualification required simply due to their religion. This type of diversity is highly demonstrated since it becomes very hard for a person, in this case, a worker especially managers to welcome a person with another religious or cultural beliefs in the organization.

The ongoing globalization has lead to interaction between different people made of different religious beliefs and culture. Sometimes it becomes hard for employees to the differences that results from these interactions at the working place. The workplace is obviously a site that is impacted by religious diversity and it is well known that issues of religious diversity in the workplace are becoming more prominent due to the interaction between people from different places. It becomes hard for an organization to accommodate some religious dressing or grooming practices Accommodations for religious garb may include allowing employees to wear religious head coverings (such as a Muslim hijab), or to wear certain hairstyles or beards (such as Rastafarian dreadlocks ). It also includes the employer's acceptance of religious prohibitions against wearing certain garments (such as miniskirts)

There is a substantial rise in the number of complaints of workplace harassment or discharge due to unfair treatment at the workplace basing on religion differences. A good example is fundamental against Muslims in the workplace that includes harassment and discharge. For example, on December 7, 2003, Chicago Tribune article reported on an Arab-American writer in Baltimore who was sent home from work because his name is Mohammad. For some Muslim women, the wearing of a religious headscarf and For Rastafarians, the dreadlocks that are a religiously mandated hairstyle have raised issues in the workplace.

Some people dress or keep their hair in a certain way simply because of their religious beliefs and culture. Some managers and company owner find some of these practices unsuited for their organizations.

     Business leaders together with diversity specialists agree that, for a business to survive in the current word it must take competitive advantage of a diverse workplace. This is because the diverse community can assist the organization to enhance productivity and innovations. To manage diversity successfully, organizations must recognize and consider religion as one of the many diversity factors.  

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