The Role of Religious Accommodation at Workplace - Essay Example

Topic: Religious accommodation at work place Introduction Religion is an essential part of an human life and it is embedded in him at all point of his life. Religion make the basic foundation of everyone’s life and a person who is religious always want to practice it in all important places he is engaging in. In General, people in the modern world is spending most of their life time in offices and workplace is a significant environment in their life. The modern century is functioning at a fast space and everyone wants to perform their best at their workplace in peace with his inner self. An employee who keeps his religion alive can inculcate enormous ethics, moral and social values in him. In the same way religious accommodation are essential at work place as it increases the quality of job performance and productivity among employees. As per (Laderman) “Today, "religion" can mean anything at all, from the most personal and intimate spirituality for the individual to the most diffuse cultural activity in any given society”. Religious values increases work quality First when we think about religion, the most important factor that sweeps through our mind is the serenity and satisfaction it brings to the psyche and personality of an individual. As all know ,religion is the direction towards God and anyone engaged in this value is at peace .It is obvious that when the self of a person is at serenity he can bring forth vitality to his thinking and personal behavior despite of the environment he is in. Work place environment is mostly stress abandoned and employees undergo much complication and emotional disturbance, when they engage in work place. So it will be greatly benefited on individual basis if the organizations allot some time to the employees for religious practice. According to (TriNet)“A Gallup poll states that 90% of American adults say that religion is either very important or fairly important in their lives. And with that, arises workplace conflicts”. Frankly speaking, religious accommodation is important in workplace as it increases the confidence and mental balance of an employee which results in quality job performance and productivity. Only a spiritually evoked employee can regulate his behavior and thoughts and give out optimum potentiality to the organization he/she is working in .In an organization, there can be present people from various religious background. However when an employee engage in his/her religious practice , he connect with God and respect all religions and treat his colleagues with respect and humility. Religion can bring about conflict at work place and time management issues Religion indeed is an essential part of every individual’s life , but as there are different religion in world , the ideology and religious culture in a work place vary immensely. This fact can give rise to conflict among employees as their habit and behavior differ according to their religious concept and beliefs. This contradicting view among employees can lead to chaos and dysfunctional situation. When employees hold vengeance and unfriendly attitude among each other, the flow of business can be interrupted and this can create low quality work and unproductive situation in workplace Generally, failure and lockouts can occur in work place and dealing with this issue can create loss of time. When the employees of an organization hold various religious beliefs then the organization can work on a not unifying nature . This is because the employees on various level look at each other as opponent and enemies and they can feel like competing with each other to prove each one’s religion as the best. Such an atmosphere can dismantle the whole unifying environment of the organization. For solving such a situation, managers and owner need to step in for counselling the employees which can create time loss. As per (Boyd 1)The U. S. Supreme Court has held that an employee's religion has to be reasonably accommodated even though the employee is not a member of any organized religion. Religion at work place create better productivity A work place or a commercial organization function for profit and religious indulgence among employees can result in great productivity .Let us understand that religious involvement gives perfection to mind and soul of an individual. Thinking of God and communicating with the Almighty, an employee can cleanse their soul deeply. Any religious belief or practices enhances a person’s action and behavior and also it goes in a positive direction. Religious accommodation in a work place also boosts the confidence and self-awareness of a person and this is linked directly to the performance of an employee. When employees practice religion at work place, their ethical stand and, honesty, morality increases which results in quality job performance. Even when the employees face difficulty problems in personal or professional life , they remain strong and reliable. The belief in God helps people to retain honesty and integrity in all phases of life. In a work place these moral standards are of high value and people who are religious can be reservoir of these human qualities. When all the employees in an organization indulge in religious belief and customs the potentiality of employees increases and they can contribute their best to the organization both psychologically and physiologically. Thus, the productivity of an organization largely depends on employee conduct and hence religion can increase the productivity of a firm definitely. Conclusion According to (Isieh) “In greater numbers, workers are asking their bosses to change their work schedules, relax company dress codes and make other adjustments so that they can fulfill their job requirements and religious obligations at the same time”. As a matter of fact, when an employee engages in a work place environment he is undergoing many personal and professional issues. To work in a consistent pace and acknowledge business and personal matters more seriously an employee need to maintain peace with his inner self. When one is religiously active, he can nurture his ethical and moral obligation as his thoughts and behavior are in align with a goodness mode . Work Cited Boyd, Susan. "Religion in the Workplace." Heritage 6.2 (2002): 1-4. Print. Esieh, Sylvia. "Courts haven’t found unity on religious accommodations at work." Idaho Business Review (2013). Print.0 Laderman, Gary. "What Does 'Religion' Mean?." http://www.huffingtopost.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 June 2013. . TriNet, . "Religion in the Workplace: What Employers Need to Know." www.trinet.com. TriNet Group Inc., 19 June 2009. Web. 20 June 2013. . Read More