Director of the Catholic Union, Nigel Parker, writes:
Our recent Catholic Union survey into religious freedom in the workplace revealed a worrying proportion of people who feel the need to leave their religious identity at home when they go to work. This is in stark contrast to the welcome and celebration of other identities and the encouragement in some quarters to bring your whole self to work. The problem is familiar but what is the solution? One initiative which comes to mind is a programme of encouragement to employers to respect the religious beliefs of their employees (including those who hold socially conservative beliefs) and to celebrate those employers who perform as leaders in this area. This idea has become a reality in the US where the ADF Viewpoint Diversity Business Index was recently published for the second time. This index rates 75 major US corporations for free speech and religious freedom, and awards many of them pretty low scores. Obviously there needs to be a balance of carrot and stick. Is this an idea which could catch on here and could it help Catholics and other people of faith to feel welcome as part of a diverse workforce?
Meanwhile, the mostly evangelical group Christians in Government recently hosted a webinar entitled “Gospel freedoms in the workplace: what does the law say?”. This is a useful account of the current law and some recent cases.