Growing in belief

Discrimination against an employee or job candidate on the grounds of their religion or belief is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010

The regulations apply to discrimination on grounds of religion, religious belief or similar philosophical belief. That therefore means that not only someone who is a Christian Jew or Muslim is protected by the law but also someone who is an atheist, secularist or humanist.

Amongst other things this might mean thinking about practical changes in your workplace or how you meet the needs of your customers.

The new regulations specify that employers must provide time and facilities for religious or belief observance in the workplace. This may mean for instance:

Prayer- Some religions may require their followers to pray at specific times during the day. Employees may require access to an appropriate quiet place to pray.

Time off – There are religious festivals or spiritual observance days which workers may request holiday in order to celebrate or attend. Employers should consider if it is practical for the employee to be away from work and have sufficient holiday entitlement.

Clothing / Jewellery – Where organisations have specific dress code, employers should be careful it does not conflict with the dress requirements of some religions.

Equal and Diverse offers a range of services for private and public organisations considering the role of religion and belief in the workplace and in the services they offer – all to build your confidence and improve your service.

We will help you to review practice, undertake impact assessment on policies and practices, and develop appropriate training for your organisation which amongst other issues will examine

• What the legislation requires.

• The nature of religious and belief discrimination.

• Religion and belief in the workplace

• Good practice relating to dress, prayer, holidays etc

• Recruitment and promotion

• Monitoring and evaluation.

In addition Equal and Diverse has developed specific training around Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism. These programmes explore these faith traditions in greater depth and can be developed to fit your organisation, e.g. for FE Colleges we concentrate on the role of belief in the curriculum.