|
By Angela Brunschot
Financial Post Saturday, February 18, 2006
God. Unless you work for a religious organization, chances are you don't hear Him invoked at the office very often. Indeed, you were probably taught not to discuss religion at work. Too explosive.
But those attitudes are changing. With immigration from Asia and the Middle East higher than ever, the workplace is increasingly a mosaic of diverse cultures and religions.
"The impact on the future is going to be huge. I think we're still just feeling the initial echoes," says Derrell Bricker, president of Ipsos-Reid, a marketing research firm. It is already clear, however, that some groups have spiritual needs that must be met during the working day. Muslims, for example, are expected to pray five times a day.
Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, has worked with many employers with significant numbers of Muslim employees. "Most are very accommodating," he says. "It fosters an atmosphere of loyalty. It creates friendship. The [workers] feel that they are understood and respected."
Michael Schulman, spokesman for the Humanist Association of Toronto, says religious observance at work is fine, so long as no one religion predominates. "There should be nothing coercive about introducing religion into the workplace," he says. "The important thing is that government or business not subsidize or endorse any particular religion."
Mike McLoughlin is a businessman in Kelowna, B.C. He has a master's degree in Christian studies and is an Evangelical Christian. He says the new wave of multicultural workers has opened the door for faith expression of all kinds in the workplace. "It's the spirit of the age," he says. "You are who you are, wherever you are. Why check your Christianity at the door at work on Monday morning?"
Deenah Patel, manager of corporate diversity at IBM, agrees. IBM provides "reflection rooms" and "prayer preparation rooms" in many of its offices across the country. "This continues to be a focus for us because we understand that the population and workforce is changing," she says. "A company would be at risk if not thinking about the implications of the myriad religions and faiths in our community. By embracing it, I believe you're in a position to advance your workforce."
Mr. Elmenyawi points out that different religious groups can lead to greater efficiencies. Christians get time off work at Christmas, for example, while other religious groups stay on the job. When non-Christians are observing their religious festivals, the Christians fill in for them. Similarly, groups that pray at specified times during the day can cover lunch breaks.
Gord Walford, a senior analyst at Statistics Canada in Ottawa, is a Bible study leader with the Public Service Christian Fellowship. He leads educational sessions and discussions during lunch meetings. He says faith expression at work helps him understand others and improves teamwork.
"It helps me to focus on loving others in the workplace," he says. "Some folk that you work with may not be as loveable as others. It teaches one the fruits of the spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, slow-to-anger and mercy. It helps me be a better person and a better employee."
The Bible study group has operated at the Ottawa office since the 1970s. About a year ago, Statistics Canada also put in a "quiet room" as part of its wellness program. It's open to all employees for prayer and meditation, but it is primarily used by Muslim employees. Speaking of his employer, Mr. Walford says, "They recognize that there is a spiritual component to some employees and they don't feel that there is any need to squelch that," he says.
Although his group has enjoyed a good relationship with co-workers, he says other Christian groups at his office have had problems. As has happened elsewhere, some employees do not like religious activities posted on public bulletin boards because they say it smacks of proselytizing on the job.
Religion is always a hot button. Mr. Elmenyawi says he has experienced setbacks at two Montreal schools. McGillUniversity reassigned a room formerly reserved for prayer as a laboratory. And Ecole de Technologie Suprieure, an engineering school, does not provide prayer rooms despite requests from students. Both cases are before the Quebec Human Rights Commission.
If schools are feeling the heat, the workplace won't be too far behind, says Mr. Bricker at Ipsos-Reid. Canadian cities, Toronto in particular, will increasingly feel the impact of changing immigration.
Carolyn Grossi, senior operations manager for IBM at Kelly Services in Toronto, says accommodating religions makes good business sense. Kelly Services, an employment agency, helps arrange other workers to fill in for those away marking a religious occasion. Kelly Services also helps set up prayer and reflection rooms at client locations. These private rooms are inter-denominational.
"In tight labour markets like this, if we can do anything to keep our employees happy and to accommodate their requests, we work with our customers to do that," she says.
Expressions of faith also find a place in the work-life of Toronto's financial district. The King Bay Chaplaincy, a non-denominational chapel in an office tower, offers lunchtime services to the secretaries, bankers and lawyers of Bay Street.
Mr. McLoughlin, the Kelowna Christian, says employers must make room for faith at work, both figuratively and literally. "Because our work tends to be all-consuming, because we tend to spend so much time at work, when do we get the opportunity to be spiritual?" he asks. "We like to say that we are a tolerant, multicultural society, and that's generally how we are, but my experience has been that overt religious or faith expression has been discouraged in the workplace as potentially being divisive."
Discussions of religion, just like sexual orientation or race, can make people feel uncomfortable in the workplace, he says. A short education session can usually dispel mistrust.
"A lot of employees probably perceive that their faith is not welcome in the workplace," he says. "Employers, you just need to wake up."
© National Post 2006 | 
