When does religious expression in the workplace cross the line?
Issue:> You’ve educated your workforce, managers and supervisors alike, about sexual harassment prevention. Your policies encourage a respectful and nondiscriminatory workplace. Still, several incidents have come up that make you wonder how to treat expressions of religious belief. You know that while federal law (Title VII) permits religious expression by employees, supervisors and managers, it prohibits religious harassment. For example, during a conversation about weekend activities, a supervisor tells one of her employees that she very much enjoyed Saturday morning synagogue services, that religion is an important part of her life, and that she is planning to invite the employee to her son’s upcoming bar mitzvah. Is this permitted? Answer: Without more, the supervisor’s statements could not reasonably be perceived to be coercive and would not be unlawful. Don’t insist on either religious participation or non-participation. A supervisor or manager may not, explicitly or implicitly,
