Easter Eggs in a multicultural workplace

[Sheepcup]

I lead a small team in an education business, i.e. we work to school terms.

Usually I get a small gift for my staff at the end of each term and at Easter it's Eggs. Until now, I worked in a very white area where people are mostly not religious but broadly Christian by heritage. Everyone has Eggs without attaching much religious significance to them.

This year, I have moved to a different area and in my team I have an Israeli Jew and a Bengali Muslim.

Do I get Eggs, they're just chocolate tokens of the season, or absolutely not? If not, what else?

In my 55 years of living in a hugely multicultural part of London, I've never known anyone to be offended by an Easter gift, a Christmas gift, or an Eid gift.

The media however, like to stir it up and make us believe everyone is offended.

I'm a Muslim and I'd be very touched if a colleague gifted me something for Easter/christmas/hannukah. I would in turn make sure I gifted you something for Eid etc. it's a lovely gesture and not one to ponder too much over. Don't worry OP it's a nice thing to do.

Are you in the U.K.? If so then it's perfectly ok to uphold traditional British customs.

Anyone who doesn't wish to acknowledge Easter for whatever reason whether it be religion or they're an atheist or even that they are in a diet can simply abstain.

They can be eaten after sunset. People eat normally at night.

Thirded. I am from another religion/ culture and happily give and receive Xmas cards, eggs and such like. We are not really that sensitive, honest.

Yes of course they can.

But see my earlier post regarding indulgence.

This.

Don’t worry about it. Most people like to be included in all festivities. And why ever not?

When I was in London I worked at a Jewish firm (all partners were Jewish) with staff of all faiths. We had Christmas parties, Easter eggs, a Hanukkah candelabra (menorah), recognised Ramadan, Hindu festivals.

I now live in a Muslim country. Christmas is huge here, the shops are currently full of chocolate eggs and hot cross buns even though it’s Ramadan.

including people is a nice thing.

Would you be offended to be invited to share iftah, if you happened to be about when people were breaking fast?

If not, why do you think people would be offended at being offered a bag of mini eggs? It’s not like we use holy mini eggs (or any eggs at all) as part of a religious ceremony, they are just a seasonal chocolate snack. Good idea to buy wrapped/treat size ones so they can be taken away for later.

This!

Nobody is offended by chocolate and Easter eggs aren’t even a religious thing - it’s not like handing out crucifixes. It’s media nonsense

Indeed. It gets really tedious sometimes, people being offended on my behalf just because I have brown skin. I am happy to be offered any food or invited to any celebration or sent any gifts

I promise chocolate easter eggs are not featured in the bible!
You will not offend anyone by giving them a chocolate easter egg.
Of the easter food items it's hot cross buns which have the closest religious link as by the given name there is a cross on it!

Talk about over thinking!

Only on mumsnet!

The great joy of working in London is the multicultural colleagues. We do bring & share and it’s so varied. I was introduced to jollof that was a game changer

Eggs have nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity anyway

I'm not the best biblical scholar despite working for the church, however I'm pretty sure chocolate eggs do not appear at any point in the bible! They are secular

God I love jollof rice!
Tried making my own it's never the same!

Would you be offended if a colleague gave you some dates or a candle to celebrate the end of Ramadan?

People don't gave to take one if they don't want one

You can never go wrong with a Lindor bunny - who could be offended by that 🐰

Where I work we all bring in treats for our religious festivals-Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh. Why would anyone be offended?

I took the staff at my mums carehome a couple of bags of small bags of mini eggs to help themselves to. So if they want to take a bag home or skip it totally they can

Are you serious?! Tell me you never dyed or painted your own eggs as a child? The fact that the chocolate industry will seize on anything is neither here nor there.

True that chocolate eggs are not featured in the bible, that would be very silly. However, eggs are the accepted symbol of resurrection which is what Easter is all about. Do people on this thread not know that Jesus’s empty tomb is symbolised by the egg? Why people on this thread are trotting out that Easter eggs are a pagan tradition is a mystery. I can only think they are trying to undermine UK Christianity.