To ask a Muslim admin assistant to organise Christams cards

[Goodfrock]

We're a small PR company who sends out lots of Christmas cards. Whether this is worthwhile is up for debate, but the decision has been taken that it will continue for this year at least.

The admin assistant to whom this task falls is a newly appointed Muslim woman I.e
The person in her role has done it previously but it wasn't her last year.

She's not comfortable organising the cards. Was it an unreasonable request? This is very much a genuine question. I'm kicking myself for being insensitive at the same time as thinking it would be daft to get someone more senior to do it.

You aren't being unreasonable to ask but I hope as a company you would also mark Diwali, make adjustments for Ramadan, Jewish New Year, etc. That would demonstrate inclusively for all your stakeholders.

There is if she is refusing to do her job.

We have a vegan assistant; she doesn't protest when she has to serve our chicken salads and burgers at working lunches.

A lot of Hindus think Halloween isn’t taken seriously enough. We spend Hindu Halloween dodging cars at crossroads to feed demons lol

I had a Muslim colleague who would come for afterwork drinks, she’d have non alcoholic cocktails but insisted on standing a round of alcoholic drinks for everyone else.

A friend worked for a company owned by two Jewish men. The were less observant than some, more observant than others and every year they threw a legendary “Christmas” party. The firm was racially/ethnically diverse and everyone attended.

Surely the solution is to get her to organise a solution by authorising her to try and swap tasks with someone else. If she can't find someone to do it, then she does it. Either way, the responsibility for making sure the cards are sent somehow is hers.

Conversely I know one who wouldn't do that.

I think the point is there are plenty of 'spectrums' involved in things like religions and beliefs, and hard lines for some people are non-existent for others. There's plenty of Muslims happy to engage with Christmas traditions, but plenty who wouldn't.

In this case, we really don't have much option but to take their reasons at face value - none of us know this person and their beliefs, and one perfectly valid version of being a Muslim would be to refrain from engaging with this. I think probably the 'blur' here is it's being done as a corporate thing, so it's quite an interesting question to me and can see plenty of arguments for and against.

People can choose whatever boundaries they wish but if that means they are incompatible with the fundamental tasks of the job, they need to be prepared for the consequences.

Religion is voluntarily chosen, it's not something immutable like a physical disability.

I just don't get what her objection is. Sorting Xmas cards on behalf of the employer is hardly religious worship. What exactly is the problem?

So any work you do geared towards christian celebrations eg Christmas/Easter etc she wont do as its not her religion? Shes automatically excluded from doing the work? Thats not right. She will take the holiday time off tho, will she participate in Christmas work lunch/party and secret santa if you do one?? You need HR guidance on this

im atheist, ill do any admin work asked of me! This is ridiculous. This is taking quietly quitting to a whole new level

She will be complaining about the office Christmas tree next/Christmas Jumpers 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣

I think it's the design, chosing text etc rather than just simply sending out cards.

With your update, I can sort of see her point. You are not asking her to perform a purely administrative task, which would definitely be reasonable, but in fact you are asking her to suggest the design and messaging on an event that is not part of her culture

Yes I have a little more sympathy now.

But I still think she is being a bit precious. Getting secular cards that say Season's greetings and asking her to shove them in an envelope and send is simple admin.

But even if she is asked to find a design and message it doesn't have to be religious - find a card with snowy winter scene (avoid a church, something like a postbox will do), and add Seasons Greetings from [OP's company]. Done. No religious input required.

I am not Christian or from British culture, but I manage to send out Xmas cards with robins, wreaths or snowmen. Not rocket science.

Unbelievably precious.

Send generic “happy holidays” cards and tell her she can choose non representational ones. That’s much more inclusive anyway.