New job, employer pushing religion

[morethanspice]

I’ve started a job as a carer in a private household and the family are very religious (Christian) I’m respectful but don’t share the views but more and more I’m being harassed somehow by the mother telling me to let Jesus in to my life etc. I think she should stop it, AIBU?

I can't believe some of you are parents it's so vindictive.

@HowIrresponsible bit of an overreaction. Just because you're not a devil worshipper doesn't mean other people aren't! How about a bit of respect for different faiths?

Bold fail. 🤦🏻‍♀️

As you are employed directly, harassing you about your beliefs when they aren't relevant to your employment is a breach of the Equalities Act. You are free to choose your own belief or lack of it and your employers are not allowed to treat employees differently on the basis of belief or lack of it. Clearly and demonstrably the employer is treating you differently than if you were a Christian.

I think you should be blunt and assert yourself clearly.
"I have the right to freedom from religious persecution in my workplace. Your constant harassment of me to proselytise about your religion is totally inappropriate when all I want to do is to perform my job to the best of my ability. Please let me get on with my work"

I’m employed directly by the family, no agency, not self employed. They receive funding and employ staff but seem to have trouble retaining them.

I expect this is why they are facing difficulties retaining carers. I would shut down the conversation when religion is mentioned every time. I would make it clear that I loved the job, and say something like, I am pleased your religious beliefs bring you comfort, but I don’t find it professional to discuss my views on religion/politics these are private for me and if you keep bringing these topics up, I will find employment elsewhere. Good luck

Say this every time she starts.

I wonder why! I bet she does this to everyone and everyone else has walked... and I don't blame them.

Of course they have trouble retaining staff!

Tell her once 'I respect your views but it is inappropriate to speak to an employee about religion. If it continues I will leave.'

Then leave when she does it again.

Ask her for some proof

Being harassed at work because you do not share your boss’s religion is religious discrimination, you are protected by the law. Your employer may not realise that so it might be sensible to let her know.

If you ended up leaving because her harassment made the job untenable for you, you would have a case for constructive dismissal.

I think I've figured out why they have trouble retaining staff... tell her unless she stops another career will leave and it can't be in the interests of the person needing care to have a lack of continuity with a stream of different carers. Plus she has a duty as your employer to respect your religious belief and she is breaching that.

I’ve thought about it overnight and think I need to go to her with my concerns. I’m worried about the moving and handling risks and the basic hygiene practices. We aren’t allowed to use PPE. There’s one glove, which is washed after use. I know it’s their home but it’s our workplace. So the religious pressure might be tolerable if the general working environment was better but 🤢

But my post was about the religious pressures and it’s not acceptable at work especially when you literally cannot get away from her.

Not being allowed to use PPE is way more unacceptable than being inappropriately harassed. Obviously religious harassment is awful and makes a mentally toxic working environment but not being allowed to use PPE endangers your physical health. Re-using a single glove is worse than using no gloves at all.

I think you need to leave. What's the point of tackling the religious harassment if the job would still be awful even without it?

Well you are absolutely right and the manual handling risks also are concerning, it’s her way or no way as they’ve had to develop ways to manage with just one carer. The whole thing is a nightmare even though they pay above the usual rate. No proper breaks either.

I'm another person who thinks that you should leave this particular care setup. If you stay, you are putting your physical and mental health at risk.
There are innumerable jobs going in the care industry. It's a difficult job and can be physically and mentally challenging. You won't be out of work for long.

She should keep her religious views private

There are multiple reasons why they have trouble retaining carers!!
The PPE issues and MH concerns would be it for me
I wouldn't go back....the risks are not worth it no matter what they are paying

I have a friend who is a Christian...she is quite preacy too....always asking me to let the lord into my life etc...I find it quite disrespectful as she knows i do not believe and am not interested in her religious views.

You can get a more suitable position @morethanspice.
Start looking for a new position and give your notice at this one, outlining the working conditions and religious issues as your reasons.

I’m really appreciative of all of your replies, definitely helping me feel supported and that my reactions are reasonable

Just adding my voice to support you. Definitely look for another job on the basis of the PPE and manual handling risks alone - it isn’t worth your health. If the job was otherwise fine I’d advise you to do what other sensible posters have said and just calmly say that you don’t want to discuss religion at work, then if she persists point out that you have a right not to be harassed at work and you will leave if she continues. But I think this is moot given the other risks you talk about.

FWIW I’m a committed Christian and I do not push my faith onto anybody, in the workplace or otherwise. I never talk about it unless asked and people like your employer make me cringe.

Oh dear. In my experience the people who push "having Jesus in your life" very seldom show any evidence of having him in theirs, and can show a disconcerting tendency to adopt a position of superiority.
Some of them live in a kind of fantasy universe with a war between heaven and the other place going on more actively than Russia/Ukraine or Israel/Gaza. Think Tolkien or Philip Pullman.
Naturally if your employer thinks like that, she wants to be sure that she isn't endangering her relative by having a carer from the other side. And that includes all other religions, no religions, and branches of Christianity not adhering to her church's peculiar interpretation of it. Since she obviously believes she has a mandate to preach to those outside her version, she won't recognise that you have a parallel right to keep your beliefs private and not discuss them in the workplace.
You can try to tell her, and ask to be left alone to work with the patient, but be prepared to leave.
It occurs to me that there may be a connection between the PPE issue and the religious one. After all, if you had Jesus in your life, you wouldn't need PPE. It depends on the depth of her belief.

I've never noticed that being a parent stops anyone being vindictive, or having any other undesirable quality.

Please don't tell her she's making you uncomfortable in her own home

Perhaps you're forgetting that the client's home is also OP's workplace, @HowIrresponsible, and that she also has rights associated with that?

OP's already said that she's quite rightly respectful of the family's views, but unsurprisingly it now turns out there are other issues, and between the handling concerns/ban on PPE using PPE (why? Do they think it's up to Jesus to protect them? ) and this it's no surprise they can't keep staff

As said it's worth having a tactful conversation, but with folk this entrenched I rather doubt there'll be any alternative but to leave

The PPE thing I think is connected to her general assumption that her way is superior to institutional care and that as we work in a family home we are expected to conform to the family way of doing things. I appreciate that but there’s a line and she’s crossing it and pushing Jesus on to me is crossing another one. I’m not going there today so I’m going to think about my next move.