Religion in the workplace

[Whatothink]

For the last month we have been sent messages email, background screens and management briefings for a particular religion.

the following messages to

”showing visible support,
encouraging meaningful conversations, and deepening our understanding of the experiences of those of observences”

as well as being told to be considered with meetings etc and thoughtful and supportive!!!

Ramadan then?

What's your question?

Given your vagueness, Im going to assume you're whining about a non-event.

I am struggling to make sense of your post, OP. I think you need to be specific about the religion and explicit about your question.

So what's your question and how does the voting work?

What impact is Ramadan having on you?

What is your question @Whatothink ? As it is pretty difficult to vote, or to offer a helpful comment from your opening post.

What exactly is the problem?

So you were asked to be considerate of people fasting during Ramadan (and I guess maybe Lent too). You poor thing.

You're not being forced to convert

so you’re anti Muslim and objecting to showing any kind of compassion or tolerance then? Right, got it

I think religion should be separate from work and not pushed onto others.

Then don't bother being friendly to your Muslim colleagues or learning anything from them. i'm sure they'll be devastated...

Presumably you won't be wishing anyone Happy Christmas

Sounds a decent place to work.

Why do you want an uncaring employer?

I am as sceptical about all sky fairies as they come.

But I have to ask what this has actually cost you ?

How is it being pushed on you OP? I mean, if they banned everyone from eating at work, you'd have a point, but I doubt that's it. Someone's else's religion doesn't hurt you. I bet you like your Christmas Day and Boxing Day off, eh? Isn't that pushing Christianity on everyone?

For goodness sakes, no one in this thread make a joke about France.

How is a religion being 'pushed on to you'? You're not being recruited!!

More likely it's just messages from the centre reminding people that those undertaking Ramadan require a few adjustments to support their practice.

I am a card-carrying Humanist - no religion means anything to me - but it means things to other people and there's nothing wrong with being informed about practices that others are undergoing. I used to manage a lovely woman who worked directly for me and who followed Ramadan - we staggered her start of the day due to tiredness due to getting up early to eat.

It's not a bad thing to be flexible and understanding.

I bloody hate football and think that gets shoved a lot more down my throat than anyone's religion!

That's reasonable to ask employees to be understanding of people's religion especially fasting/prayer during Ramadan. There's still a few devour Catholics around our way that fast & attend mass during lent so it's not just Muslims.

That's very different from asking you to follow the religion or asking you to agree with everything preached by the religion.

If your company were insisting you pray & fast then yes that would be unreasonable but if they are just asking you to go about your day as normal but be mindful of what others are doing then that's perfectly fine & you would be unreasonable to get worked up about that.

Have you tried, as suggested by the company, engaging with colleagues who are observing Ramadan - you may find you have more in common with them than you realize

How is it being pushed upon you exactly?

How is it being pushed on you? You've just been asked to show respect and if you're interested you could ask questions and learn a bit. It's not like you're being pinned down and forcibly baptised

YANBU, just reading that makes me want to paint a roundabout in anger

Have you ever said Happy Christmas at work? Or said "I've a meeting on Thursday" That's named after a god. Is Norse religion being pushed onto you,or is that, like you, overreacting?

Do you? I think, reading between the lines of your original post, that the workplace is an ideal place to encourage people with the bigotted views intimated by your triple exclamation marks to look at the world from a different perspective to their own. You are being asked to be curious and courteous, not to unfurl a prayer mat next to your desk.

What's wrong with asking you to be aware of Ramadan and show consideration to those fasting?