Canadian HR Reporter Weekly

December 5, 2018 Published weekly by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. CUSTOMER SERVICE Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax: (416) 298-5106 customersupport.legaltaxcanada@tr.com www.thomsonreuters.ca One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1T 3V4 Director, Media Solutions, Canada: Karen Lorimer Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Todd Humber todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com (416) 298-5196 Editor/Supervisor: Sarah Dobson sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-7896 News Editor: Marcel Vander Wier marcel.vanderwier@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-7837 Sales Manager: Paul Burton paul.burton@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-9928 Circulation Co-ordinator: Keith Fulford keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-9585 Art Director: Dave Escuadro david.escuadro@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-9358 ©2018 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher (Thomson Reuters, Media Solutions, Canada). Quebec's CAQ coalition puts religion in spotlight Workplace should not be 'religion-free zone': Expert BY MARCEL VANDER WIER e push from Quebec's new Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government to ban religious sym- bols from being worn by public sector workers in positions of authority has placed the issue of reli- gion at work firmly in the spotlight. Eighty per cent of Canadians participate in some form of religious practice, according to a 2017 An- gus Reid poll of 2,006 adults. As such, employers can and should do a better job of welcoming people of faith, according to Ray Pennings, executive vice-president of Cardus, a faith-based think tank with offices in Ottawa and Hamilton, Ont. "We need to be more attentive to matters of faith, especially in our workplaces and other public spac- es. Having a diverse workplace is good for business, and religion is part of that," he said. "If you're told that part of you, you have to leave at home and is not welcome in the workplace… that has cultural implications in terms of creativity and passion." e workplace should not be a "religion-free zone," said Brian Kreissl, a human resources prod- uct development manager at omson Reuters in Toronto (publisher of Canadian HR Reporter). "People should be free to practise their religion. ey should be free to discuss their religious prac- tices," he said. "If it's a major part of someone's iden- tity, they shouldn't be forced to kind of keep that un- der wraps and hide that when they come to work." Fostering religious diversity at work presents many benefits, said Kreissl, including a widened tal- ent pool, improved engagement and productivity as employees bring their authentic selves to work, less groupthink decision-making, and legal compliance with human rights law by ensuring staff are not dis- criminated against based on protected grounds. "ere are quite a lot of actual business advantag- es to having a diverse workforce," he said. "Religion is just one aspect of diversity, but it is an important part of it." Proactive steps Most large employers have a clear policy in place in terms of religious accommodation, while small business owners do their best to make requests work, said Pennings. "Simply accommodating people in terms of re- ligious holidays or religious dress… is one thing," he said. "But if we really believe in the philosophy that we want to bring the whole person to work and that when we have their whole being, we're able to get the best of them in the workforce, we need to understand that religious identity is every bit a part of a person's identity as sexual diversity, ethnic diversity." Alongside accommodation, employers should look to adopt proactive measures including aware- ness, affirmation and engagement, according to Navigating Religious Diversity in the Workplace — a guide recently published by Cardus. Awareness includes building religious literacy within an organization by learning about various traditions and holy books, said Pennings. Affirmation would see an institution recognize the importance of religious diversity alongside in- dividual identities, while engagement could include training sessions or collaboration with religious communities, he said. "Workplaces have a lot to gain when they invite employees to come in and look at problems with their various perspectives," said Pennings. "We live in a multicultural society and under- standing how people think and how people under- stand the world is only going to make for a better workplace." Holiday parties With the festive season upon us, employers need to remain mindful that workers celebrate a variety of occasions and holidays, said Kreissl. "Some people kind of roll their eyes or get an- noyed when people start saying things like 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas,' but I do think it is important to recognize that not everyone celebrates Christmas," he said. "A large percentage of the population does cel- ebrate Christmas and does celebrate the holidays and we shouldn't try to kind of hide that fact. But, at the same time, I think we should try to be as in- clusive as possible and try to ensure that people feel free to participate, even if it isn't their religion." While wishing colleagues religious greetings is not offensive — "You're just wishing someone all the best and a joyous time" — employers should attempt to make year-end parties as secular and inclusive as possible to ensure most staff are com- fortable in participating, said Kreissl. Employers should also be aware of competing rights within human rights legislation, and that freedom of religion does not trump freedom from discrimination, he said. "ere's definitely a fine line between being able to talk about your religion and preaching or pros- elytizing to other people."

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