Non-Christian employees may indirectly be suffering from religious discrimination when UK workplaces close their doors for the Christmas period, it has been claimed.
According to the Employers Forum on Belief, this is because such workers typically have to use their own annual holiday allowance if they wish to be off work for the events or holidays their religion celebrates the Telegraph reports.
This may lead to a build-up of feelings of resentment in the workplace, the forum warned.
It went on to recommends that employers speak with such staff and tell them it is financially sensible to close down the office from the end of December until the beginning of the new year.
A guide from the group cited by the Telegraph reads: “An extended Christmas closedown may therefore indirectly discriminate on the ground of religion or belief so employers should be clear as to the reasons why it is necessary which might include cost savings where the majority of staff will want to take holiday and costs can be saved by closing down completely.”
And the group also advised hanging up seasonal decorations to brighten up the workplace, rather than those with a specific Christmas theme.
Meanwhile, Lisa Aziz, an Asian newsreader for ITV, is suing the channel for racial, sexual and age discrimination.
 
Is there not a greater risk that the commissioning and publication of such surveys might lead to real and unacceptable discrimination, whereas any sensible non-Christian is very, very unlikely to consider him/herself less favourably treated on the grounds of their religion etc? Should we not therefore be far more discriminating in the ways in which we are seen to approach the real problems caused by inequitable treatment at work?
Verging on insanity, this article.
Our company is shut for christmas only at the head office. We run care homes for the elderly who obviously need 24 hour care. At the head office no matter what religion we have to book christmas from our annual leave. Is it not about Equality for all, not the actual belief!!
What about when all staff, regardless of religion, having to take ‘holiday’ when the office is closed over the xmas period? It is imposed on them, yet, they have to use some of their precious holiday entitlement, which typically totals 3+ days!
I don’t celebrate christmas, but still like the office being closed for an extended period and of course I know that it makes financial sense. I would feel quite patronised if my boss sat me down and felt the need to explain to me why the office closes and why it makes sense financially.
What do they consider as sesonal decorations and what do they consider as Christmas theme decorations?
Like many aspects of life Christmas is what you want it to be. To many practising christians it is a celebration of the birth of Christ. To many others it is a welcome traditional holiday with the added bonus of buying and recieving presents.
To me discrimination happens when you treat someone less favourably because of their difference. In general most get the opportunity of a break, whether you go to church or not is a freely made personal choice!
Turkeys would like a break too! Perhaps they should be included in any forthcoming legislation. Vegitarians of any religion would be happy with that. Decoration in the workplace, of any description are a happy distraction, so long, of course that they don’t infringe the Health and Safety laws. Can’t we just enjoy the break at Christmas without having to be PC all the time. Give us a break!
I guess they don’t want the double time for working bank holidays either?
What a load of old rubbish, the chief lunatic has been given the keys to the asylum. The Employers Forum on belief must be really hard pushed to justify their over inflated egos and salaries. In Cromwells words gentlemen you have sat here to long in gods name go.
This article is insane and i agree completely with AlanH. If i worked in India or any other country with different beliefs to mine i wouldn’t expect for me not to have to take holiday due to their religious festivals or them put up “seasonal” decorations rather than religion specific decorations because i had different beliefs. It would be the belief of their country, that i lived and worked in, and i would accept that. Why then, as a Christian country, should we have to alter how we celebrate religious festivals to cater for a very small minority of people from other faiths who disagree. I would imagine that most people who have other beliefs would not have an issue.
Apparently the report says it may lead to a build up of resentment in the workplace… yes, amongst the majority who cannot celebrate their own religious festival! I hate the BNP and everything it stands for, but it’s moronic articles and statements like this that contribute towards and encourage people to vote for them.
A passionate comment from Dave with which I agree on the whole. Discrimination exists in some workplaces; as a employment lawyer working for Respondents and Defendants I come across it regularly. This article however, and all it represents, does nothing to advance the quest for harmony- on the contrary! I would love to hear from the editor or those who have voted that they agree that Xmas celebrations could be a form of indrect discrimination… over to them?
I believe the problems all go back to the human rights law and the health and safety directives. They have allowed the oddballs and jobsworths, plus undesirable ideologically-lead activists to call the tune. We have to end this now. It has gone too far already.
I agree with JXB; by publishing this article we are raising a point that is irrelevant and damaging.
Surely we should be tackling real discrimination where it happens rather than discussing every possible way we might be. Pointless and srticles like this give HR a bad name.
I was absolutely furious to read this.
Whether people choose to worship or not this is a country built on Christian traditions. I’m so sick of people being scared to offend other religions, cultures and races. For goodness sake! Try going to Saudi Arabia and complaining that the shops are closed during some Muslim festival!
Are people REALLY so sensitive, so spineless and so narrow minded that they come to a country with different values to theirs and then scream discrimination because a picture of a cross is put on the wall?
I think people of other religions or no religion are sensible enough to make their own distinctions. Come on!
More PC claptrap. I have lived and worked in other countries with different cultures and was happy to accept that I was living in their environment. I believe that the majority of non-Christian residents of this country would feel the same. As for the rest…………
I am astounded by this article, at this rate our traditional festival will be eroded to some non descript winter celebration, every country has it traditions and religious festivals and they are proud to celebrate them, yet in this country we are bending to the whim these politically correct morons. Whats next banning Easter……shove Tuesday….madness, absolute madness!
This is an absolute disgrace and yet more evidence of (presumably highly paid) idiots looking for ways to justify their existence by finding something for someone (always Muslims funnily enough) to be offended by.
This is a christian country, open to those of all and no beliefs, and as has been said many times, try going to another country and telling them that their religion and religious artefacts are offensive!
As EM says, this gets all of us in HR a bad name.
Hasn’t closing offices always been to do with economics and not religious observance. If no-one wants/needs the services then why pay heat light etc for someone to offer minimum service.
Can anyone remember “factory fortnights” when organisations made practically the whole workforce take holiday so essential maintenance could be done
Well, can’t say that closing offices for Christmas is indirect discrimination, But do people from other religious beliefs get holidays on there main important festivals? In India we have bank holidays for all the main festivals of all the religions like Diwali, Christmas, or muslim festivals etc. So that people can celebrate it with there families.
Isn’t it an example of respecting all the religions and their beliefs so that no such issue like discrimination arise at all!
“This is a christian country”
Well, depends on how you look at it. According to the British Social Attitudes survey (a robust survey conducted every year), those identifying themselves with no religion and religious non-christians now account for more than 50% of the population.
I like christmas, not so keen on the stuff about a chap nailed to a couple of sticks though. Aren’t the christmas holidays really just public holidays that most organisations choose to stick to? No more discriminatory than if all organisations decided to take the early may bank holiday off.
Why not go whole hog and remove the Christ from Christmas, whoops, sorry, a council has already done this and called it Winterval.
Does anyone on these committees ask people of other religions what they actually feel rather than saying what they think they feel. I have asked people of other religions (Jewish, Moslem) in my organisation and they do not feel offended or aggrevied about the holiday.
Get real!
Unfortunately it is articles like this that make HR people look very stupid since they end up in the firing line, as well as terrify employers and make it far more likely that they will discriminate, and where possible not recruit “non-Christian” staff in the first place.
I know – let’s force the entire world to celebrate every religious holiday – then there won’t be any time for anyone to do any work but oh well, at least we won’t offend anyone.
I for one would just like to congratulate all those who had no choice but to work over the hoiday period and kept our Nation running. After reading http://resourcemanagement-md.blogspot.com/2010/01/cheers-to-those-who-kept-britain.html it was a big wake-up call to realise the flip sie of this article- those who have to leave their families at the most important time of the year to help others!