In this episode of Inclusion in Progress, we take a moment to discuss one of the forgotten and often overlooked facets of diversity and inclusion: faith. Kay takes us through her thought process and into the realm of religion and spiritual beliefs as they are—and could be— within the workplace, and where it fits into this season’s theme of psychological safety at work.

Religion has been included in conversations surrounding diversity and inclusion in the past, and organizations have made many steps to ensure that religious and spiritual beliefs are recognized in terms of giving appropriate days off, or making dress code expectations more respectful of cultural and religious needs. But what could we be doing as leaders to make it a safer topic? How can we support each other’s beliefs in the day-to-day operation of our business? How could we be more supportive and even celebratory of one another’s beliefs? How would it impact our teams and talent retention if people came to work and felt good about sharing their religious and spiritual beliefs openly instead of putting them aside? It’s a deep question, and there is a lot to consider for organizations that we walk you through on the podcast based on our work with cross-cultural and remote teams.

On top of that, our post-pandemic world has left a lot of leaders with questions on how to handle religious or political exemptions surrounding vaccine mandates in the workplace: which is very top of mind and requires a lot of case by case attention. Regardless of where our teams stand on vaccine mandates due to their religious beliefs, we still need to nurture an environment where everyone feels psychologically safe to support one another through this challenging season. Ultimately, we hope this episode helps you consider how religious and spiritual beliefs should be factored into your DEI strategy, and into how you consider supporting inclusion for your teams navigating our rapidly changing workplace.

In This Episode:

[5:20] Kay shares some of her findings about religion and faith in the workplace: both from the Inclusion in Progress team, as well as statistics that tell a story even though your coworkers may not.

[8:12] Kay educates us on the US 1964 Equal Employment Opportunity Act, and shares some of the ways it has helped to shape the diversity and inclusion landscape today.

[9:33] Why it's important to include faith in our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives

[11:27] Your colleagues and coworkers may not be talking about their religious beliefs at work, but you can be sure they’re basing their decisions around them. How can we as leaders support that?

[19:02] As a leader, the psychological safety of your team where faith is concerned starts with you. How can you cultivate and nurture an environment where people feel safe to hold their beliefs?

[22:25] How can we hold psychological safety at the forefront of our minds against the backdrop of this post-pandemic working world, and navigate vaccine mandates in a way that honors everyone on your team?

Links:

To learn how to leave a review for the podcast, click here.

Religious Faith & Business Foundation

Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding

What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws

Connect with Us

info@inclusioninprogress.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/inclusion-in-progress

Connect with Our Founder

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayfabella

Content Disclaimer

The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article, video or audio are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article, video or audio. Inclusion in Progress disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Disclaimer: Some of these links are for products and services offered by the podcast creator.