ABSTRACT

The workplace is an arena where the private life of an employee, encompassing his or her religious beliefs, and his or her work life, can collide, thereby raising important as well as contentious issues of the role of religion in the workplace. The presence of religiously observant Muslim employees in the workplace, as well as employees of other religious beliefs, of course, can create conflicts between workplace policies and rules and religious observances and practices. These conflicts can become acute when the religious beliefs are held by, and the religious practices observed by, employees who are members of minority or non-traditional religions. Tension can also arise among employees when a particular employee’s religious practices are perceived to impinge on another employee’s work life. Examples of such conflicts and tensions are dress and grooming requirements, religious observances, prayer breaks, ritual washings, religious calendars and quotations, and prohibitions with certain medical examinations, testing and procedures.