Overcoming Religious Bias
Most organizational leaders will supervise employees of faith, and many are people of faith themselves. Religious bias is pervasive and often unintentional. This lesson helps leaders identify strategies to overcome religious bias in the workplace.
Identifying Religious Bias
When people hear the word ''bias'', what often comes to mind are the most serious cases of discrimination. That, however, is an incomplete understanding. Bias should be thought of as an assumption -- a pre-judging of individuals based on stereotypes rather than on merit. That's why bias is so much more pervasive than we often think. Take a look at this list of common, but entirely inappropriate, biases. Chances are, you've seen more bias than you think. If we're honest, we've all probably displayed bias more often than we would want to admit.
Consider for a moment what religious biases you might already have. How many times have you made an assumption that:
Christians oppose abortion, go to church on Sunday mornings, and support capital punishment
Muslims pray three times per day, fast during Holy days, and abhor pigs and dogs
Jewish people make great bankers and lawyers, celebrate Hanukkah, and have an apocalyptic world view
Atheists hate religion, believe people of faith are less than bright, and are very liberal politically
Overcoming Religious Bias in the Workplace
Now that you have a new frame for defining bias, where do you see bias in these assumptions and what might be done to mitigate these prejudgments?
Dismantling Stereotypes
The first significant reason thoughts like those above are so inappropriate is because they are stereotypes. Stereotyping means believing that a member of a group has certain personal characteristics simply because they are in the group. In other words, just because Jamie is a Christian, it doesn't mean that she opposes abortion. Just because Rahim is a Muslim, it doesn't mean that he never eats pork. Finally, not all atheists are politically liberal. All of these stereotypes are inappropriate because they strip individuals of their right to be assessed on their personal merits and instead are judged on the characteristics of another person or group.
Accordingly, combating religious bias in the workplace begins with dismantling stereotypes with intention and sincere passion. Specific actions that leaders can take in order to address stereotyping include:
Formal and informal training
Constructing partnerships with diverse community organizations so that employees are exposed to more authentic expressions of religion
If willing and able, employees in any protected class can be provided a forum to share their human experience with their colleagues
Preventing and Responding to Harassment
Think back to grade school. Did you ever observe a time in which a large group of students was laughing at the expense of another individual student? Just because people are laughing doesn't mean it's funny or appropriate. Sometimes, joking is an acceptable and fun way to build positive team interaction, but unwanted jokes about religion are harassing. Just like off-hand sexual comments often qualify as harassment, so too would religious jokes - especially when pointed at a specific person.
Overcoming religious bias manifested through unwanted joking and harassment starts with leading by example. As a leader in an organization, you must hold yourself to the highest standard in matters like these. Specifically, leaders on the front lines can help overcome bias by:
Refraining from making any jokes or remarks that are directed at any specific individual or their religion
Supporting policies that provide employees express protection from unsolicited religiously-oriented speech
Calling out inappropriate religious speech immediately to set a tone of respect and tolerance