
In the largest public consultation carried out by the EHRC, it was revealed that atheists and humanists received unwanted conversion attempts and sometimes felt excluded when company events were held in religious buildings.
The report said: ?Non-religious staff were resentful when they believed that religious colleagues received more favourable treatment in relation to time off and time away from work.? The research, based on 2,483 responses from individuals and organisations, comes as the EHRC prepares a report into laws protecting religious freedoms. This would later be turned into a set of guidelines for employers. This would undoubtedly be welcomed given that employers were unsure of how to deal with “harassment, unwelcome proselytising and discrimination, especially the case when discriminatory views were expressed about women and LGBT staff.” The treatment of religion or belief in educational establishments was also a cause for concern. Christian parents reported their children being ridiculed in schools for their beliefs ? for example for believing that god created the world. Humanist parents also reported their children being mocked. The report pointed to an incident where a child was told he didn?t deserve Christmas presents by a lunch lady because he didn?t believe in god. Read more about religion in the workplace:- What to do if your staff want to wear religious clothing
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