There is freedom of religion in the U.S. workplace, but preaching in the office or at the plant can end up making you a career martyr.

A NASA computer specialists is going to court this week claiming he was unjustly fired because of his belief in a higher power.

But, his employer is claiming he was canned because he harassed his coworkers about his convictions, even handing out intelligent design DVDs.

Employers sometimes frown on outward displays of religion even as some employees demand their right to express themselves. The laws aren’t always clearly defined, but wearing your religion on your sleeve in a largely secular American workplace could hinder your career.

Remember the Home Depot employee who got fired for wearing a “god” button a few years ago?

Employers are required to provide “reasonable accommodation for the religious practices and beliefs of employees” under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But the question is, what exactly is reasonable? (more…)

If you’ve been listening to the news the last few days you probably think we’re all a bunch of raving mad intolerant lunatics who hate each other and are hell bent on shooting each other through the eyes, literally and metaphorically. And a report just released by the federal government regarding discrimination at work only seems to back up this perception.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported yesterday that discrimination claims in the United States hit record levels in fiscal year 2010, nearing 100,000 charges filed by employees, and the big gains came in religious and race bias, ageism and among disabled workers.

“Discrimination continues to be a substantial problem for too many job seekers and workers, and we must continue to build our capacity to enforce the laws that ensure that workplaces are free of unlawful bias,” said EEOC Chair Jacqueline Berrien.

Indeed, the numbers are disturbing but are we a more bigoted society today, and thus a more bigoted workplace? The answer may be surprising. (more…)

UPDATE BELOW

There’s a bit of confusion in this country when it comes to religion and the secular world. A great example was on display yesterday when Senate hopeful Christine O’Donnell admitted she was ignorant about one key constitutional principle, the separation of church and state.

Everyone has been laughing at her, and probably with good reason. But she may not be the only dummy.

I have a question for you all:

Can you require that a job applicant be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan or a Hare Krishna before you consider them for a job?

I know what most of you are probably thinking. Such a requirement is religious discrimination. Well, turns out this happens often and it’s not always illegal. (more…)

The debate going on in New York city about whether a Muslim mosque should be built near Ground Zero is getting ugly. Even Sarah Palin is getting in on the act.

Yesterday Palin commented about the Mosque on Facebook calling the planned Muslim mosque and community center:

An Intolerable Mistake on Hallowed Ground.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who’s defending the building of the mosque, called for religious tolerance yesterday.

No matter where you stand on the mosque, any time there is this much vitriolic dialogue against one group on a national stage one thing is inevitable. A backlash in the place people spend most of their time. This fury can not mode well for Muslims in the workplace, a group that has seen discrimination rise since Sept. 11, 2001. (more…)

Fast food giant McDonald’s has had ongoing issues with the hijab, a Muslim headscarf worn by women.

The most recent one allegedly happened at a McDonald’s restaurant in Rochester Hills, MI. A Muslim woman claims she was denied a job at the store because of her religion and her headscarf.

So, does a Big Mac taste better or worse if it’s served to you by a Muslim? (more…)

I hate when the civilization clock runs backwards.

On Feb. 5, Virginia’s new governor Robert McDonnell (R) signed an executive order covering discrimination and state workers, just like his two Democratic predecessors. But unlike the former govenors, he decided to take one group out of the list of groups protected from workplace bias — sexual orientation.

So, before Feb. 5, gay and lesbian state workers in Virginia could not be fired or suffer an adverse job action because of their sexual orientation, but now they’re pretty much defenseless. (more…)

Does a rose by any other name smell as sweet?

As a career columnist I’m asked a lot of questions, but this one I just received ranks up there with the most difficult to answer:

If you have the time, I would be ecstatic and honored to hear your opinion on whether you think that changing my name would be advantageous toward my career.

The writer, Sunni, asked for my “brutal honesty.” (more…)

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

My son was mad when he found out he had piano lessons on Martin Luther King day.

“We’re supposed to not do anything,” he said with a tinge of disgust in his voice when I broke the news that he was going to have to endure a half hour of piano lessons today.

It made me wonder where he got the notion that Martin Luther King day was a day when you weren’t supposed to do anything.

Clearly, the schools thought so, according to him. No school = Do nothing. Well, other than Wii.

I told he and his sister to Google civil rights so they could figure out what the day was really all about. (more…)

What if you were having trouble finishing a major project at work and your boss suggested you “come to Jesus” because it would help you deal with your challenge? And let’s say you were a Muslim, a Hindu, a Buddhist, or an atheist, and you really didn’t want to come to Jesus? (more…)

As more and more news comes out about Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, TX, it appears there was more than one manager and colleague who thought Hasan was a little bit off.

This from an Associated Press article:

Doctors and staff overseeing Hasan’s training viewed him at times as belligerent, defensive and argumentative in his frequent discussions of his Muslim faith, a military official familiar with several group discussions about Hasan said.

(more…)