I often meet with the question of religion, given that modern society seeks to develop tolerance for everyone. Usually, this happens in everyday conversation when I exchange opinions on a topic with colleagues or friends in my environment. Religious beliefs can significantly influence how employees do their jobs. In the United States, almost 80% of people have a religion, suggesting that a significant portion of the workforce can identify with a religion (Héliot et al., 2019). I find it beneficial for employees to openly discuss their identities, both in daily life and the workplace. It will allow society to learn to accept different people and their worldviews, which means it will become more tolerant.
Every day, workers, especially in medical organizations, deal with a vast number of people. Therefore, they should be knowledgeable in aspects of diversity, equity and other important for any individual points. Awareness of fairness and inclusion in religious/spiritual/non-religious identity is a common phenomenon among healthcare professionals. They can witness both negative attitudes towards others, for example, among patients, and support for someone else’s worldview. In this regard, I support individuality; however, in the case when it does not go beyond the generally accepted rules of morality.
I would not seek to discuss all religions with my colleagues because I do not consider myself well-versed in this. If I meet with some religion that turns out to be unfamiliar to me but essential for another person, I will try to delve into and understand the features of any point of view to support my colleague. I consider it normal if a person sees this as an unsuccessful attempt, but in this case, they will need to tell me about his opinion on this matter so that there is no conflict in the team. In general, it is crucial to stay open-minded and respect other people’s view on the world around.
Reference
Héliot, Y. F., Gleibs, I. H., Coyle, A., Rousseau, D. M., & Rojon, C. (2019). Religious identity in the workplace: A systematic review, research agenda, and practical implications. Human Resource Management, 59(2), 153–173.