Zahra Jamal with Interfaith America asks experts in religious diversity and inclusion about the benefits of employees bringing their religion to work; Paul Lambert from Wheatley Institute responds.
A common American business adage encourages employees to avoid discussing their politics and religion in the workplace. But what if this well-meaning advice is partially backwards?
This is what three experts suggest in a recent article by Dr. Zahra Jamal from Interfaith America. Entitled "Engaging Religious Diversity at Work Matters More Than Ever – Interfaith Leadership Skills Can Help", Jamal asks these leaders why religious diversity in the workplace is important, and what interfaith leadership looks like when applied in the professional world.
Paul Lambert, Religion Initiative Director at Wheatley Institute, explained that creating space for employees' religious identities at work can have a major impact on company performance. “In the workplace, companies invest in their employees and expect full engagement and commitment in return," Lambert said. "But if employees feel excluded due to their religious beliefs or any other aspect of their identity, they simply can’t give their best...”.
Cecilia Persson-Ramos (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Senior Manager at Intuit) and Sumreen Ahmad (Managing Director, Global Change Management Lead at Accenture) also shared thoughts on the topic.