HRreview Is closing office for Christmas ‘indirect discrimination’?

Home

Events Diary

HR Jobs

Downloads

25 Responses to “Is closing office for Christmas ‘indirect discrimination’?”

JXB Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Is there not a greater risk that the commissioning and publication of such surveys might lead to real and unacceptable discrimination, whereas any sensible non-Christian is very, very unlikely to consider him/herself less favourably treated on the grounds of their religion etc? Should we not therefore be far more discriminating in the ways in which we are seen to approach the real problems caused by inequitable treatment at work?
Paul Roberts Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Verging on insanity, this article.
Nickola Wood Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Our company is shut for christmas only at the head office. We run care homes for the elderly who obviously need 24 hour care. At the head office no matter what religion we have to book christmas from our annual leave. Is it not about Equality for all, not the actual belief!!
EDZ Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
What about when all staff, regardless of religion, having to take ‘holiday’ when the office is closed over the xmas period? It is imposed on them, yet, they have to use some of their precious holiday entitlement, which typically totals 3+ days!
Leila Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I don’t celebrate christmas, but still like the office being closed for an extended period and of course I know that it makes financial sense. I would feel quite patronised if my boss sat me down and felt the need to explain to me why the office closes and why it makes sense financially.
Eaine Wing Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
What do they consider as sesonal decorations and what do they consider as Christmas theme decorations?
AlanH Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Like many aspects of life Christmas is what you want it to be. To many practising christians it is a celebration of the birth of Christ. To many others it is a welcome traditional holiday with the added bonus of buying and recieving presents.
To me discrimination happens when you treat someone less favourably because of their difference. In general most get the opportunity of a break, whether you go to church or not is a freely made personal choice!
LorryR Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Turkeys would like a break too! Perhaps they should be included in any forthcoming legislation. Vegitarians of any religion would be happy with that. Decoration in the workplace, of any description are a happy distraction, so long, of course that they don’t infringe the Health and Safety laws. Can’t we just enjoy the break at Christmas without having to be PC all the time. Give us a break!
fred Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I guess they don’t want the double time for working bank holidays either?
PeteC Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
What a load of old rubbish, the chief lunatic has been given the keys to the asylum. The Employers Forum on belief must be really hard pushed to justify their over inflated egos and salaries. In Cromwells words gentlemen you have sat here to long in gods name go.
Dave Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
This article is insane and i agree completely with AlanH. If i worked in India or any other country with different beliefs to mine i wouldn’t expect for me not to have to take holiday due to their religious festivals or them put up “seasonal” decorations rather than religion specific decorations because i had different beliefs. It would be the belief of their country, that i lived and worked in, and i would accept that. Why then, as a Christian country, should we have to alter how we celebrate religious festivals to cater for a very small minority of people from other faiths who disagree. I would imagine that most people who have other beliefs would not have an issue.
Apparently the report says it may lead to a build up of resentment in the workplace… yes, amongst the majority who cannot celebrate their own religious festival! I hate the BNP and everything it stands for, but it’s moronic articles and statements like this that contribute towards and encourage people to vote for them.
JXB Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
A passionate comment from Dave with which I agree on the whole. Discrimination exists in some workplaces; as a employment lawyer working for Respondents and Defendants I come across it regularly. This article however, and all it represents, does nothing to advance the quest for harmony- on the contrary! I would love to hear from the editor or those who have voted that they agree that Xmas celebrations could be a form of indrect discrimination… over to them?
Martine p Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I believe the problems all go back to the human rights law and the health and safety directives. They have allowed the oddballs and jobsworths, plus undesirable ideologically-lead activists to call the tune. We have to end this now. It has gone too far already.
EM Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
I agree with JXB; by publishing this article we are raising a point that is irrelevant and damaging.
Surely we should be tackling real discrimination where it happens rather than discussing every possible way we might be. Pointless and srticles like this give HR a bad name.
Doug Says:
November 25th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
I was absolutely furious to read this.

Whether people choose to worship or not this is a country built on Christian traditions. I’m so sick of people being scared to offend other religions, cultures and races. For goodness sake! Try going to Saudi Arabia and complaining that the shops are closed during some Muslim festival!
Are people REALLY so sensitive, so spineless and so narrow minded that they come to a country with different values to theirs and then scream discrimination because a picture of a cross is put on the wall?
I think people of other religions or no religion are sensible enough to make their own distinctions. Come on!
RKF Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 9:33 am
More PC claptrap. I have lived and worked in other countries with different cultures and was happy to accept that I was living in their environment. I believe that the majority of non-Christian residents of this country would feel the same. As for the rest…………
Sally Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 9:42 am
I am astounded by this article, at this rate our traditional festival will be eroded to some non descript winter celebration, every country has it traditions and religious festivals and they are proud to celebrate them, yet in this country we are bending to the whim these politically correct morons. Whats next banning Easter……shove Tuesday….madness, absolute madness!
Carol H Scott Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 9:47 am
This is an absolute disgrace and yet more evidence of (presumably highly paid) idiots looking for ways to justify their existence by finding something for someone (always Muslims funnily enough) to be offended by.

This is a christian country, open to those of all and no beliefs, and as has been said many times, try going to another country and telling them that their religion and religious artefacts are offensive!

As EM says, this gets all of us in HR a bad name.
Sam Hall Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Hasn’t closing offices always been to do with economics and not religious observance. If no-one wants/needs the services then why pay heat light etc for someone to offer minimum service.
Can anyone remember “factory fortnights” when organisations made practically the whole workforce take holiday so essential maintenance could be done
Pooja Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Well, can’t say that closing offices for Christmas is indirect discrimination, But do people from other religious beliefs get holidays on there main important festivals? In India we have bank holidays for all the main festivals of all the religions like Diwali, Christmas, or muslim festivals etc. So that people can celebrate it with there families.
Isn’t it an example of respecting all the religions and their beliefs so that no such issue like discrimination arise at all!
Owen Ferguson Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
“This is a christian country”

Well, depends on how you look at it. According to the British Social Attitudes survey (a robust survey conducted every year), those identifying themselves with no religion and religious non-christians now account for more than 50% of the population.

I like christmas, not so keen on the stuff about a chap nailed to a couple of sticks though. Aren’t the christmas holidays really just public holidays that most organisations choose to stick to? No more discriminatory than if all organisations decided to take the early may bank holiday off.
MikeA Says:
November 26th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Why not go whole hog and remove the Christ from Christmas, whoops, sorry, a council has already done this and called it Winterval.

Does anyone on these committees ask people of other religions what they actually feel rather than saying what they think they feel. I have asked people of other religions (Jewish, Moslem) in my organisation and they do not feel offended or aggrevied about the holiday.

Get real!
IanB Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Unfortunately it is articles like this that make HR people look very stupid since they end up in the firing line, as well as terrify employers and make it far more likely that they will discriminate, and where possible not recruit “non-Christian” staff in the first place.
Ellen H Says:
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:06 pm
I know – let’s force the entire world to celebrate every religious holiday – then there won’t be any time for anyone to do any work but oh well, at least we won’t offend anyone.
Sazreen Says:
January 12th, 2010 at 9:57 am
I for one would just like to congratulate all those who had no choice but to work over the hoiday period and kept our Nation running. After reading http://resourcemanagement-md.blogspot.com/2010/01/cheers-to-those-who-kept-britain.html it was a big wake-up call to realise the flip sie of this article- those who have to leave their families at the most important time of the year to help others!