US States News, December 1, 2006, Friday

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US States News
December 1, 2006 Friday 12:29 AM EST

HEADLINE: NO NEED TO BE A SCROOGE FOR BUSINESSES TO KEEP HOLIDAYS LEGAL
BYLINE: US States News
DATELINE: GLASSBORO, N.J.
BODY:
Rowan University issued the following news release:
Santa's on his throne at the malls, families are stringing lights across the fronts of their houses and placing menorahs in windows, and the music of various faiths can be heard on radio stations. The holidays - from Christmas to Hannukah to Kwanzaa and more - are here.

For participants, the holidays bring a wide range of celebrations, but for businesses they also bring concerns. Do we put up a tree? Do we allow signs that say "Merry Christmas?" Does anyone really believe the cards that read "Happy Holidays" mean anything different than a nod to one of Christianity's most sacred of days? Can we hold a party? How do we include everyone? How do we avoid hurt feelings? What's right? What's fair? What's legal?

According to Dr. Joel Rudin, a professor of management/MIS in the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J., a boss or business owner doesn't need to be a Scrooge. It is possible to allow employees to mark their holidays as they see fit while keeping the business or organization legally compliant and the non-observant employees comfortable.
Here are some basic tips from Rudin, who co-authored "Keeping the Faith but Losing in Court: Legal Implications of Proselytizing in the Workplace" in the June 2004 issue of Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, for businesses to consider during the holidays:
1) Is attendance at the company's holiday party mandatory? Are there any rewards for attending that employees wouldn't receive if they skipped the event? If so, it's a mistake to include overtly religious symbols or statements at the holiday party.
2) Your company needs a religious harassment policy. Religious harassment is more complex than sexual harassment, so you can't just take your sexual harassment policy and substitute the word "religion" for the word "sex." A religious harassment policy would provide a means for employees to complain if they were offended by the religious content of holiday parties.
And, as with the rest of the year, Rudin says employers and employees should keep the following in mind:
1) You are never allowed to say anything negative to your employees/coworkers about their religion.
2) You are never allowed to force an unwilling employee/coworker to listen to your religious views.
3) You are allowed to talk to your employees/coworkers about your religion as long as you don't violate the first two rules and as long as they don't complain about it.

Rudin is the coordinator of the Human Resource Management specialization at Rowan and advisor of the student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. He earned a Ph.D. in human resource management from Cornell University and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources.