EHRC Guidance on Managing Religion or Belief in the Workplace

Following the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in four cases concerning religious rights in the workplace, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published guidance to help employers and employees deal with issues surrounding the expression of religion or belief in the workplace.



The guidance includes good practice advice for employers, such as how to tell if a religion or belief is genuine, the kinds of religion and belief requests employers will need to consider and how to deal with them.



Mark Hammond, CEO of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said, “The right of people to express their religious belief is a vital freedom, guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights.



“However, following these cases there is a lot of scope for confusion on this issue. A lot of the confusion and confrontation on this issue can be avoided if we can work together to come up with common sense approaches to managing beliefs in the workplace.



“Our guidance provides clarification and practical advice to employers and employees to help them avoid costly and divisive legal action.”