More and more companies are developing policies and practices that respect and accommodate employee's beliefs and practices in a way that does not undermine the company's ability to conduct business, according to the Business for Social Responsibility. By doing this, it helps prevent lawsuits as well as giving everyone an equal opportunity of freedom of religion. The Bill of Rights to the US Constitution gives public employees the right of freedom of expression of religion. Although private employees are not protected by the Constitution, there are state and federal laws that can. People should not be discriminated against because of their religious beliefs or any belief for that matter. People should be evaluated based on their job performance and not their sexual orientation or religion.
While reading the article, "Religion in the workplace", I came across some very valid points on how companies can approach religion in the workplace. Some of these points include spreading the word; being specific; being fair; educating yourself; sharing information. The most important thing, though, is never to forget the nonreligious.
Gays and lesbians are discriminated against, but there weren't many laws to protect them from that. Times are changing now. According to the article Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Workplace, there are 13 states that have laws prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination in both private and public jobs: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Seven states have laws prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination in public employment only: Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. .
A company's handling of policies on sexual orientation impacts productivity and employee recruitment and retention. Greater awareness of gay and lesbian issues also makes for better marketing and can lead to additional business opportunities.