Entry 409, on 2006-10-16 at 13:13:36 (Rating 2, News)
A hot topic in the UK at the moment seems to be the right for individuals to wear religious clothing and symbols. Recently British Airways asked a Christian member of their staff to conceal her cross necklace because it contravened their uniform policy. And a minister in the British government has been attacked after calling for a Muslim teaching assistant to be sacked for wearing a veil.
Should employers have the right to tell employees what they can wear? And if they do have this right, how far can they take it? For example, is wearing a small cross OK, but wearing a veil not OK? Many people criticise Muslims for "forcing" women to wear veils, but some Christian sects have similar restrictions, and if its part of a belief system is that allowable or not?
I have major problems with employers dictating what employees must wear. Should peoples' individuality be completely stifled while they are at work? Should all employees of a big organisation look and act the same? And if exceptions are made, how far should it go? If someone has agreed to work for a company doesn't that company have the right to tell the employee what to do?
There's a lot of questions above and I don't think they have simple answers. There have got to be some compromise. I can't see any harm in wearing a small cross. I'm not a Christian, but if someone wants to wear a cross that should be an expression of their individual character. Of course, I would expect they wouldn't object if I wore an atheist symbol: a Darwin evolved fish, Invisible Pink Unicorn or Flying Spaghetti Monster maybe.
Wearing a veil is a bit more serious and makes a significant difference to a person's appearance, and maybe even their ability to do a job. But allowing a Christian cross but not a Muslim view presents obvious problems. So you can see how some employers would just put a blanket ban on wearing any sort of non-uniform clothing or ornaments at all. But that's just the easy way out, used by people who are too lazy to make fairer rules. On the other hand I wouldn't want the task of saying what the rule should be!
Maybe the best comment I saw on this was the following from the BBC discussion web site: "Wearing a piece of jewelry, a turban, a skull cap, islamic style clothing is fine. It is when people go to extremes that we get these kinds of responses. If a Christian went into work nailed to a cross I'm sure their boss would be upset. There should be a certain amount of freedom of expression, but there should also be a limit to what is acceptable. Paul Fadden, Reading, United Kingdom"
Of course, the problem is where is that limit, and who sets it.
Everyone knows what is OK and what isn't. There doesn't really need to be any rules about it. Wearing a cross is fine and BA shouldn't be trying to do this.
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