Religion and Belief Inclusion at Work Conference 2024

The current workplace landscape is witnessing a growing emphasis on religion and belief inclusion. This is crucial for creating a genuinely inclusive environment respecting a range of beliefs. Strides have been made to include various religious events and holidays, as well as reflection spaces for religious individuals. However, challenges persist, such as a lack of respect and tolerance towards different cultures and sometimes discrimination, whether intentional or unintentional. Companies need to engage effectively with employees to understand and meet their religious and belief-related needs.

• A study in 2013 found Muslims face particularly high levels of job discrimination, with Muslim men being up to 76% less likely to be employed compared to their white, male, British Christian peers. (Khattab & Johnston, 2013)
• Inside Out conducted an experiment in 2017 finding candidates with the “Adam” compared to candidates named “Mohamed” received 3 times more interviews, despite having identical CVs.
• In 2021 ComRes Faith Research Centre survey found about 3% of workers reported experiencing religious discrimination firsthand, while 4% were aware of others facing similar discrimination.
• By 2023, 219 companies in the fortune 500 clearly outline religion and diversity on their websites, up from 202 in 2022 and 43 companies publicly report having faith-oriented ERGs

Join us at The Religion and Belief Inclusion at Work Conference 2024 to collaborate on innovative approaches to harness the full potential of your organisation. Learn and benefit from a series of best practice case studies on a range of topics including creating flexible workplace policies to promote religious inclusivity, engaging with employees to assess their religious needs, and promoting education and awareness to create an open and productive working environment for all. You will also have the chance to network with senior colleagues and learn methods to drive support and wellbeing services that will allow your organisation to create an inclusive religious and belief environment.

Why Attend:

✓ Hear high-level keynotes on the latest initiatives in Religion and Belief Inclusion at Work from experts across a range of sectors

✓ Learn from case studies showcasing best practices in producing policies for religious diversity, support structures for employees, and celebrating such diversity

✓ Network with senior colleagues from a variety of sectors

✓ Gain 4 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota

NEW AND EXCLUSIVE TO YOUR
CONFERENCE PACKAGE – GE Insights:

This year’s conference package includes 12-months FREE access to GE Insights, our cross-sector learning resource of case study focused videos, articles, lived experiences and more (RRP £199). Gain unlimited access to our online platform when you purchase your conference ticket.

Key benefits include:

 ✓100s of Exclusive Case Studies – fingertip access to videos and articles covering all key sectors including Local Authorities, Voluntary, and Education and ALL CPD certified

 ✓Key Sessions from All Our Conferences – gain valuable insights from our past, present, and future events (160+ pa)

 ✓Articles and Interviews – learn from our network of expert speakers and contributors explore further the key discussions from the conferences

 ✓Additional CPD Hours – automatically earn more for everything you watch, read, and hear

 ✓Your Own CPD Dashboard – charts your progress, allows you to add notes, download your activities, and save/print an official CPD certificate

 ✓Personalised Homepage – only see the relevant content you need to save time

 ✓30+ New Uploads Each Month – we’re adding new content every week to ensure you stay engaged and informed all year round.

For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 058 4285

• 09.00

  Online Registration

• 09.50

  Chair’s Opening Remarks

  YingFei Héliot, Senior Lecturer, University of Surrey (CONFIRMED)

• 10.00

  Keynote: Insights Into Building Faith and Belief-Friendly Workplaces

  • Overview of current global trends and challenges related to freedom of religion or belief in the workplace
  • Assessing national guidance and organisational structures to ensure employee responsibilities are met
  • Measuring the correlation between religious diversity and business performance for all organisations
  • Recognising effective strategies for promoting interfaith dialogue and cooperation in the workplace
  • Tailored guidance on respecting and promoting freedom of religion or belief across different cultural and legal contexts

  Julie Jones, Director, All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief (CONFIRMED)

• 10.20

  Keynote: Flexible Workplace Policies for Religious Inclusivity: From Awareness to Action

  • Guidelines for adjusting workplace policies to accommodate various religious holidays and observances
  • Creating dedicated areas like prayer rooms, considering space limitations and diverse employee needs to design inclusive workplace spaces
  • Instituting workplace dining options that respect diverse dietary laws and restrictions
  • Developing policies that respect different mourning practices across religions to ensure sensitive bereavement leave arrangements
  • Techniques for meaningful engagement with employees to understand and cater to their religious needs

  Jill Miller, Senior Diversity and Inclusion Policy Adviser, CIPD (invited)

• 10.40

  Case Study: Establishing Flourishing Faith Networks to Create an Inclusive Workplace

  Brad McLaughlin, Customer & Product Manager, Aviva (CONFIRMED)

• 11.00

  Questions and Answers

• 11.20

  Comfort Break

• 11.40

  Breakout Networking: Interfaith Dialogue and Inclusive Practices in the Workplace

  This session is to allow you to share your experiences and challenges in promoting religious and belief inclusion in the workplace. Overall, you will learn from others and foster cross-sector collaboration for innovative solutions for diverse interfaith practices and strategies.

   

• 12.10

  Case study: Advancing Religious Inclusion through Employee Engagement

  • Strategies for reaching out to employees to foster awareness and inclusivity through educational dialogue and interfaith engagement
  • Coordinating and hosting events that honour various religious traditions, to enhance employee understanding and respect for beliefs and practices
  • Employing virtual and hybrid formats for multi-faith events, ensuring widespread participation and inclusivity
  • Implementing community and charitable efforts to further commitment to social responsibility and building positive external cultural relationships
  • Measuring the impact of events in fostering an inclusive workplace culture, with a focus on how these initiatives positively affect recruitment and employee retention

  Andy D Smith, Technology Lead Combustion and Turbine Applied Research, Rolls-Royce (CONFIRMED)

• 12.25

  Keynote: Building Successful Employee Faith Networks to Foster a Sense of Belonging and Interfaith Understanding

  • Enhancing faith and belief literacy in the workplace to increase understanding of various religious beliefs among staff
  • Initiating and nurturing faith-based employee networks to enhance safe spaces, dialogue and collaboration
  • Engaging senior management in faith inclusion efforts to ensure top-down support and commitment
  • Evaluating how faith networks contribute to workplace diversity, employee engagement, and overall organisational health

  Rakesh Joshi, Engagement and Business Support Officer, Chair – Hindu Network, Department for Education (CONFIRMED)

• 12.45

  Case Study: Navigating Workplace Policies for Religious Inclusivity in the Workplace

  • Crafting inclusive dress and uniform policies to respect religious attire and ensure staff feel comfortable expressing their faith without fear of discrimination
  • Identifying and addressing potential indirect discrimination in policies that inadvertently disadvantage certain religious groups
  • Guidance on implementing annual leave and bereavement policies that respect different cultures and religious days
  • Methods for actively engaging with a diverse employee base in the formulation and revision of policies, to allow inclusivity and consideration of a wide range of beliefs

  Karen O’Brien, Director of People and Development, NHS North East Ambulance Service (invited)

• 13.05

  Questions and Answers

   

• 13.25

  Chair’s Closing Remarks

  *programme subject to change without notice

Who Should Attend?

*This Conference is open to Public, Private and Third Sectors

For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 058 4285

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Virtual vs F2F

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• Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
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• Public Sector: £260+VAT
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• Private Sector: £425+VAT