President of RFBF, Brian Grim, was quoted in a Bloomberg Law article on the importance of embracing religious diversity in the workplace. He believes that a community of different identities & views can foster team-building & avoid polarization.

Feb 1, 2024, article by Khorri Atkinson

From the article …

Forty-three Fortune 500 companies have publicly reported having faith-oriented ERGs, up from 37 companies in 2022, according to a recent report by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, a nonprofit that advises employers on religious issues. Their ERGs have members from various faiths including Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, and even Atheism.

“It’s happening. Companies aren’t necessarily broadcasting it yet because they want to make sure it works and get some track record before they sort of go public with what they’re doing,” said Brian Grim, founding president of the RFBF.

“There’s been a growing recognition of religious diversity in America,” Grim said. “Companies see that the workforce isn’t like it was 30 years ago” because it’s getting more diverse with both workers of minority faiths and those who aren’t affiliated with a particular faith.

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A community of different identities and viewpoints can foster team-building and avoid polarization, but without care and sensitivity, these groups can lead to misunderstanding and conflict, Grim said.

“One of the things that many companies have found is that people won’t just join an interfaith group” because there’s a presumption it would “water down our faith,” he said.

“That’s like, well, ‘Do I have to pretend like I don’t believe what I believe and come sing kumbaya?’” Grim said. Instead, having faith-specific groups under an interfaith umbrella are more likely to effectively engage workers while creating opportunities for interfaith collaborative ventures, he said.

A major new study that we will release on 4th March in London will show that there is a growing UK faith-friendly workplace movement. Join us in Parliament on 5th March to discuss and learn how this advances Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in the UK and the world. To register, email us.

The report to be released on 4th March will look at how the top 10 faith-and-belief-friendly FTSE 100 workplaces are “building” FoRB. These companies will be recognised at a special event at Saleforce’s London Tower on Monday.

This meeting on Tuesday 5th March will include comments from Sukie Gandhi, the global vice president of Salesforce’s Faithforce, on how the movement is spreading globally. Also speaking on where this movement is heading is Oliver Pawle, the London based Chairman of Korn Ferry Board Services Practice, focusing on chairman, non-executive and executive board appointments for FTSE 100 companies.

It builds on a report previously released by the APPG FoRB: Building Freedom of Religion or Belief Through Faith-and-Belief Friendly Workplaces: A CALL TO ACTION.

The inaugural UK Faith at Work conference, The Economics of Faith & Belief Inclusive Workplaces, will be held at Salesforce Tower in London on 4th March.

This conference is aimed at senior leaders across business and government to explore the research and best practice which links faith & belief friendly workplaces with greater employee wellbeing and improved organisational performance.

By gathering together leading employers from across the UK, in both the public and private sectors, we will explore how organisations that embrace a faith & belief inclusive culture can gain a competitive advantage in talent acquisition, retention and overall productivity.

By Brian Grim

At the Jaipur Literature Festival, India, I participated in a open, uncensored panel discussion of the challenges of free speech in a polarized world. The discussion was with literature, conference, and festival leaders from around the world, including India (Hindu and Muslim participants), Indonesia, Kenya, Germany, the US, UAE, and Bhutan. I shared how the covenantal pluralism movement within corporations to be faith friendly is opening new doors. it was a new idea to everyone.

Hope in a troubled world.

A corporate motto that puts people first.

Fortune 500 company Equinix empowers its people to care for others.

“There’s an ability now within corporations to help and make an impact in the world that there never really was before. The world is filled with things that need our help. Being able to work at a company that is so globally minded beyond just the bottom line is incredibly hope giving. You get to bring your full humanity and do everything in your power.”

Join them as they tell their stories of supporting bilingual schools, science education, combatting human trafficking, caring for orphans, and more! All with the motto, Be Well. Do Good. Stay Connected.

“As cultural change and new legal precedents are increasingly bringing religion to the forefront in the workplace, employers are left wondering how—and whether—they can draw a line between employees’ work and religious practice,” writes Theresa Agovino in the forthcoming issue of All Things Work from HR Magazine (SHRM, Feb. 3, 2024).

Among those interviewed are Brian Grim:

:Conversations about faith can help quell dissent over accommodations, says Brian Grim, founding president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, an Annapolis, Md.-based nonprofit that educates leaders, policymakers and consumers about the positive benefits that faith can have in the workplace.

“’Respect, empathy and humility are core values espoused by most religions,’ Grim says. ‘While some religious beliefs might be offensive to others, those core values aren’t. In religious DE&I initiatives, it’s important to define what they are about and what they aren’t. Among other things, they are about information, engagement and celebration; they are not about dogma, proselytizing or the culture wars.’”

Respect, empathy and humility are core values espoused by most religions. While some religious beliefs might be offensive to others, those core values aren’t.” —Brian Grim

In commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27), and at a time of resurgent global antisemitism, Dell Technologies, Google, Equinix, Salesforce, SAP with the American Jewish Committee (AJC), jointly sponsored a special program dedicated to honoring the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and fostering awareness to ensure that the lessons of the past are never forgotten.

Hear from Holocaust educator Todd Hennessy, introduced by Google VP of YouTube Americas, Tara Walpert Levy, also discussed the events of the 1930s that led up to the Holocaust.

Gain insights from a panel of company employees–all descendants of Holocaust survivors and victims–as they discussed the significance of being living memorials and custodians of the memories of the Holocaust. And explore allyship resources that aim to ensure that the profound meaning of “Never Again” is upheld.