Author Archives: RFBF

Join the Faith and Work initiative on Friday, September 13th, for Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs with Steve Cuss! The following will be discussed.

• – Walking into any room and noticing anxiety in 4 spaces.
• – The Nature of Chronic Anxiety vs Acute Anxiety and how to notice chronic anxiety.
• – How our ‘false needs’ keep us bound.
• – The big 5 core false needs of every human.
• – How we can relax into God’s presence and develop a life giving list.

Steve Cuss is the author of Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs and The Expectation Gap and also a columnist and host of Christianity Today’s Being Human podcast. Steve founded Capable Life to help people lower anxiety, break stuck patterns and increase wellbeing in the work place, home place and in your faith.

Steve was first exposed to Family Systems Theory when he was a chaplain and he later studied it in graduate school. Steve holds sixteen hundred hours of supervised ministry in Clinical Pastoral Education and is a Spiritual Care Professional in the ACPE. He holds a Master of Divinity from Emmanuel Christian Seminary with a thesis focusing on the dignity laws of Leviticus and Exodus and how a suburban church can move beyond charity to address systemic poverty.

Steve has served in a variety of pastoral roles for 26 years, the majority of those years as a lead pastor. He married Lisa and they have two sons and a daughter, in whom they take great delight. When Steve is not working, you can find him laughing with his family, knee-deep in a trout stream, or trying a guitar he cannot afford at a local music store.

What role does faith play in corporate success? Embracing religion in DEI initiatives fosters belonging and progress.

Brian Grim is the founder of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation, an organization that works to help companies see the value in including religion in their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. He took some time to sit with Public Square Magazine and talk about the foundation.

Public Square Magazine: I would really love to hear a bit about your backstory and how you came to form this organization as well as its mission and purpose.

Brian Grim: I was working at the PEW research center and developed measures for religious freedom for countries around the world. PEW has carried that on for the last few years since I started it in 2006 or something like that. Once I measured religious freedom or restrictions on religious freedom coming from either governments or social constructs, then I could see how it relates to other things like sustainable development, global competitiveness, and GDP growth. What I found was that where you have more religious freedom, you have more of the good things. You have more of other kinds of freedoms, fewer conflicts, more peace, more economic progress, sustainable development, and so forth. As a person of faith, I looked at that and thought, “This is a good argument for religious freedom.” Not just for people of faith, but people without a religion or faith. Religious freedom covers everyone’s right to believe, change their belief, or have no belief at all. I thought that someone should be working on this and I felt like it was a call from God for me to leave PEW and start the foundation to start making that case. We look for ways for businesses to be an ally in a culture where everyone is respected, everyone belongs, and their beliefs and faiths are included just like other identities.

PSM: It seems like you are noticing that there is a lot of talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion, specifically within business. What I’m hearing you say is, “Yes, diversity, equity, and inclusion,” and religion is included in that, and if so, how can we create an environment for all of these things to coexist, which promotes better business? Do I have that right?

… read full interview here.

You are invited to take part in a research study on religious ERGs. This study is being conducted by Helen Chung and Annie Kato at Seattle Pacific University. The purpose of the study is to better understand the impact of religious ERGs on organizations and employees’ perceptions and experiences. The potential contribution of the study is a clearer understanding of how and why companies might leverage religious ERGs for the benefit of all employees.

The study has two parts: 1) an online survey that takes 10-15 minutes and 2) an optional interview over Zoom that takes about 30 minutes. Please refer to the flyer, which has more information and the survey link. Feel free to share the flyer with other people in your networks as well. The study will close on September 30, 2025.

Thank you very much for your help and participation.

On the topic of “mission-inspired scholarship, newly installed BYU President Shane Reese refers to the work of RFBF President Dr. Brian Grim and RFBF Senior Business Fellow Dr. Paul Lambert in a recent Q&A with reported Aaron Sorenson. Read the story.

Challenges and Opportunities in the Workplace

Many companies are taking into more account the religious beliefs and affiliations of employees, with lessons for productivity and relationships. Important shifts in accommodations and associated legal issues are a continuing issue. This session will highlight lessons learned and paths ahead.

Join this G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) session remotely. IF20 offers an annual platform where a network of religiously linked institutions and initiatives engage on global agendas (primarily and including the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs). Brazil is hosting the G20 in 2024. IF20 is being held in Brasília, Brazil, August 19–23, 2024

• – August 22, Thursday
• – Virtual: 10:30-noon ET
• – Registration required (free)

Speakers

French national Diaba Konaté — considered a breakout star in this year’s NCAA Women’s March Madness tournament — can’t play Olympic basketball for the French national team during the Paris Olympics. Why? Because she wears a hijab. This was a brewing issue long before the Opening Ceremony’s widely panned performance that many took as a parody of the Last Supper of Christ, which the organizers denied.

While other countries’ athletes can wear a hijab during competition, French women cannot due to a strict interpretation of a secular, religion-neutral, public society. This French policy, called Laïcité, is understood as a formal separation of the religion and state that includes the removal of religious values and symbols from the public sphere. The secular values of liberty, equality, and fraternity are publicly lifted up, while religion is meant to be the private and personal sphere.

The removal of religion is considered by some to create a neutral and religiously free environment, but for people of faith it is seen as privileging the non-religious sphere above the religious. For more on this debate, see a late comprise French Olympic officials came to by allowing a cap to substitute for a hijab.

• – When: August 20, Tuesday
• – Time: 12-12:45pm ET (9-9:45am PT)
• – Zoom link

In our recent survey of Faith/Belief ERG members, the most popular topic was “faith-specific resources.” Please join our Aug. 20th virtual meeting where we will introduce Faith-Specific & Interfaith/Belief resources and networks.

After a general introduction by faith-specific and interfaith ERG resource discussion leaders, we will have breakouts by faith group, including one for interfaith/belief. The interfaith group will also be for those if only one person from a particular faith is present.

• Aug. 22, 2024
• Virtual: 2:00-3:30pm (Brasilia Time); 11am-1:30pm (Mexico City tTime)

In tandem with the G20 Interfaith Forum in Brasilia, Brazil, we will launch the Latin America Area Faith@Work Network. This is part of a growing trend where top companies are including faith and belief as part of their diversity initiative, as shown in our 2024 report.

Representatives of businesses throughout Latin America are invited to join virtually or in person for the launch of this network on August 22. Presentations by member of interfaith Employee resource Groups (ERGs) from Salesforce, DELL Technologies, and SAP.

Zoom Link here

Including Religion as a Core Part of DEI is the Trend

Brian Grim

A performance during the Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics triggered a backlash — including from France’s bishops — as many saw a sketch meant to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as being offensive and biased. Many took the sketch to be a parody of the Last Supper of Christ, which organizers denied being the intent.

Regardless of intent, it is important to have an awareness of how imagery can be misinterpreted. For example, while not all crescent moons are symbols of Islam, one must be aware of using them in ways that could unintentionally offend Muslims. Likewise, while not all meal depictions are of the Last Supper, being aware of possible misinterpretations is always best practice.

Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps apologized on Sunday for those offended by the scene. “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly [the ceremony’s artistic director], we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” Descamps said. “… If people have taken any offense, we are, of course, really, really sorry.”

Jolly said that religious subversion had never been his intention. “We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that.”

However, rather than being avant-garde and inclusive, the Olympic organizers are actually behind the curve when it comes to DEI — what they purportedly were trying to promote. The latest data show a significant surge in Fortune 500 companies including religion as part of their DEI initiatives, which helps them avoid such offensive and COSTLY mistakes (one Olympic sponsor has already withdrawn in reaction to the sketch).

Indeed, the world’s biggest companies are embracing religiously inclusive workplaces at a faster pace than ever before, according to the 2024 Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index and Monitor, released by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF) in May.

The REDI report finds that 429 (85.8%) Fortune 500 companies now mention or illustrate religion as part of their broader commitment to diversity, more than double the number in 2022 (202 companies, or 40.4%). According to the REDI Index, Accenture and American Airlines are the most faith-friendly Global Fortune 500 companies.

Perhaps the Olympic organizers have some things to learn from companies that are getting DEI right.

Uniting People of Diverse Beliefs

In workplaces across America, diversity initiatives are increasingly including religion and belief as a core focus. This is building a network of trust that unites people of diverse beliefs to understand, respect, and protect each others’ religious freedoms at work and all around the world.

Indeed, America’s biggest companies are embracing religiously inclusive workplaces at a faster pace than ever before, according to the 2024 Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index and Monitor, released in May by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF).

The REDI report finds that 429 (85.8%) Fortune 500 companies now mention or illustrate religion as part of their broader commitment to diversity, more than double the number in 2022 (202 companies, or 40.4%). The study also found a 68% increase in the number of Fortune 500 companies showcasing that they have faith-oriented employee business resource groups (EBRGs), rising from 37 companies in 2022 to 62 in 2024.

A growing number of industries are now opting into the REDI Index survey to benchmark their progress in creating faith-and-belief-friendly workplaces. For example, Citigroup is the first major bank, KPMG is the first Big Four accounting firm, Kaiser Permanente is the first Health System, Aramark is the first in the comprehensive services field, and Rolls-Royce is the first in the Aerospace manufacturing industry to opt in. Firsts in other sectors include Target (retail), CMS Energy, and Altria (consumer goods), while the tech sector continues to be well represented by numerous companies including ServiceNow and Bosch.

Atria Participates in the REDI Index

Announcing this in a recent LinkedIn post to their more than 54,000 followers, Altria wrote:

We’re honored to be ranked as the 18th “Top Faith Friendly Workplace” among Fortune 500 companies by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation. Our ranking is based off our score on the Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index. The REDI Index is a first in class benchmarking system for measuring how well companies integrate religion, including non-theistic beliefs, into their communications, policies and programs. To learn more about the REDI index, visit here. Learn more about Altria’s Employee Resource Groups here. #AltriaProud #Dare2Overcome

Examples of how this religiously inclusive workplace movement is spreading are numerous. Here are several examples of how this is spreading within, between, and outside of companies:

Within Companies: All-Hands Interfaith Events

Dr. Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, is frequently invited to speak at corporate events launching or expanding their interfaith EBRGs, including at Ford Motor Company, Starbucks, Citi Bank, PwC, and Deloitte. Such events invite people from across the organization to learn and get involved with allyship-building activities organized by the faith or interfaith EBRGs.

Between Companies: Busting myths and misperceptions about other faiths

SAP Interfaith Alliance Team hosted an enlightening and thought-provoking virtual event with business people from SAP, Equinix, SSSC Trust and BNP Paribas Bank, who are members of faiths often misunderstood: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Scientology, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism. Watch to have your myths dispelled here: https://vimeo.com/841243469!

Outside of Companies: “Feed the Hungry Service Activity” sponsored by DELL, CVS Health, and Merck in collaboration with The Nation’s Mosque & Catholic Charities

The vision of the Dare to Overcome conference, which representatives of Altria participated in, is to overcome those things that prevent unity, justice, tranquility, security, general welfare, and the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. At this year’s May 21-22 conference, DELL Technologies’ Interfaith employee resource group led a pilot of a social impact activity that provides an example of a possible faith-led initiative that companies can take back with them to replicate in their own communities.

More than 100 attendees participated in a “feed the hungry” community involvement event on May 22 to draw attention to the World Hunger Day (a separate annual event observed later in May) to raise awareness of the global hunger crisis by encouraging action towards ending global hunger. It began with a multi-faith prayer gathering for those suffering from food insecurity and hunger followed by a hands-on one-hour community event packaging food onsite for the homeless in collaboration with The Nation’s Mosque, Helping Hands (Latter-day Saints), and Catholic Charities in Washington DC. DELL Technologies, in consultation with the Busch School of Business, is taking the lead to organize the event. Funding from Merck and CVS Health also supported this initiative. Nearly 1,000 people in the Washington DC directly benefited from this initiative. We plan to expand it at next year’s Dare to Overcome Washington DC conference (May 21-22, 2025).

Atria Give Together Grant to RFBF

Thanks to an Altria Give Together grant, the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation has been able to increase our outreach and organizing capacity to convene ERG leaders between our annual conferences at different levels.

“Keeping leaders engaged throughout the year provides more opportunities to address region or religion specific concerns, grow the movement of companies that embrace faith at work, and collaborate in serving their communities. Through resource and knowledge sharing, they help each other make their workplaces more faith friendly, which improves their REDI Index score, and paves the way for a more successful conference.” – Gary Ritterstein, Stakeholder Engagement & Social Impact Strategy Consultant for RFBF

Examples of Discussions Convened 

• – Covenantal Pluralism in action
• – Golden Rule Across Faiths & Beliefs
• – Benefits of religious inclusion
• – The Business Impact of Faith-and-Belief Friendly Workplaces
• – How Faith/Belief-Friendly Workplaces Help Overcome Polarization
• – Peace Through Service
• – How Religious Freedom Promotes Innovation
• – Faith in Unity: Cross-company ERG collaboration
• – Honoring Difference with Respect: Living your core values
• – The Nuts and Bolts of Faith-Oriented ERGs
• – How to Sustain & Expand Faith Networks in Companies
• – Scripture & Prayer Programs in Workplaces
• – Latest Data and Research on Faith and Work
• – Innovations in Workplace Chaplaincy
• – More than ERGs-Faith accommodations and alignment to company systems & processes
• – How to Expand a Faith-Oriented ERG Nationally & Internationally
• – MBA Case Competition Competition on Faith@Work – learn how your company (or students) can participate
• – How Spiritual Resources Increase Resilience & Health
• – “Your Story” of Interfaith at Work and Life
• – At the intersection of Faith & Identity
• – Measuring the impact of ERG contributions

Going Forward

Altria’s Give Together grant is specifically helping us keep these initiatives moving forward. We look forward to further collaboration!