At my former employer we had a high-performing employee who put a wiccan symbol on his computer. He openly called himself a "witch." He was an introverted individual who did not speak much. For whatever reason, his co-workers who were Baptist continually complained to HR that he should be forced to remove his religious symbol from the desktop because it frightened the co-workers. In order to pick up mail, his co-workers would have to put their hand next to the wiccan symbol. One Baptist co-worker wore a gold cross around her neck. The other co-worker wore a silver cross ring.
Questions for the Class:
1) Could any of these employees claim religious harassment? Why or why not? What factors should be considered?
2) Under federal employment laws or case law, can a company force the wiccan to remove the symbol with or without forcing the Christians to remove the crosses?
3) What steps does the employer need to take to allow both religions to co-exist in the workplace in a productive manner?