Cultural sensitivity in the workplace...

[Kayz]

So I go in to work today and sit down at my desk and start going through my daily mail. I open up a letter from some bureaucratic agency and my jaw hits the floor. It's titled "Cultural Sensitivity in the American Workplace". After I read it, I literally started fucking laughing out loud.

The Cliff Notes version basically says this:

"...as an employer, if you hire Muhammad Akbar Ramdi Sheik Ali (or any Muslim for that matter), you must provide them with a minimum of 5 daily breaks (with pay) so that they may perform their prayers. If you do not provide this time to said employee we will throw your ass in jail. If any of your other employees object to this and confront Muhammad Akbar, you must order them to attend cultural sensitivity training to help them better understand the importance of accepting the cultural and religion of others. As an employer you will be required to pay for this training and if you do not do so we will throw your ass in jail..."

What in the fuck is this country/world coming to???? Since when are you entitled to preferential treatment based solely on religion/culture???

so I'm basically damned if I do and damned if I don't:

1) If I don't hire them, I get sued for violating the equal employment opportunity act.

2) If I do hire them, I have 65 other employees telling me they are going to take 2 hours worth of breaks in an 8 hour day because Muhammad Akbar gets to. If I don't allow this, I get sued yet again.

[Bob Smith]

Youre so insensitive, Kayz! You need to accept other peoples traditions, no matter how f*cked they are. I know a great class you can take...

[sc redneck]

republican controlled white house.... that should explain it!!!!!

[Kayz]

Originally Posted by sc redneck

republican controlled white house.... that should explain it!!!!!

yeah that's it...the same republican controlled white house who is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands muslims.

[Kayz]

Originally Posted by Bob Smith

Youre so insensitive, Kayz! You need to accept other peoples traditions, no matter how f*cked they are. I know a great class you can take...

Will Grizz be teaching it???

[oldtimer]

During a typical work day (9AM-5PM), there are only 2 prayers, not 5. The first one is around 2AM-4-AM in the morning for almost all countries. The second one is around noon. The third is late afternoon, and the last two are in the evening. As you can see, the first one and the last two are outside the working hours.

For the other two that occur during working hours, a prayer doesn't take more than 5 mins, and if he/she is really taking their time it shouldn't take more than 15 mins. These are usually shorter than the smoke breaks a smoker takes in a typical work day.

So bottom line, quit whining Kayzee you little brat and hire me .

[Grizzly]

Regardless, as a business owner(if I was) it's my perogative to tell you take your religion and shove it the fuck up your ass. If I wanted to, I could make some cracka-ass cracka work on Christmas. That's right, no goddamned party for the baby Jesus!

Then again, I'm not allowed to not hire someone because they don't speak Enlish, so.....

[oldtimer]

Originally Posted by Grizzly

Regardless, as a business owner(if I was) it's my perogative to tell you take your religion and shove it the fuck up your ass. If I wanted to, I could make some cracka-ass cracka work on Christmas. That's right, no goddamned party for the baby Jesus!

Then again, I'm not allowed to not hire someone because they don't speak Enlish, so.....

No you can't, you live in the US you num nuts, where business owners need to bend over backwards or they get sued.

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by Grizzly

Regardless, as a business owner(if I was) it's my perogative to tell you take your religion and shove it the fuck up your ass. If I wanted to, I could make some cracka-ass cracka work on Christmas. That's right, no goddamned party for the baby Jesus!

Then again, I'm not allowed to not hire someone because they don't speak Enlish, so.....

Religion is part of the Equal Opportunity Employment act, you, as a business owner, cant discriminate against people becaue of their religion. Unless you have less than 25 employees, then you can discriminate all you want (most EEO laws dont apply to very small businesses).

[Grizzly]

But it wouldn't be discriminating. I don't allow ANY of my employess to pray at work. Therefore, it's a completely fair system.

[gixxerboy]

At my job i have to work a lot of Sundays. I knew this when i got hired. I'm catholic could i technically say i have to go to church on Sundays and get out of it?

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by gixxerboy

At my job i have to work a lot of Sundays. I knew this when i got hired. I'm catholic could i technically say i have to go to church on Sundays and get out of it?

Possibly, yes.

[Kayz]

Originally Posted by Bob Smith

Possibly, yes.

...but I as a business owner also have a right to replace that person with someone who can work the hours I need him/her. That would probably be grounds for termination. If you can't work the hours that are required, then I don't need you. I've had this problem come up before, but it had nothing to do with religion or anything like that. I had a guy tell me he could not work past 4:00 on wednesday or fridays because his son had little league games at 4:30!!!

[Grizzly]

What did you do, Kayz? What are normal hours? If it was simply him not being present for OT, then I'd have let him ditch out. Especially since, like all employers, I'm sure you lie your fucking ass off about the job to get candidates in the door. And then you ass rape them with the truth when it's too late.

"Overtime? Here? Are you kidding. Hell most of the time we're actually done with working by lunch and we play euchre for the last 4 hours. Honest injun."

gotta admit, he atleast had an admirable reason. Least his son actually got to hang out with is daddy.

[Kayz]

Originally Posted by Grizzly

What did you do, Kayz? What are normal hours? If it was simply him not being present for OT, then I'd have let him ditch out. Especially since, like all employers, I'm sure you lie your fucking ass off about the job to get candidates in the door. And then you ass rape them with the truth when it's too late.

"Overtime? Here? Are you kidding. Hell most of the time we're actually done with working by lunch and we play euchre for the last 4 hours. Honest injun."

gotta admit, he atleast had an admirable reason. Least his son actually got to hang out with is daddy.

Well, in that case it wasn't really a big deal since we quit at 4:30 anways, and I appreciated his honesty up front. We worked it out. When it comes to family time, I'm pretty lenient as long as I'm not being taken advantage of. We are a family business, so we try to place a great deal of importance on the family.

And in the summer time, I have drivers that will hit 20 hours of legit overtime that I don't mind paying as long as they are delivering the goods.