Posted on 06/13/2014 12:12:41 PM PDT by Dallas59
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit on behalf of three former employees, against a Syosset, New York company claiming that workers were forced to participate in religious activities at work and fired if they refused.
As reported by Reuters, United Health Programs of America and its parent company, Cost Containment Group, made employees pray, thank God for their jobs, and tell managers and colleagues, “I love you.” The practice followed a belief system called “Onionhead,” which was a doctrine created by the aunt of the company’s owner.
The EEOC press release says other activities “…included group prayers, candle burning, and discussions of spiritual texts… Employees were told wear Onionhead buttons, pull Onionhead cards to place near their work stations and keep only dim lighting in the workplace. None of these practices was work-related.” The EEOC noted that the company has practiced this ongoing coercion since 2007. "Individuals are free to practice religion or not in line with their own personal beliefs,” Robert D. Rose, regional attorney of EEOC's New York District Office said. “Employers are not permitted to dictate this area of workers' lives. Workplace pressure to conform to the employers' spiritual or religious practices violates federal employment law."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I am typically for company rights, but this company may have taken this too far. Even as a Catholic, I would not want to be saying, “I love you” and reading Bible verses at work. This company might need to pay out some big money and then top management may need to go. This is way beyond what the founders wanted.
Good thing they didn’t put in foot washing basins-that would be nutty!
Wielder?
“Shtuupid automobile corrections”.
From the article: ‘[O]ne employee told the management that she was Catholic and did not want to take part in the Onionhead religious practices. One month later that employee was moved from her office and “relocated to an open customer service area, while a large statue of a Buddha was placed in her former office.”’
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Yes, this is not your usual workplace.
Goodness....I bet anything these folks are liberal as heck.
If true, this company will and should cease to exist.
Nut jobs, christian, muzzie or other, are just nut jobs.
If I walk into a job and see “motivational” sayings painted all over the walls...and contests every month involving dancing, wearing costumes, races, paper airplane contests, cubical decoration contests, employee facebook challenges...I run out the door.
Thank God they did not have a Festivus pole, then I would have gotten really steamed...
A couple jobs ago a company I worked for started bringing in motivational speakers for its companywide meetings and doing moral boosting exercises. I quit soon afterwards because it was quite apparent that wasn't going to do a thing about our production quality problems.
Is this from the Starnesville Daily News? Sound like the 2nd-gen owners of "20th Century Motors".
Nothing wrong with motivation on the job while working, like the management giving encouragement to the workers and being THERE DURING PRODUCTION. Walking the floor, listening to the employees, actually being a manager without being a mother hen. “How’s it going?”, “What problems are you having?”, “We’ll get that fixed.” “Let me help you”. The management at this place was never seen..no carpeting on the production floor. Crap like I mentioned does nothing. Taking time out to play games at the cost of the employees and production because it just looks good is terrible management.
If someone is dumb enough to pay me while doing it, why the hell not
This company reminds me of the 20th Century Motor company from Ayn Rand’s novel. Very socialist/cultish.
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