All posts by Meg Eslinger, Vivian Schlabritz

Meg Eslinger: Born in Moscow, Russia, and adopted as a baby, I’ve had the privilege of learning 5 languages and traveling the world. I studied Communications and Criminal Justice at the U. of TN at Chattanooga and am starting a career in Medical Device Sales with Orthopedic Trauma Surgical cases. As a religious person, I admire the ADR for educating and preventing religious persecution in places of work, education, and our daily lives. Vivian Schlabritz: I grew up in Hamburg, Germany, and am now studying Communications and Anthropology at the U. of TN at Chattanooga. I’ve had the privilege of living in many different countries which fueled my curiosity about cultures and customs. I love learning how to communicate through a rounded perspective. That enables all of us to see things from different perspectives rather than shutting down something that is not immediately understood.
Religious Diversity, UTC Interns

Religious Diversity In Corporate America – by Meg Eslinger, Vivian Schlabritz

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Editor’s Note: Article from DEI in Communications class at the University of TN / Chattanooga where I spoke on religious diversity.

Corporate America makes up nearly 45 percent of American employees. Each of those employees represent diversity in some form or fashion, representing an array of languages, cultures, classes, and religions. With these diverse aspects comes considering dealing with differences between employers, co-workers, CEO’s, etc. Religious Diversity seems to have the most significance when it comes to conflict or dealing with strategic communication. Religious Diversity plays an essential role in Corporate America, especially today in the age of Social Media and the public seeing what corporations are “all about.”

How a big corporation such as Delta, Nike, Target, Verizon, etc promotes being accepting of religion, no matter what religion, is essential from a Public Relations standpoint. Yes, they might look good on the outside to the public for consumer satisfaction and revenue, but it’s not always equally reflected within these corporations. Religion is defined by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) by saying; “Religion is not limited to traditional, organized religions, but also includes religious beliefs that are practiced by a small group of people and are not part of a formal church or sect.” (SHRM 2008) Religious diversity really shows itself with respect in how employers handle accommodating time off for religious holidays. According to most corporate Human Resource Managers, they report they work with ”most” religious holidays meaning Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas etc- and not including holidays such as Diwali, Yom Kippur, Ramadan, etc.

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