Managing religion at work: a necessary distinction between words and deeds. A multiple case study of the postures facing religious expression in French organizations
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-02-2021-0053 |
| Published date | 23 December 2021 |
| Date | 23 December 2021 |
| Pages | 744-763 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
| Author | Hugo Gaillard |
Managing religion at work:
a necessary distinction between
words and deeds. A multiple case
study of the postures facing
religious expression in
French organizations
Hugo Gaillard
ARGUMans, Le Mans Universite, Le Mans, France
Abstract
Purpose –Religious expression at work (REW) has a unique place in France. The authors studied the
perception of the postures of four organizations in the face of this phenomenon, focusing on the gap between
official posture and the posture applied by managers.
Design/methodology/approach –Using a qualitative approach, the authors conducted semi-structured
interviews (40), observation periods and documentary analysis within four organizations. This multiple
embedded case study was undertaken in four different firms in France: an international private firm, a public
organization, and two small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with original models of REWmanagement.
Findings –A distinction between aligned and non-aligned postures emerged. There was a lack of alignment in
only two of the four organizations, and this alignment concerned only two units of analysis: prayer on break
and wearing religious symbols. Several extrinsic factors were identified in this lack of alignment between the
official posture and the posture actually applied by managers: the form of REW, the religion concerned and
whether it had minority status in the country, the degree of clarity of the official posture, the degree of
formalization of the official posture, the size and scope of the company, the degree of awareness of managers
and their teams, the degree of involvement of leaders in the definition and implementation of the posture, and
the purpose of the official posture.
Research limitations/implications –This research provides a sensitive understanding of religious
expression at work and shows that alignment is sought specifically for each form of REW. The distinction
between official posture and applied posture is highlighted through the study of perceptions. In addition, this
study enables the identification of factors that influence the alignment of official and operational postures.
Practical implications –These results call for clarity of the official posture and for it to be defended by
leaders, provision of meaning to postures by raising awareness among intermediate hierarchical lines,
understanding of the applicable legal framework to transpose it to the local level, and analysis of unaligned
forms of REW to build a strong, shared posture.
Originality/value –This study, which was carried out within a specific French context, concerns areas that
have received little attention or have not been studied at all to date, such as REW in SMEs or in the public
sector, and demonstrates for the first time the distinction between official postures and effective postures.
Keywords Religious expression at work (REW), Regulatory postures, Forms of religious expression, Aligned
postures, Multiple case study, Qualitative research
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Religious expression at work (REW) remains a largely overlooked issue in the area of
diversity (H
eliot et al., 2020;King et al., 2009), even though several studies attest to its growing
importance in organizations (e.g. Gebert et al., 2014). A partial explanation for this paradox is
the taboo nature of the subject (Geld and Longacre, 2012), especially in France (Honor
eet al.,
2019). Several studies have highlighted the unique model of separation of Church and state in
France, particularly the place this gives religion (e.g. Cintas et al., 2020;Galindo and Zannad,
2015;Hennekam et al., 2018). In France, as a result of this model, the concept of reasonable
ER
44,4
744
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0142-5455.htm
Received 3 February 2021
Revised 30 August 2021
13 November 2021
Accepted 1 December 2021
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 44 No. 4, 2022
pp. 744-763
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-02-2021-0053
accommodation is different from that in other Anglo-Saxon countries (Bader et al., 2013;
Honor
e, 2018). In accordance with French law, it is up to the employee to accommodate their
religious practice to work-related constraints. In addition, Volia et al. (2019) noted that REW
was more often studied in Anglo-Saxon studies for what it could bring to organizations,
whereas it is more readily treated as a constraint to be managed in Francophone work
environments.
REW generally appears to be in a state of maturity in French organizations, i.e. it is a
phenomenon experienced by managers, and increasingly well managed (Observatoire du Fait
Religieux en Entreprise, Trans.: Observatory of REW, Honor
e, 2021), although two different
situations are observable: (1) in most organizations, it is well managed, and few organizations
are faced with a high density of REW (i.e. high frequency of occurrences, diversity of REW
forms, individual and collective REW), and (2) the situation is problematic and emphasizes
the role that managers must assume (Honor
e, 2020). More than half of French managers are
confronted with REW on a regular or occasional basis (Honor
e, 2021). These encounters
mainly include the wearing of religious symbols, requests for absence to participate in
worship, requests for time adjustments for the same reasons, or, less frequently, the refusal to
execute a task or engage in work with a person of the opposite sex.
French organizations seek to regulate this expression through various postures (Galindo
and Zannad, 2015), that is, the strategic and operational positioning of REW. Few studies deal
with the distinction between these postures, and none deal with the gap between the official
postures and the perception of these postures by teams. Therefore, the aim of the current
work is to identify them by studying the perceptions that managers and their teams have of
these postures. To this end, we will study the forms of REW (Honor
e, 2021) and their contexts
of expression within four different organizations.
2. Literature review
2.1 Religious expression at work in the French context
REW is an increasingly important organizational phenomenon, particularly in secularized
societies (Bader et al., 2013;Cash and Grey, 2000;Cintas et al., 2020;Gebert et al., 2014;Gundolf
and Filser, 2013;King, 2008), even though it has been largely marginalized in workplace
diversity research (H
eliot et al., 2020). In France, religious expression began appearing in
research at the end of the 2000s (Honor
e, 2020;Volia et al., 2019). The specificity in the French
context, because of its separation of Church and state (laı€cit
e), makes it a unique research field
(Cintas et al., 2013). Although all French citizens benefit from the freedom of conscience (i.e.
the freedom to think as an individual, independently of what other people in society think), as
guaranteed by law, public officials must remain neutral in the exercise of their duties.
Employees in the private sector enjoy freedom of worship within the limits of public order,
and the restrictions set by the Labor Code. In Table 1, we summarize the legal context
regarding REW in France (Cintas et al., 2020;Gaillard, 2019,2020;Hennekam et al., 2018;
Honor
eet al., 2019).
Several definitions of REW exist (Honor
eet al., 2019). Here, we consider it the set of
behaviors that arise from the interpretation of religious doctrine to which a follower refers
and that occur in a professional context, as well as associated reactions, whether direct or
indirect, immediate or delayed. Thus, REW is polyform, polysemic, multifactor and
situational (Cintas et al., 2020;Cui et al., 2015;Gaillard, 2019;Honor
e, 2020;Honor
eet al., 2019).
2.2 The four levels of studying REW: a dynamic and situational perspective
REW categorization tests are common in the literature, and several levels of study can be
observed. We can distinguish at least four levels: forms, actors, situations and postures.
Managing
religion at
work
745
To continue reading
Request your trial