(08-14-2011 10:32 PM)RobertN Wrote: (08-14-2011 05:40 PM)THE NC Herd Fan Wrote: (08-14-2011 05:27 PM)Rebel Wrote: Go to San Fran. See how you're treated by the liberals there as a conservative. Would I be protected, Tom?
Somehow I doubt it.
Tom doesn't mention lots of companies ban religious activities and have a PINK CROSS groups that identify group leaders (with pink crosses in their office) that gays can report any behavior especially religious that is offensive. Employees that have complaints against them can either take sensitivity training (re-education) or be fired. Many companies have employee afinity groups including GLTG which have a PRIDE MONTH. No Christian pride month at any publicly traded company I know of. So why one for Gay Lesbian and Transgendered?
Also a North Carolina company took discipline against an employee for sending a co-worker, and personal friend, out on medical leave an e-mail from their office e-mail saying they were sorry to hear about their illness and would be praying for them. Said company found the e-mail using their security software that filters for key words. Nice eh?
Did you get fired for sending the e-mail?
Your case brings up a whole lot of issues. First of all, many companies do have offical and unoffical office groups for their LGBT employees. As well as for other minority groups. These groups can be used as a vehicle to ensure that the company is being responsive to the needs of a particular interest group.
Why don't Christians at the workplace have their analog to these groups. First of all, many companies do have Christian groups. But they tend to cause A LOT of problems as, unlike Gay or minority affinity groups, they usually prothelize. No one is joining a Gay group at work unless they are Gay.
I'll give you a personal example. I was working for a Fortune 500 company in California a decade or so ago. A new director was brought in and in his first meeting with his DIRECT REPORTS asked if he could start the meeting off with a prayer. The room had 2 Gay men, 1 Lesbian, 2 Athiests, and 1 Jewish person in it as well as 10 other persons of various demoniations and intensity). The new manager was a former LDS mission president (which he foolishly put on his resume - I actually told the straight people who wanted to discriminate against him for that in the interview process that they should ignore his religious affiliation and concentrate on his qualifications). I stood up and said (to my new boss) that I find the presentation of a prayer in the workplace environment to be very disturbing and that I would be at Human Resources before he got to Amen. He was fired that day. Why? First of all, it is inappropriate for a supervisor to start a work meeting in that way because his direct reports might feel pressure to go along to get along with the boss. My direct reports included a very good employee who was a follower of Chuck Colson (whom I despise as he is very hateful towards Gay people). I would NEVER share that with her. Why? Because I was her BOSS. I hold (or may be perceived to hold) power over her career.
People don't like prothelizers. It creates tension and resentment in the office. Remember, that harrassment, per federal law, is not based upon the intent of the person making the action or statement but on the impact of the recipient.
And if you peruse some of the comments in here, you can see that there is a lot of animosity against Gay people. So if there is a bad actor, then yes, from a legal standpoint, human resources might have an interest in facilitating complaints about people who are creating a bad environment at work.
For me, I'd keep the Gay and Minority affinity groups, but I'd lose the Gay flags on the cubicles. I think it creates more problems. For example, a consulting client of mine in Texas had a LOT of rainbow stickers that said "Gay..Okay by me". Great. But I also think that it might create resentment by Gays and their supporters of those that don't have those signs on their cubicles or implicit pressure on those that for whatever reason didn't want to put that sign up to do so.
Finally, your particular case gets into the issue of the appropriate use of company equipment for personal use. That is fraught with problems. Send the email from your smart phone.
Many corporations do choose to support Gay Pride celebrations (as well as other minority celebrations). There are economic reasons for doing so, including minority employee retention/recruitment, and advertising.
But I'd trade all of that 'support' for enforceable laws protecting Gays from employment and compensation discrimination.
The majority of folks just want to live free and want everyone else to have the same option.
