A great place to start if you're just beginning to address religious diversity is by assessing where your organization is right now.  Use this checklist to figure out where you stand:

Policies

• Does your company have an official policy regarding diversity?
• Does your company's diversity policy specifically include religious diversity?
• Does your company have a method of communicating this policy to employees and the public (through the employee handbook, information packets, etc.)?
• Do you know the general religious demographics of your employees
  
  

Holidays/Time Off

• Does your company have a clearly articulated policy regarding religious holiday leave (paid or unpaid)?
• Is this policy clearly explained to employees (in the employee handbook, information packets, etc.)?
• Do you have an avenue of communication between employees and management to address scheduling conflicts resulting from religious needs and to find coworkers who can cover or switch shifts?
• Does management take into account employees' various religious holidays when planning meetings, workshops, trips, dinners, etc?
• Does your company hold any holiday-related events?
• Does management take into account the different faiths of employees when planning these holiday events?
  
  

Dress

• Does your company have a dress code?
• Is this dress code communicated to all employees (through the employee handbook, information packets, etc.)?
• If an employee's religious practice conflicts with the dress code, does the company have policies in place regarding attire accommodations?
• Do employees know what avenues are available to them for communicating
  with management regarding their special religious attire needs?
  
  

Food

• Does your company provide food for employees (in the cafeteria, through an office discount meal program, etc.)?
• Do these meals accommodate unique religious and ethical needs of your employees (kosher, halal, vegetarian, etc.)?
• Does your company hold special events involving food and/or drink (banquets, dinner meetings, cocktail parties, etc.)?
• Do these special events accommodate the unique religious and ethical needs of your employees (kosher, halal, vegetarian, etc.)?
  
  

Employee Networks

• Does your company allow the formation of on-site affinity groups (employee networks)?
• Does your company allow the formation of on-site religion-based affinity groups?
• Does your company clearly communicate the policy regarding these groups
  and their relationship to the company as a whole (whether through the employee handbook, information packets, etc.)?
  
  

Office Space

• Does your company have a policy regarding decoration of personal workspace (within one's office/cubical, walls in public areas, the employee lounge, etc.)?
• Does this policy include religious decoration?
• Does your company clearly explain this policy to employees (through the employee handbook, information packets, etc.)?
• Does your company allow special decoration of office space for holidays (Christmas party decorations, Hanukkah decorations, etc.)?
• Do these decorations accommodate the needs of a religiously and culturally diverse employee base?
• Do your employees have avenues to communicate their reactions to these decorations?
  
  

Religious Practice

• Does your company allow religious practice in the workplace (prayer, meditation, etc.)?
• Does your company effectively communicate their policy regarding religious practice in the workplace to the employees (through the employee handbook, information packets, etc)?
• Do your employees have avenues of communication by which they can express their specific religious practice needs?
  
  

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