Wage and Hour Co-Chair Damien Delaney co-authored an article for Ethikos discussing how companies can strike the balance between LGBTQ+ and religious employee rights. In the article, DeLaney explains that in maintaining an ethical—and legally compliant—workplace, employers have an obligation to create an inclusive environment for their employees. In some instances, certain employees’ rights may conflict with others’, but in no circumstance is that conflict more salient than the conflict that arises between employees who identify as LGBTQ+ and employees with religion-based anti-LGBTQ+ views. Both groups are protected by federal law. As such, employers may see this as a bit of a quandary: How do we balance employees’ rights while maintaining a nondiscriminatory and inclusive workplace?
"Simply having an anti-discrimination and harassment policy is insufficient; ethical employers advance efforts to draw closer toward inclusion," said DeLaney. "In a nutshell, inclusion means going beyond simply hiring diverse employees—it necessitates shaping the workplace into an environment where employees feel a sense of involvement and belonging, thus empowering and enabling them to succeed."