Human Resources dealing with Religion in the Workplace
Please review the scenario listed below, then as an HR Manager how would you handle Peterson's concern? What about complaints raised by other employees towards Peterson's actions? Should Peterson be terminated? Please explain.
Peterson was employed in the Boise, Idaho office of Hewlett-Packard for almost 21 years prior to his termination. Peterson's job performance was satisfactory. The company began displaying "diversity posters" in its Boise office as one component of its workplace diversity campaigns. The first series consisted of five posters, each showing a photograph of a Hewlett Packard employee above the caption "Black," "Blonde," "Old," "Gay," or "Hispanic."
Posters in the second series included photographs of the same five employees and a description of the featured employee's personal interests, as well as the slogan "Diversity is Our Strength."
Peterson describes himself as a "devout Christian," who believes that homosexual activities violate the commandments contained in the Bible and that he has a duty "to expose evil when confronted with sin." In response to the posters that read "Gay," Peterson posted two Biblical scriptures on an overhead bin in his work cubicle.
The scriptures were printed in a typeface large enough to be visible to co-workers, customers, and others who passed through an adjacent corridor.
One of Peterson's postings was taken from Corinthians 10:12. The other featured the following passage from Isaiah: "The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! For they have rewarded evil unto themselves. Isaiah 3:9"
Later Peterson posted a third scriptural passage. This time he chose the well-known and highly controversial passage from Leviticus: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be put upon them. Leviticus 20:13"