Woman wearing 'The Christian Cross' in the workplace.

[corydoras]

You mean my desire to wear this religious trinket is less important than the wellbeing of patients?

 

Why not. You have to ward off the evil eye at all costs.

[Steve Walker]

Why not. You have to ward off the evil eye at all costs.

 

His Noodly Appendage will protect me

[corydoras]

His Noodly Appendage will protect me

Do you know the story about Nihls Bohr and the lucky horse-shoe?

[Phone]

(first question) Well?

(second question), Sportsman, do you know where this code is written? I believe we have similar requirement with healthcare professionals in certain circumstances - but not in EVERY circumstance.

 

Phone

(we, in the US, are now sorting the little "face mask" (vale maybe vail thingies) in our workplace)

Edited March 13, 2012 by Phone

[Ken L]

Do you know the story about Nihls Bohr and the lucky horse-shoe?

Without looking it up, I assume he's the chap who famously said "No of course not but apparently, it's still lucky whether you believe in it or not" - or something like that.

 

As to religious clothing at work, there is to the best of my knowledge, no ban anywhare in the public sector and this appears to have been ramped up as a religious freedom issue by a couple of muppets who want to have special privileges and rights to wear their religious jewelry openly in the face of a blanket ban . No, sorry, that won't do.

 

As some folks know, I work in the public sector and no such bans exist in the area where I work. I am however vehemently against this lack of a dress code for what I feel are eminently reasonable reasons. We have the cross carrying Christians, the Hindu's with their silly dots and the Sikhs with their turbans but the folks that take it to the extreme are the Muslims.

Now I'm not picking on the Muslims for any reason other than the fact that in this instance, they are a fine example of why religious identification is not appropriate in a public sector workplace where your job is to implement the law of the land and not only to do so fairly and evenhandedly but to be seen to do so fairly and evenhandedly.

We have people in my own office with the big beard, the silly hat and the flowing robes that might arguably be appropriate to attending Friday prayers at the local mosque in their own time, but they are wearing these outfits to work on a daily basis.

Now, if a member of the public comes in who happens to be an identifiable Hindu and an officer of a government department meets them in that getup, do you think they would anticipate fair and evenhanded treatment ? - even if it was fair and even handed, would they perceive it that way ?

Flip it around. What if the government employee was a turban wearing Sikh and the member of the public an identifiable Muslim. how would that work ?

 

The only way that organs of government can be seen to not display religious bias is to ban the wearing of religious symbols in the workplace. You wouldn't expect to see the chappie dealing with you at the local jobcentre or tax office wearing a national front (or any political party) badge so why should it be acceptable to have someone waving their religion and probable associated prejudices in your face when you access a public service ?

[Andrew]

So a blanket ban on ALL religious parafanalia, that includes turbans, Hindu dots on the face etc, fair play to that, whats good for one should be good for others.

 

Run for cover boy, LoL

[Andrew]

(when you use the word liberal in this context it's meant to have a lower-case L Andrew).

 

How very patronising of you yet again Cory,

Edited March 13, 2012 by Andrew

[Sportsman]

Just to be clear, there is no universal ban on nurses wearing jewellery that I am aware of. It is a common sense rule set by this nurses employers (and most others) as part of their terms of employment, based on hygiene and health and safety grounds. It has nothing to do with the fact that it is a crucifix, the rule would apply if it was a gold sovereign or a VW bonnet ornament.

Her employers haven't banned her from wearing her cross, she can wear it in bed, on the bus or whilst cycling to work. When she goes clubbing on a Friday night she can wear whatever outrageous bling her little heart desires. She can wear whatever she wants, whenever she wants EXCEPT when she is in uniform, on duty.

As a patient (sorry, service user) I don't want necklaces dangling in my face when the nurse leans over my bed and I don't want nurses looking like the landlady of the Queen Vic when they are on duty.

I am lucky enough to remember when nurses wore proper uniforms with caps, starched white aprons and black stockings and took pride in their appearance

Edited March 13, 2012 by Sportsman

[Andrew]

I wonder if my better half gets wrong for having her Marie Curies daffodil pin in

 

[poledark]

I am lucky enough to remember when nurses wore proper uniforms with caps, starched white aprons and black stockings and took pride in their appearance

 

So am I

 

Den