WASHINGTON (RNS) — Naomi Kraus, a senior content strategist for Google, still recalls the childhood experience of seeing a relative coming home from work with his yarmulke not topping his head because he could not reveal his faith at work. Kraus, now the head of the technology company’s Inter Belief Network, said Jews like herself and people of other faiths can face discrimination on and off the job.
But, she said, they also feel greater acceptance through faith-related employee resource groups, or ERGs, that are growing in prominence in Fortune 500 firms and smaller companies.
“Having members of the community tell their own stories is powerful,” said Kraus, a speaker at the 4th Annual [email protected] Conference on Tuesday (May 23) at Catholic University of America.
“It’s even more personal when these are the people you work with day in and day out. It is very hard to hate the people that you know.”
Naomi Kraus speaking Tuesday, May 23, at Faith at Work conference at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks
The conference, which included a disclaimer that all who appeared onstage were speaking personally and not on behalf of their organization, was a mixture of testimony and training. In the audience were attendees wearing religious garb, like a yarmulke, a turban or hijab, while another occasionally said “Amen” in response to speakers’ remarks. The conference brought together Christian chaplain networks, human resources staffers and members of ERGs that can include people of faith and no faith.
Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, said its conference drew more than 250 people, with 50 companies represented — more than half of them Fortune 500 firms, such as Dell Technologies, American Airlines and professional services company Accenture.
RELATED: Intel wins 2023’s most faith-friendly company as Fortune 500 warms to religious diversity
Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation. RNS Photo by Adelle M. Banks
“We do have very strong evangelicals, and we have the whole variety of every other faith, and everybody’s working together,” said Grim.
“Outside of these kinds of walls, you hear that ther …
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But, she said, they also feel greater acceptance through faith-related employee resource groups, or ERGs, that are growing in prominence in Fortune 500 firms and smaller companies.
“Having members of the community tell their own stories is powerful,” said Kraus, a speaker at the 4th Annual [email protected] Conference on Tuesday (May 23) at Catholic University of America.
“It’s even more personal when these are the people you work with day in and day out. It is very hard to hate the people that you know.”
Naomi Kraus speaking Tuesday, May 23, at Faith at Work conference at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks
The conference, which included a disclaimer that all who appeared onstage were speaking personally and not on behalf of their organization, was a mixture of testimony and training. In the audience were attendees wearing religious garb, like a yarmulke, a turban or hijab, while another occasionally said “Amen” in response to speakers’ remarks. The conference brought together Christian chaplain networks, human resources staffers and members of ERGs that can include people of faith and no faith.
Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, said its conference drew more than 250 people, with 50 companies represented — more than half of them Fortune 500 firms, such as Dell Technologies, American Airlines and professional services company Accenture.
RELATED: Intel wins 2023’s most faith-friendly company as Fortune 500 warms to religious diversity
Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation. RNS Photo by Adelle M. Banks
“We do have very strong evangelicals, and we have the whole variety of every other faith, and everybody’s working together,” said Grim.
“Outside of these kinds of walls, you hear that ther …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]