Advice on wearing or displaying emblems in the workplace
29/11/2018
Employer advice on wearing or displaying emblems in work.
The Equality Commission has, for many years, given advice to employers on issues around the wearing or display of emblems in the workplace, and the implications this can have for maintaining good and harmonious relations there.
This is summarised in the Commission’s publication - Promoting a Good & Harmonious Working Environment - a guide for employers (pdf) - which contains advice on issues around emblems or expressions of identity in the workplace.
It gives examples of emblems which may have the potential to cause disharmony – Easter Lilies or Orange symbols are among suggested examples; and of those which, it is considered, are not likely to do so – such as poppies and shamrock. The Guide makes it clear that it is for each employer to reach its own informed decision on these issues with regard to its equality policies and also regarding individual circumstances and the context in which it is operating.
The Commission’s guidance on these matters can be read on pages 6, 7 and 8 of the publication.