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Press Release of July 1988

LOCAL CASES HELP PROMPT EEOC "NEW AGE" POLICY

The government Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, D.C. issued a policy memorandum last February (1988) to its field offices providing guidelines regarding the involvement of corporation employees in New Age seminars. The commission ruled that those who are opposed for religious reasons to such New Age techniques as meditation, guided visualization, bio-feedback, yoga, self-hypnosis, and inducement of altered states of consciousness should not be forced to attend corporation sponsored seminars and workshops at which such techniques are offered. Because they refuse to attend, they must not be discriminated against but should be offered alternative motivational seminars which are not offensive. The commission warns against using training programs based upon religious beliefs, stating, "Religiously based training programs discriminate against individuals who have no religious faith as well as those who have differing religious beliefs."

The policy memo, in its introduction, states, "Employers are increasingly making use of training programs designed to improve employee motivation, cooperation, or productivity through the use of various so-called "new age" techniques." The introduction references a New York Times article (April 17th, 1987) entitled, "Gurus Hired to Motivate Workers Are Raising Fears of Mind Control" which included the cases of Jim Baumgaertel, who objected to several courses at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and Steve Hiatt, a Tacoma car dealer, who was fired for refusing to participate in a Pacific Institute training program.

The EEOC memo used a New York Times quote from Baumgaertel saying that, "One employee objected that a training program he was ordered to attend using meditation and guided visualization could change a person's view of reality and religious beliefs." Baumgaertel said he is pleased that his case and Hiatt's have been a factor in prompting new EEOC policy in this area, and that this is a good policy for the private sector. In government, though, accommodation of an individual's believes are not enough. Baumgaertel says that New Age beliefs should not be taught at all by government because of the "Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He says his organization, "Citizens Against A State Religion" intends to continue to raise this issue nationwide.

Citizens Against A State Religion - 7/25/88

EEOC Notice N-915.022

Confronting "Motivational" Training Programs

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