I have a question that might seem humorous at first, but it is a question which I feel deserves some contemplation. Would your boss give you the day off if the apocalypse was imminent?
I was having a lovely day out with my sister a few months ago when we were handed a flyer by someone who represented a Christian group. The flyer said that Christian scholars studying the biblical texts have come up with a formula to pinpoint the exact date of the Day of Judgement. That date, it stated, is 21 May 2011. We were quite intrigued by this because the date in question would soon be upon us. It made me realize that every culture or religious faction in the world holds a belief in one form or another that the world as we know it will come to an abrupt end at some predetermined date in the future. Whether or not these predictions are accurate or even incontrovertible is of no concern to me. My enquiry, as my question suggests, has to do with the legal right which you as an employee may or may not have if Armageddon got underway tomorrow.
I mean think about it for a second, if by some chance one of those forecasts are indeed true and such events are busy unfolding, are you allowed to miss work and not need a doctor’s certificate? Or, what if your chosen doctrine says that the day of reckoning is tomorrow, can you take the day off? And if it turns out the next day that it was an incorrect interpretation of the sacred texts and nothing happens, can you be held accountable for your absence? I think that these are important questions to be asking because religion plays a major role in our society and the commercial and corporate arenas are not exempt from this influence. Just look at holidays like Christmas and Easter, most companies in the world acknowledge these festivals and give their employees off to celebrate it. Some folks get an entire month off. And those festivals are in fact public holidays in most countries. So why the apocalypse shouldn’t be given the same status is puzzling to me.
Even if you don’t believe in prophetic utterances, you should be entitled to a day or two to be with your family just like you would for Christmas. In fact I suggest that employment contracts include what I call the ‘Apocalypse Clause’. A clause that sets out the procedure to follow and the rights of both employer and employee in case the employee is made to believe the end is on a certain date and then it turns out to be a false alarm. It can be given a similar designation as ‘family responsibility’ leave or paid leave or whatever. In the crazy synthetic environment we find ourselves living in today I don’t think this is an unreasonable proposal. I’m not asking parliament to deliberate and pass my proposition into law. All I’m saying is that if certain aspects of religious faith are taken into consideration when conducting business or running an administration, then why not take the possibility of final judgement into account as well?
