Witch sacked for casting a spell on car heater

Diversity management is about tolerance, common sense, and respect for co-workers – so what happens if someone in your department complains about a colleague on the grounds of their religion?

More than likely you try to foster mutual respect and a wider understanding of the other’s culture and beliefs.

Then you are told that the religious beliefs under attach involve witchcraft and the worker complained because they were scared of their colleague casting spells.

Obviously, the next step is to fire the witch – the modern day equivalent of burning at the stake.

Well, that’s how the US government agency, the Transportation Supervision Administration handled the issue for Carole Smith.

Ms Smith was a security officer at New York State’s Albany Airport.

She was sacked on the grounds of threatening workplace violence for allegedly practising witchcraft – namely putting a spell on co-worker Mary Bagnoli’s car that caused the heater to malfunction.

“I was dumbfounded she said. “I told him, that’s not what Wicca is. We don’t cast spells. That’s not witchcraft. That’s black magic, voodoo, or something else. To put a spell on a heater of a car, if I had that kind of power, I wouldn’t be working for TSA. I would go buy lottery tickets and put a spell on the balls.”

Assistant director Matthew Lloyd handled the sacking and testified at an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission hearing that there was no genuine threat of workplace violence. He felt the problem was a personality conflict made worse by fear of an unfamiliar religion.

He suggested Smith should consider mediation to explain her religious beliefs to her co-worker.

“I refused to do that. It’s not up to me to teach her my religion. I mean, would I have to go down and sit with her if I was Jewish?” said Smith.

The complaint, claiming discrimination based on religion, reprisal (for contacting an ombudsman), and disability (for an ankle she hurt on the job, and emotional stress caused by harassment), was dismissed.