In recent times, the number of people for whom religion is an important part of their identity is increasing worldwide (European Parliamentary Research Service, 2017). At the same time, in a context of growing diversity in Europe (Eurostat, 2019), tensions have arisen linked to xenophobia caused by the visible expression of religious beliefs and behaviours.
One of the areas in which the difficulties in managing religious diversity are revealed is the workplace (European Commission, 2017). Ensuring proper management of workplace diversity (Mahadevan & Mayer, 2017) involves creating the conditions for all individuals to be able to enjoy the right to religious freedom, in a respectful and inclusive context. However, situations of discrimination in the workplace based on the expression of religious diversity are a common reality in Europe as in other contexts worldwide. Difficulties in managing religious diversity in the workplace can be encountered at different stages of employment, from the process of selection to progression to work and daily work routine (European Network Against Racism, 2015).
When it comes to workplace discrimination, Forstenlechner and Al‐Waqfi (2010) argue that it encompasses all types of behaviours, decisions, or actions that involve different or inferior treatment of people based on their race, colour, skin, ethnicity or any other reason that is not related to his/her merit. Among the potential situations of discrimination that may affect religious minorities some areas have been highlighted:

• Discrimination in finding an occupation. In that sense, visible religious symbols (such as a headscarf or beard) were identified as problematic in finding a job.
• Stereotypes
• Negotiating religious freedom in the workplace, with religious Muslims in need of finding ways to harmonize the competitive needs of living in accordance with their religion and adhering to work practices.
• Pressure to explain their beliefs.
• Greater pressure on professional performance towards minority workers, linked to greater visibility.

According to previous research, Muslim women wearing the Islamic veil suffer from a special situation of discrimination (Arifeen, & Gatrell, 2019; Ghumman & Ryan, 2013), because they are Muslim and because they carry a particularly visible religious garment. Furthermore, when analysing the reality experienced by these women, it is necessary to analyse the intersection between overlapping factors, such as gender, ethnicity and religion, which affect these women when they find a job (Tariq & Syed, 2017). Against this backdrop, faith-based organisations can play a key role in the prevention of forms of religious discrimination in the workplace, making these realities more visible and contributing to overcome them.
With the aim to advance in the identification of successful cases in the management of religious diversity in the workplace, and stimulate more innovative solutions that guarantee the principles of diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity, this paper reports part of the results of the project "Detection of Actions to Improve the management of religious diversity in the Workplace in Catalonia”, funded by the General Directorate of Religious Affairs (Government of Catalonia, Spain). The project is aimed to address the following objectives:

1. To review relevant scientific literature on religious diversity management in professional contexts.
2. To identify actions for the management of religious diversity in professional contexts level, with special emphasis on the experiences of Muslim women with hijab.
3. To explore cases of religious diversity management in the workplace in Catalonia that have been marked by discrimination, and cases that have been marked by inclusive diversity management.
4. To disseminate the results on religious diversity management in the workplace, to maximize the scientific and societal impact of our research.

The project follows a communicative methodology (Gómez, 2017). This methodological approach is aimed at achieving an egalitarian dialogue between researchers (who bring international scientific knowledge and evidence) and end-users (who bring their ideas, perspectives and experiences about the reality object of study). The transformative orientation of the communicative research makes it an appropriate tool to achieve societal impact through research, especially with vulnerable populations. The following data collection techniques are being implemented: 1) Review of scientific literature and other relevant documentation. In the first phase of the project, a search of scientific literature and other relevant documentation has been performed, to gain a deeper understanding of the state of the art on the reality of the expression of the right to religious diversity in the workplace, and to identify ‘success stories’ and recommendations for practice. The documentation reviewed included: - Articles published in JCR and SCOPUS indexed journals in relevant categories related to the project. - Reports, studies or resolutions of international, European and state/Catalan organisations has been reviewed, to ascertain the existing regulatory frameworks for the management of religious diversity in the workplace. 2) Qualitative study with communicative orientation. Currently, qualitative information is being collected, through the following data collection techniques: - Communicative daily life stories with people belonging to religious minorities, who have had professional experiences in which their right to religious expression have been managed in various ways. In this sense, we will select people who have faced religious discrimination in the workplace, and others who have had professional experiences marked by the respect for diversity. - Semi-structured interviews with relevant actors in relation to the management of religious diversity in the workplace (employers, supervisors of training/internships programs at universities, government representatives, etc.). Following the postulates of the communicative methodology, data analysis is being aimed at the identification of the exclusionary dimension (barriers to social transformation) and the transformative dimension (possibilities of overcoming the barriers to social transformation).

The findings of the first phase of the project, focused on the literature review, revealed different actions that can facilitate the inclusion of Muslim women in the workplace: - Coping strategies. Murray and Ali (2017) revealed two types of coping strategies: problem-focused coping (active coping, planning and seeking social support) and emotion-focused coping (reducing/managing the emotional distress through acceptance, turning to religion, denial and behavioural/mental disengagement). Prayer may be a coping mechanism that reduces the odds of a person feeling discriminated against (Scheitle & Ecklund, 2017). - Pathways to advance in their careers. Among other strategies that Muslim women develop, participating in entrepreneurship networks (Karimi, 2018) and engaging in social/professional networks and training opportunities (Arifeen & Gatrell, 2019; Tariq & Syed, 2017) are means to foster self-esteem, self-confidence and agency. - Encouraging interfaith dialogue in the workplace. Promoting religious literacy in organisations (Burrell & Rahim, 2018) can create a framework for mutual relationships among diverse people and ultimately lead to a more learning-oriented and engaged workforce. - Development of regulations to maximize opportunities for religious expression. Supporting religious expression may have positive benefits to employee well-being and commitment (Hambler, 2016). Organisations may develop clear human resources policies in different areas: personal dress/appearance (Malik et al., 2019), working hours, conscientious objection and religious speech. These findings have been instrumental at guiding the subsequent phases of the project. Moreover, these findings have relevant implications for educational settings, both as workplaces and as organisations with specific tensions regarding expression of religion beliefs among students, families and teachers. Ultimately, among the expected outcomes of the project, we can highlight: - Design of action protocols for the inclusion of diverse employees and to prevent and respond to religious discrimination in the workplace. - Development of training actions to promote interreligious skills in organisations.

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