FARGO, N.D. – A Target employee in Fargo, North Dakota, was reportedly terminated after including a religious message on her name tag, raising questions about company policy regarding Target Employee Uniforms and personal expression. Denise Kendrick stated that she was let go from her position at a Fargo Target store after writing “Trust in Jesus” on her employee name tag.
Kendrick explained that she had been wearing apparel with religious themes without incident for months. “I had no problems with anyone approaching me with my Christian shirts,” Kendrick commented, suggesting that her religious expression had not previously been an issue in her workplace attire.
However, the situation changed when she added the message to her name tag, a component of the target employee uniform. According to Target’s official policy, the company is “an equal opportunity employer that prohibits discrimination and will make decisions regarding employment opportunities…without regard to…religious beliefs,” among other characteristics.
When Kendrick questioned the decision, pointing out, “Well, I’ve seen people with rainbows on theirs,” she was informed that continuing to wear the name tag with the religious message would result in termination. “I’m going to continue to wear this name tag, and then they said, ‘Well, you can’t work here any more,’” Kendrick recounted.
Following her dismissal, Kendrick requested a written explanation for her firing but says her request was denied. “I said, ‘Can I get it in writing why you’re firing me?’ and they refused to do that,” she stated. Instead of a written explanation, Target provided Kendrick with contact information related to their dress code policy, which governs aspects of the target employee uniform.
“They gave me this paper with all these phone numbers on it and said, ‘If you have any questions about the violation of the dress code, just call one of these numbers.’ And he just kept repeating it…and it was going nowhere,” Kendrick described.
This incident highlights the complexities of implementing target employee uniform policies in diverse workplaces and the balance between company guidelines, employee personal expression, and religious freedom. It remains unclear how Target’s dress code policy specifically addresses religious messages on name tags, a detail that could clarify the application of their broader non-discrimination policy in the context of target employee uniforms.
