Do Employers Have to Provide Religious Accommodations?

Employers are required to provide their employees and applicants with reasonable accommodations for religious matters. If your rights have been violated in the workplace a Marquette employment lawyer is equipped with the understanding and experience to help guide you through the legal process. Speak to an attorney today.

Is Religion Protected in the Workplace?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is an agency of the United States government dedicated to enforcing anti-discrimination laws in workplaces across the U.S. One law the EEOC enforces is the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In Title VII of this act, employees and applicants are protected from discrimination based on religion. The same section states that employers are responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to allow employees and applicants to practice their religion and uphold their faith.

Under this act “religion” is used as a broad term. Any religious sect is protected in the workplace including organized religions like Judaism and Christianity, as well as lesser-known or nontraditional belief systems. All sincerely held religious beliefs are protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the EEOC.

What Are Religious Accommodations?

An accommodation is an adjustment to the previous rules. When an employee requests a religious accommodation they are asking their employer to provide them with an alternative or exception to a policy to allow them to practice their religion. They must be reasonable and can only be applied when there is an issue with their schedule, uniform, or something about the job that makes it impossible for them to perform their tasks while staying true to their faith.

Take the following examples into consideration to further understand what a religious accommodation may entail.

• Suppose a Sikh man gets a job in a warehouse sorting packages and loading pallets into trucks. The company has a no-facial hair policy. The employee may request an accommodation to be excused from this rule because their religion does not allow them to cut or shave their beard.
• Consider a woman who gets a job at a fast food restaurant where the uniform is a polo and khaki pants. She is a practicing Pentecostal Christian and her religion prohibits women from wearing pants. She can approach her employer and request that she be allowed to wear a long skirt instead of pants.

Do Employers Have to Provide an Accommodation?

Employers are required to make reasonable adjustments to the work environment or company policies to allow an employee or applicant to abide by their faith. However, if accommodating the employee’s religious beliefs or practices would cause undue hardship, they may not be required to see it through.

An accommodation may cause undue hardship if it is expensive, leaves the company understaffed, compromises safety, places a burden on other employees, or reduces productivity and profits.

If you believe you have been discriminated against due to your religion or that your employment rights have been violated it is important that you file an official complaint. Contact an experienced attorney for legal advice and representation.