Religious Accommodations

Religious Accommodations in the Workplace

Experienced Religion Discrimination Attorneys Help Employees Fight for Religious Accommodations in the Workplace for Over 25 Years.

Religious Anti-discrimination laws require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees and their religious beliefs. Employers must allow employees to practice their religion while at work. However, religious practices cannot infringe on other employees’ rights or make undue hardships for the employer.

If your employer refuses you appropriate religious accommodations or allowances, you have the right to compensation. You’ll need a lawyer who will negotiate on your behalf. You need an advocate to stand by your side and help you stand up for your rights to religious freedoms.

What Is Religious Discrimination in the Workplace?

Religious discrimination in the workplace occurs when an employer, CEO, supervisor, manager, coworker, client, customer, or non-employee makes negative employment decisions or harasses an employee or job applicant due to religion (a protected class). These negative employment actions include refusing employees the right to practice their religion as needed.

The law prohibits all forms of religious discrimination in the workplace. It also requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees to practice their religion. Contact a dedicated employment discrimination lawyer if your employer denies you the right to practice your religious beliefs in the workplace.

What Are Reasonable Religious Accommodations in the Workplace?

Religions often include practices that are very important to followers. Some of these practices refer to clothing. Others refer to recommended or required prayer times and holiday observances. Still, others relate to fasting or eating specific types of food.

In most cases, employers must provide reasonable accommodations for employees to practice their religious beliefs.

What Are Some Examples of Religious Accommodations in the Workplace?

Examples of reasonable accommodations in the workplace for religious practices would include:

• Allowing prayer breaks five times a day for Muslim employees.
• Allowing Jewish employees to wear Yarmulkes and a Tallit at work
• Accommodating Hindu employees who observe a Hindu Day of Fasting
• Allowing Catholic employees time to get ashes on Ash Wednesday.
• Allowing a Wiccan Employee time off to celebrate the Summer Solstice.
• Allowing employees time off for various religious holidays
• Allowing employees time off for specific religious observances, such as funerals and weddings
• Arranging employee work schedules to provide time off for the Sabbath.
• Allowing employees to switch shifts with other employees to observe the Sabbath or religious holidays as needed.
• Allowing employees to avoid vaccinations due to tightly held religious beliefs.

You cannot get fired from work, demoted, suspended from work, or face other forms of retaliation because you requested reasonable religious accommodations.

Can Your Employer Require You to Wear a Uniform Despite Your Religious Beliefs?

Religious beliefs can often dictate clothing choices. Some examples of clothing requirements under religious reliefs may include:

• Jewish men may always wear a yarmulke and tallit.
• Orthodox Jewish women must cover their arms below the elbow, legs, and heads at all times.
• Muslim women may wear a burka as required by religious law.
• Hindu women may wear a Sari.

While a company may require a uniform under most circumstances, you may request accommodations to maintain your religious beliefs. You can ask your employer to allow you the right to wear long sleeves under your uniform shirt. You may ask to wear your head covering of your burka or sari with your uniform. You may also ask to add your yarmulke and tallit in addition to your uniform.

While your employer can require you to wear a uniform, you have the right to receive changes to your uniform. These changes can help you maintain your religious beliefs while adhering to company policy.

Can My Employer Ask Me to Prove My Religious Beliefs?

Technically, an employer may ask you to prove your religious affiliation. Employers may ask for a letter of membership if you belong to an organized place of worship.

Many people practice religions with no organized place of worship and no religious leaders. An employer cannot ask for proof of religious beliefs since there is no one to ask. Furthermore, an employer cannot deny you accommodations because you are not part of an organized religion.

All an employee needs to prove they practice a religion is that they sincerely hold the religious belief. No other proof of religious beliefs is required. Asking for more may be a violation of religious discrimination laws.

Some ways to demonstrate sincerely held religious beliefs may include:

• Actions consistent with the religious beliefs
• Wearing religious attire regularly, including jewelry, clothing, and other religious attire
• Demonstrating morals consistent with religious beliefs
• Discussing your religious beliefs and practices with your employer

Can an Employer Deny Requests for Religious Accommodations?

Employers may deny requests for religious accommodations if the request creates an undue hardship for the employer.

Undue hardships occur when accommodating the need for a religious accommodation puts a financial strain on the employer. Employers must measure each request independently for undue hardships. Undue hardships take into account the following factors:

• The financial resources of the organization
• The nature and cost of the accommodation
• The financial resources, number of employees, and type of facility of the employer
• The employer operation type
• How the accommodation will affect operations

Can Employees Preach at Work?

Employees are welcome to pray at work. However, they cannot preach (or proselytize) in the workplace. Preaching harasses other employees who do not follow that religion. Therefore, it is not a protected right for an employer to accommodate.

When an employee tries to preach, convert, or speak negatively about any other religious beliefs, the employee infringes on your rights to practice your religion freely. One employee’s rights cannot take away from another’s rights.

You may find that people who preach at work will get a warning to prevent the behavior from continuing. However, if the behavior continues, that person may get fired from work for continuing this prohibited behavior.

What Are the Rights of Employees Denied Religious Accommodations?

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act mandates employers provide reasonable religious accommodations for employees. If your employer denies you religious accommodations without undue hardships, you may file a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Title VII charges must be filed with the EEOC within 180 to 300 days of the incident, depending on your state.  The EEOC will investigate your allegations and issue a Right to Sue letter. This letter provides you 90 days to file a complaint in civil court.

State laws can also offer relief for the denial of religious accommodations. You may choose to file your charge with your state agency or in state court. A qualified religious discrimination attorney can help you determine which court is best suited for your case.

How Can You Get Compensated for Denial of Religious Accommodations?

If your boss denies you religious accommodations in the workplace, you may be entitled to some of the following relief:

• Instituting proper accommodations as requested
• Reinstatement of employment if you were fired from work in a fit of wrongful termination.
• Lost Wages
• Attorney’s fees and costs
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Punitive damages

How Can a Religious Discrimination Attorney Help Your Case?

When you sincerely hold a religious belief, you should receive accommodations to practice your religion as needed. However, many employers will attempt to squash your rights. They will ask to prove your religious affiliation. They will claim you must wear a uniform, get a vaccine, or otherwise adhere to their secular standards regardless of your religious beliefs.

A well-qualified religious discrimination lawyer can help you fight these injustices. Your lawyer can help defend your right to your religious beliefs without additional proof. They can defend you when your employer attempts to attack you and claim your beliefs are not sincerely held, or the accommodations create an undue hardship.

An experienced discrimination lawyer can negotiate your claim from the moment you enter the office. They can ensure you file your claim within the appropriate time limit allowed by law. Finally, your attorney will advocate for your rights from the beginning of the process through settlement or trial as needed.

Contact Our Experienced Religion Discrimination Lawyers for Your Free Consultation

You have the right to practice your religion anywhere. This right includes practicing at work. If your employer denies you religious accommodations in the workplace, the dedicated religion discrimination attorneys at the Derek Smith Law Group can help.

Did You Request Religious Accommodations at Work? Did Your Boss Deny You These Accommodations? Do You Want to Know Your Rights Regarding Religious Freedom at Work? Please Call Us at 800.807.2209 for Help.