Religious Discrimination & Reasonable Accommodation & Undue HardshipĪn employer does not have to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices if doing so would cause undue hardship to the employer. If it would not pose an undue hardship, the employer must grant the accommodation. If the employer reasonably needs more information, the employer and the employee should engage in an interactive process to discuss the request. When an employee or applicant needs a dress or grooming accommodation for religious reasons, he should notify the employer that he needs such an accommodation for religious reasons. It also includes an employee's observance of a religious prohibition against wearing certain garments (such as pants or miniskirts).
These might include, for example, wearing particular head coverings or other religious dress (such as a Jewish yarmulke or a Muslim headscarf), or wearing certain hairstyles or facial hair (such as Rastafarian dreadlocks or Sikh uncut hair and beard). This applies not only to schedule changes or leave for religious observances, but also to such things as dress or grooming practices that an employee has for religious reasons. Unless it would be an undue hardship on the employer's operation of its business, an employer must reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices. Religious Accommodation/Dress & Grooming Policies This means an employer may be required to make reasonable adjustments to the work environment that will allow an employee to practice his or her religion.Įxamples of some common religious accommodations include flexible scheduling, voluntary shift substitutions or swaps, job reassignments, and modifications to workplace policies or practices. The law requires an employer or other covered entity to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices, unless doing so would cause more than a minimal burden on the operations of the employer's business. Religious Discrimination & Reasonable Accommodation Title VII also prohibits workplace or job segregation based on religion (including religious garb and grooming practices), such as assigning an employee to a non-customer contact position because of actual or feared customer preference. The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer. Although the law doesn't prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that aren't very serious, harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).
Harassment can include, for example, offensive remarks about a person's religious beliefs or practices. It is illegal to harass a person because of his or her religion.
The law forbids discrimination when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, and any other term or condition of employment. Religious Discrimination & Work Situations Religious discrimination can also involve treating someone differently because that person is married to (or associated with) an individual of a particular religion. The law protects not only people who belong to traditional, organized religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, but also others who have sincerely held religious, ethical or moral beliefs. Religious discrimination involves treating a person (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because of his or her religious beliefs.
#Religions based on the 4 elements of nature manual
New Compliance Manual Section on Religious Discrimination (1/15/21)