Under both federal and state law, it is illegal to discriminate against an employee based on religious beliefs and/or practices, including religious dress or the need to observe religious holidays. This applies to each and every aspect of your employment, including hiring, compensation, job duties and assignments, scheduling, benefits, promotions and termination.
Employers are also generally required to provide reasonable accommodations for an employee’s religious beliefs and/or practices in the workplace, so long as doing so does not cause an undue hardship on the employer. The failure to do so may justify a legal claim of discrimination.
Religious discrimination can take on many forms, including:
- Scheduling shifts or training that conflict with your religious practices
- Failing to accommodate religious practices that do not create an unreasonable burden on the employer, such as daily prayer or religious holiday observance
- Terminating an employee for taking time to practice religion when the employee has followed proper procedures for requesting leave
- Making derogatory comments about an employee because of his or her religion
- Forbidding clothing, hair styles or other expressions of religious belief
We are here to help. If you believe you have been the victim of unlawful religious discrimination, please call or email us to set up a free, confidential consultation so that we may discuss your situation. Immediate attention and reporting are crucial in religious discrimination cases in order to make the inappropriate actions cease. Our attorneys have extensive knowledge concerning the laws prohibiting religious discrimination, including protection against any retaliation by your employer, and we will work to remedy the discriminating conduct and protect your rights.
