Religion is one of the protected categories in the workplace. It’s unlawful for an employer to treat a job applicant or employee unfavorably because of his or her religious beliefs. Unfortunately, such cases are always reported.
Here is how religious discrimination can occur in the workplace:
Different treatment in any aspect of employment
Religious discrimination can happen in any aspect of employment. These include hiring, promotion, assigning of duties, discipline, benefits and dismissal. Refusing to hire a qualified job applicant because of their religious beliefs can be discriminatory.
This can also be the case when an employee is denied a promotion, demoted, assigned less desirable duties, punished more severely than others for the same behavior, denied benefits or terminated based on religion. Some employees are even segregated due to their religious attire or beliefs. For example, they are moved to non-customer-facing roles.
Harassment
Harassment from supervisors and co-workers toward an employee because of their religion is unlawful. Making offensive remarks about one’s religious beliefs/practices or mocking their religious garments so frequently or severely can create a hostile work environment for them.
Failure to provide reasonable accommodations
An employer must provide a reasonable accommodation for religious practices unless it would pose an undue hardship on the conduct of the business. These accommodations could include, allowing scheduling changes or the swapping of shifts for prayer, fasting or religious holidays. An employer should also permit religious attire, such as hijab, yarmulke, turban, bindi or facial hair.
Other reasonable accommodations include modifying job tasks, permitting prayer breaks, providing a private space for prayer or excusing an employee from opening prayers at staff meetings.
Discrimination in the workplace based on religion is not uncommon. If you believe you have been treated unfavorably at work because of your religious beliefs, consider legal guidance from the employment law attorneys at Piro Zinna Cifelli Paris & Genitempo, LLC, to protect your rights.
