Religious Discrimination

Religious Discrimination Attorney: As employment discrimination attorneys, we always have our eye on evidence. To that end, we always recommend making complaints of religious discrimination or requests for religious accommodations in writing. The writing can be on paper, by email, through fax, or even by text message. The writing should expressly state the specific reason or reasons for the religious accommodation sought and describe the accommodation you want. If you are facing religious discrimination, the writing should describe as many instances as you can and those that are involved. If there are more instances of religious discrimination than you described in the writing, make sure that the writing says something to the effect of, “these are only some of the problems that I am having,” or “I could go on, but you get the point.” It is also critical that you keep copies of every writing that you give to your boss, manager, HR, etc., as well as everything that is given to you by your employer. If you are having trouble reporting the discrimination on your own, call us for a free initial consultation and we will help you.

Religious Discrimination Attorney: A religious accommodation causes an undue hardship or burden if it causes more than de minimis cost to the company that you work for. De minimis means too trivial or minor to merit consideration. When a court decides whether the proposed religious accommodation causes an undue hardship or burden, it considers many factors, including, but not limited to the type of workplace, the employee’s duties, any direct costs involved in allowing the accommodation, the size and overall operating expenses of the company, and the number of employees who would need an accommodation. In looking at costs, the evaluation goes beyond simply the direct expense of providing the religious accommodation but also considers the burden on the operation of the employer’s business. Undue burdens and hardships have been found based on the creation of safety hazards, reduction in the efficiency of the business operations, infringement on coworkers’ rights or benefits, and others. But, your boss cannot refuse a religious accommodation by arguing that there may be a potential or hypothetical undue hardship or burden. Similarly, your manager or supervisor cannot simply assume that there will likely be a great number more workers who will seek accommodation as a basis of proving undue hardship. And, if your manager or boss is arguing an undue hardship or burden, then he or she must also show that the company engaged in an interactive process to see if a less burdensome alternative accommodation could be found.

Religious Discrimination Attorney: First off, if you walk into your job wearing a yarmulke, turban, hijab, or another article of clothing worn based on your religious beliefs, you should not need to ask or otherwise request an accommodation. At that point, your job is legally required to give you an accommodation to wear your religious garb so long as it does not create an undue burden or hardship. In this regard, the undue burden or hardship standard can be met in some cases by your boss or manager pointing to health and safety concerns. For example, a manufacturing company may be allowed to require pants, as opposed to a long skirt, to prevent loose clothing from getting caught in machinery; and may be able to fire a female employee even though her religious beliefs prevent her from wearing pants. However, our religious discrimination lawyers have argued that termination would still be inappropriate if there is a different position available that would allow her to wear a religious-based skirt. Likewise, although a company may claim that the requirements of working in a sterile environment prevent it from hiring an applicant wearing a turban or headscarf, the fact that other employees are allowed to change into sterile clothing should allow the applicant the same opportunity to change into a sterile turban or headscarf.

Religious Discrimination Attorney: Real, fake, or even perceived customer preferences or fears is never a lawful justification for your job to create a discriminatory practice. Your company cannot refuse to hire, fire or demote you based on the irrational fears or concerns that customers or co-workers may have with your religion or religious beliefs. Lately, many employers will not hire Islamic employees because of concerns over customer reactions. This is illegal employment discrimination.

Religious Discrimination Attorney: Your boss, manager or supervisor may be able to reasonably accommodate you by giving you floating or optional holidays, flexible work breaks or trading early arrival or lunchtime in exchange for leaving early. However, only allowing an employee to substitute a lunch break for leaving a half hour early is not a sufficient accommodation if the employee needs to leave an hour early to get home before sundown or for a religious holiday. Although allowing the swapping of shifts with a coworker appears reasonable on its face, there may be some issues that your job could raise. First, your company is not required to allow a shift swap if it would create greater than de minimis cost to the company. For example, a swap may become overly burdensome if it results in one of the employees getting more than nominal or infrequent overtime wages. Second, involuntarily requiring employees to swap shifts may also create an undue burden or hardship. But, if you are swapping with a coworker that is on salary or swapping an equal amount of hours during the same pay period, your manager will have a difficult time arguing undue hardship or burden. Moreover, your supervisor or boss is not permitted to actively discourage your fellow coworkers from swapping or trading shifts to in order to accommodate your religious conflict.

Religious Discrimination Attorney: Some religions require prayer time at various points during the day, which results in employees seeking a room or quiet area during a break or lunch period as an accommodation. Again, the only real question for this religious accommodation is whether it would cause an undue burden or expense to the employer. If the company or boss provides such accommodations for non-religious reasons, it becomes clear that such accommodations are not unduly costly or burdensome.

Religious Discrimination Attorney: No. Both Ohio and Federal law prohibits an employer from retaliating against an employee who engaged in protected activity, including opposing a practice the employee reasonably believes is made unlawful by one of the employment discrimination statutes or of filing a charge, testifying, assisting, or participating in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing under the statute. Thus, an employer cannot fire, demote, discipline or take other adverse actions against any employee from complaining about the infringement of their or any other employees’ rights to be free from religious discrimination.

Religious Discrimination Attorney: Our employment attorneys have provided as much information as we possibly can on this website, but your particular chances to prevail on a claim for religious discrimination and wrongful termination cannot be properly evaluated without a discussion regarding the facts relating to your termination and employment situation. Whether you are Islamic, Jewish, Protestant, Buddhist, Mormon, Christian, Hindu, Roman Catholic or another religion, meet with our top employment lawyers to discuss the facts surrounding your wrongful termination or the discrimination at your job. Because our employment law attorneys fight for employees’ rights every day, we offer a free initial consultation for Ohio claims. It is not worth guessing about your possible rights and claims when a call can get you a free answer.

Religious Discrimination Attorney: After reading all of these requirements, you might be wondering how religious organizations can possibly operate without violating at least some of these laws? Well, they do not have to. The law excludes any organization in which a person’s religious views are a “bona fide occupational qualification.” This definition encompasses all religious non-profit organizations and many of their ancillary services. Nonetheless, most of us do not work for a church, temple, mosque or the like, and as such we are entitled to all of the legal rights discussed above.