In a recent case regarding religious accommodations in the workplace, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a lower court applied the wrong standard after siding with an employer who denied an employee’s request not to work on Sunday Sabbaths.
Employment discrimination laws prohibit religious discrimination to include religious beliefs and practices. The statute requires employers to accommodate an employee’s religious practice as long as it does not pose undue hardship on the employer.
Up until the recent ruling, however, undue hardship was often interpreted to mean anything more than a minimum expense, making it all too easy for employers to deny religious accommodations. The Supreme Court clarifies that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, amended in 1972 to include reasonable accommodation for religion in 1972, requires that an employer must instead show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in “substantial” increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business.
The decision effectively puts employers on notice across the country to respect the religious beliefs and practices of their employees by granting workplace accommodations afforded under the law. Accommodations which may include in this context, a flexible work schedule or reassignment to a vacant position that addresses the religious accommodation sought by the employee.
If you have been denied a lawful accommodation in the workplace resulting in an adverse employment action including loss of employment, it is important to seek the help of an experienced employment law attorney. Contact the employment law attorneys of Alan C. Olson & Associates for immediate assistance today at 262-785-9606.
