Are You Making A Good-Faith Effort To Accommodate Employee’s Religious Beliefs?
As Passover approaches and the Easter Bunny hops into town, employers should be mindful of the workplace policies that should be in place to reduce the risk of potential religious discrimination claims.
According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers must “reasonably accommodate” workers’ religious beliefs. While the numbers of religion-related claims filed with the federal EEOC are decreasing from an all-time high in 2011 of 4,157, the number filed in 2013 was still substantial at 3,721.
“Religious-based harassment claims can be just as costly and detrimental to a company as sexual or racial harassment suits,” said Michael V. Abcarian, regional managing partner of labor and employment law firm Fisher & Phillips Dallas office.
“Employers should consider three things with the religious holidays around the corner: how can they proactively reduce their risks of a discrimination lawsuit, is it best to avoid all forms of holiday decorations in an effort to avoid offending an employee’s religion, and what should they do when accommodating an employee’s beliefs interferes with the productivity of the workplace,” said Abcarian.
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Fisher & Phillips LLP is a law firm committed to taking a practical, businesslike approach to solving labor and employment problems for employers. Labor and employment law is all the firm does, offering deep and broad knowledge and experience in the area of the law the attorneys know best. Fisher & Phillips attorneys help clients avoid legal problems, are dedicated to providing exceptional client service, and are there when you need them. The firm has 300 attorneys in 31 offices. In addition to Dallas, the offices are in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Gulfport, Houston, Irvine, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, New England, New Jersey, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.