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; that 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. 

Fisher & Phillips LLP

500 North Akard Street, Suite 3550 
Dallas, Texas 75201

www.laborlawyers.com
214-220-9100