Religious Accommodations In The Workplace
I recently did a general roundup of the most common types of workplace discrimination categories. Although unfortunate that workplace discrimination exists at all in New York (and other cities for that matter), knowing about the various types will hopefully inspire employees to take action against the illegal situation they may be in.
Not to get overly historical but America was founded with the idea of religious tolerance in mind. Religious discrimination in the workplace does not just go against state and federal laws but also against the central tenets of the Constitution.
From firing to hiring and everything in between, New York employees are protected against religious discrimination in the work place by their employers and fellow employees.
But what are some of the accommodations that must be made to facilitate religious expression? Let’s start with the more day to day activities…if an employee needs to pray during the work hours then the best approach is to let the employer know and work out a suitable arrangement around those prayer times to make sure work is getting done too. If an employee needs to wear special religious clothing to work, that too is protected under the law.
Although making accommodations is part of the law, work still needs to get done. Meeting in the middle is the best approach to ensuring that an employee feels free to practice and an employer feels like they are still running their business smoothly. One of the best ways to combat this type of discrimination before rising to the level of litigation is by communicating. If you still feel like there are issues at work, then I will be happy to communicate the legal ramifications to your employer for you. You know where to find us.
