The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives all citizens the right to practice the religion of their choice. This is a right that extends to the workplace.
Employees cannot be treated unfavorably due to their religion. The same can be said for prospective employees.
Outlined below are some examples of what religious discrimination at work could look like.
Harsh treatment
Sometimes, discrimination can be blatant and direct. A co-worker or supervisor may verbally or even physically abuse a worker because of their religion. The victim may also find themselves left out of work meetings and all other work-related tasks. Any form of harsh treatment on the basis of religion is discrimination.
While discrimination often happens to employees, it’s important to remember that it can happen before a person even has the job. For instance, a candidate may be qualified but refused a job purely on the basis of their religion.
Refusal of reasonable accommodations
Employees are entitled to make reasonable accommodation requests based on religious observance. An employer can only refuse these requests if they would cause undue hardship to the business. An example of a reasonable accommodation request would be to allow an employee short breaks to pray at certain times of the day. For the most part, this is unlikely to cause undue hardship. Thus, a refusal could amount to religious discrimination.
Other common examples of religious discrimination at work include:
- Being paid less because of religion
- Being denied promotion opportunities
- Being terminated based on religion.
If you have been treated unfairly at work due to your religion, you have legal rights. Seek further guidance to explore your options in more detail.