Religious Discrimination
Federal and New York State Law prohibit religious discrimination in all aspects of employment including hiring, firing, pay, assignments, promotions, layoff, training, benefits, and any other term or condition of employment.
Religious discrimination can exist where the workplace is segregated based on religion. For example, when assignments or duties are based upon actual or perceived customer preferences.
Accommodations of Religious Practices and Beliefs
The law requires an employer to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs and practices unless doing so would cause an undue hardship on the employer’s business. This obligation applies to the observance of religious holy days and beliefs as well as religious grooming and dress practices. Such accommodations might include:
- Allowing employees to wear head coverings such as a Jewish yarmulke or a Muslim headscarf
- Allowing employees to wear religious dress
- Allowing employees to wear certain hairstyles or facial hair such as Rastafarian dreadlocks or Sikh uncut hair and beard
- Adjustments to the work environment that will allow an employees to practice their religion
- Allowing employees to use accrued paid leave or providing additional unpaid leave
- Allowing flexible scheduling, voluntary shift substitutions or swaps, job reassignments, and modifications to workplace policies or practices
- Avoiding the obligation to participate in practices that conflict with an employee’s religious beliefs such as group prayer sessions
Long Island New York Religious Discrimination Lawyer
If you have been the victim of Religious discrimination or your employer has denied you a reasonable accommodation of your religious beliefs or practices, call or contact us online immediately for a FREE consultation.
The Law Office of Ralph A. Somma
Working to Enforce Workplace Rights
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