Religious discrimination at work can take place in many ways.
Any discrimination based on an employee’s or an applicant’s religion or religious beliefs is classified as religious discrimination. There are also laws in the place where anyone facing discrimination on the basis of being married to a person within a certain religion are also protected. These laws not only cover organized religions but also a worker’s moral, ethical, or religious beliefs.
If you are unsure about your workplace rights when it comes to your religion, seek legal counsel. If you have experienced religious discrimination, you can hire a lawyer to take legal action against your employer.
Employment laws differ from state to state. So, hire a local lawyer. Use lawyer for religious discrimination LA; your requirement and location, to find one.
Here are the main causes of religious discrimination at workplaces.
– Any hiring decision is based on an applicant’s religion.
– Promotions or benefits (granted or denied) are based on a worker’s religion.
– Layoffs, assignments, or anything related to employment based on an employee’s religion or religious views.
– Harassment of a worker for their religious views or religion.
Harassment can be verbal remarks or offensive talk about a person’s religion that are regularly or very severe. One-off remarks are not termed as harassment. But if a worker faces this regularly – by a co-worker, supervisor, or employer – then it is harassment. Harassment needs to be severe; as to make it difficult for the worker to perform well or cause a hostile office environment.
If a worker quits because of regular harassment, the employer can face legal action.
– Prohibiting a worker from wearing a headscarf or anything related to their religion. Many people wear certain items of clothing based on their religion; be it a scarf or a cap.
– Segregation is based on a worker’s religion. A worker may be assigned desk duty with no customer interaction at all despite it being a part of his or her job description. For instance, a customer service executive may be assigned to another duty as the employer may not want someone with a certain religion to represent them.
– Deliberately forcing a worker to work on Sundays when they attend church or on days when they observe sabbath or any religious practice. You may have mentioned this at the time of your employment and still your employer forces you to work when you cannot; it is certainly discrimination.
– Forcing workers to pray together or observe certain religious practices as per the employer’s wishes or demands. No one can force workers to perform any religious practice at work.
– Employers not adhering to reasonable accommodation as per the law. If you are asked to pray at a certain time or participate in any religious activity, it is harassment.
Under the law, employers need to reasonably accommodate their workers’ religious beliefs related to dress policies, practices, and other things. As long as the employer doesn’t require taking any drastic measure to accommodate a worker’s religious beliefs, it is required that they do so.
Drastic measures can refer to actions that can be very burdensome for business operations. If accommodating a worker’s religious beliefs may cause undue hardship to the employer, they can deny such requests. Such instances can be excessive operational costs to accommodate any such requests, risking workplace safety, infringement on the rights of other employees, or reduced efficiency.
Fighting Religious Harassment
If you have faced any religious discrimination at your workplace, you can take legal action. A good lawyer can provide you with legal counsel and let you know if your case has any merit.
In case you are unsure whether your situation classifies as religious harassment, seek legal counsel. You can always schedule a consultation with a lawyer to know about your rights as a worker.
Employers also have rights when it comes to accommodating their workers’ religious beliefs. It has to be reasonable. If you are unsure how to handle such issues at your company, hire a lawyer before you formulate company policies or for legal counsel.
Use lawyer for religious discrimination LA or similar keywords to find a good lawyer to help you.