There are laws in place in the US that prevent employers from being able to discriminate against you because of your religious beliefs. You shouldn’t feel like you have to hide your religion from your employer for fear of what this might mean for how you’re treated by colleagues.
It can sometimes be hard to pinpoint just exactly what discrimination looks like as it often manifests itself through subtle, repeated actions that you might feel you simply have to “put up with”. Below are some things which might be considered religious discrimination at work.
Religious discrimination means treating an employee differently
This can be a result of their beliefs and/or practices that are associated with their religion. It can also manifest as a consequence of that employee asking for accommodation at work to allow them to practice their religion.
A workplace doesn’t have to allow every request for an accommodation but they must show that it would cause them “undue hardship” if they want to refuse it.
Examples of religious discrimination
Below are a few different examples of how religious discrimination may look in the workplace:
- An employer may put in place policies that ban the wearing of specific items of clothing, such as a turban or a hijab, without any justification
- Refusing an employee the time requested to take short prayer breaks throughout the day when this will have no impact on their work
- Allowing leave to allow for observation of religious holidays but allowing another employee to have the same time off when requested at a later date
You should not have to face being treated differently by your employer because of your religious beliefs. Finding out more about your rights can be the first step in taking action to stop the behavior from continuing.