Religious discrimination at work can take many forms

By Thomas Ricotta on November 5th, 2014 in Workplace Discrimination

There are multiple things for which a worker in the state of New York might be discriminated upon by his or her employer. One of those things is the employee’s religion. This is true regardless of the faith of an individual. There are many forms that religious discrimination might take. Workers who find that they are facing religious discrimination may decide to pursue legal action against an employer.

The first situation that could lead to legal action is when a potential employee is not hired or a current employee is not promoted, given a raise or provided training. Someone might also take this course of action if they are laid off because of their religion.

Another situation is where a worker is not provided accommodations, when reasonable, for something having to do with his or her religious beliefs. This could arise in a couple of situations. The first involves the way the individual dresses or grooms him or herself, when it is tied to religious beliefs. This could include wearing a yamaka or headscarf, or having certain facial hair. It could also pose a problem if for instance, a worker was not provided time away from work to attend a religious ceremony.

Discriminatory actions might also take the form of harassment based on their religion. Severe or frequent comments made to workers could constitute harassment. The key is that the behavior either leads to the workers being demoted or fired, or in the alternative, creates an offensive or hostile work environment.

For most people, taking action against one’s employer is a scary stressful prospect. For that reason, it is usually a good idea for those individuals to seek the assistance of a lawyer.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “Religious Discrimination,” Accessed Nov. 5, 2014