Michigan Businesses Must Deal Carefully and Properly with Religious Accommodation Issues in the Workplace
Statistics from the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) indicate that workplace religious discrimination and accommodation claims have increased by nearly 70% in the last decade. As one might imagine, this has resulted in greater monetary penalties against companies that do not properly handle religious discrimination and accommodation issues in their facilities.
Religious discrimination by employers is prohibited by both by federal law (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act) and state law (Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act). These laws require covered employers to accommodate their employees' religious practices so long as such an accommodation does not impose an "undue hardship" on the employer. Some examples of religious practices that can commonly arise in the workplace include requests for days off to attend religious services or church related activities, dress and grooming issues, and expressions of faith to co-workers and customers.
When an employee requests a religious accommodation in the workplace, an employer must engage in a process to try to find a "reasonable" accommodation. Although that may seem relatively straightforward, it is often difficult to determine just how reasonable an offered accommodation is. Each case must be carefully analyzed based on the particular facts and circumstances of that case.
When faced with these kinds of issues, it is imperative that Michigan businesses consult with a Michigan business lawyer who has experience in employment law cases. Leaving these issues to chance could result in a very negative legal outcome as well as extensive damage to a business's reputation in the community.
