Atlanta Religious Discrimination Lawyer 

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on their religion, a broad term encompassing all aspects of religious observance, practice, and belief, regardless of whether they are associated with an organized religion. This protection extends not only to traditional religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism but also to new, uncommon, or non-formal beliefs subscribed to by a small number of people or those that may seem illogical or unreasonable to others.

Religious Accommodations in The Workplace  

Accommodating an employee's religious practices or observances is a requirement under Title VII's religious discrimination provision, similar to how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates accommodations for employees with disabilities. If a workplace rule conflicts with an employee's religious beliefs, the employer must make reasonable accommodations by adjusting or modifying the rule to allow the employee to follow their religious practices or observances. However, an exception may be made if accommodating the employee would cause undue hardship or result in significant costs for the employer.

However, employers can deny religious accommodations if they cause undue hardship, which means a more than minimal cost to the employer. An undue hardship may occur if the requested accommodation leads to understaffing, increases the risk of injury to employees, or incurs significant expenses.

Religious Hostile Work Environments 

Title VII also prohibits the creation of hostile work environments through harassment based on an employee's religion. You may have a claim for religious harassment if the following criteria are met:

• You experienced unwelcome or unwanted harassment based on your religion;
• The harassment was serious enough to create a hostile work environment;
• The employer can be held legally responsible for the religious harassment.

To determine whether the conduct constitutes religious harassment, several factors are taken into account, including the frequency, severity, and humiliating or threatening nature of the harassment and its impact on your job performance. It is important to note that experiencing religious harassment alone cannot prevail in a claim. You must also demonstrate that the employer bears legal responsibility, such as vicarious liability. For example, if you did not report the harassment caused by another employee, the employer may avoid liability. However, if you reported the harassment and the employer failed to take appropriate action, it would be liable for the harassment.

Contact Our Atlanta Religious Discrimination Attorney Today   

The protection against religious discrimination is a fundamental right enshrined in both the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. At Beal Sutherland Berlin & Brown, we are committed to upholding these principles and ensuring that our clients in Georgia have the opportunity to worship freely without fear of discrimination in the workplace. 

Contact Beal Sutherland Berlin & Brown today to schedule a consultation with our religious discrimination lawyer in Atlanta!