Undoubtedly, as many organizations prepare to enter the holiday season, it is a great time to review policy and educate employees on religious discrimination and religious accommodations. Moreover, this is often a tricky time of year when organizations struggle with religious accommodations and work conflicts.
Managing Holiday Religious Accommodation Requests
Specifically, according to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers must provide reasonable religious accommodations. Furthermore, this requirement applies to employers with 15 or more employees, including federal, state, and local governments
Essential Steps for Workplace Religious Accommodations
Here are a few tips to get ahead.
- Know the Law – Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibits employment discrimination based on religion and other protected bases. A religious accommodation is an adjustment to the work environment that will allow an employee to comply with his or her religious beliefs.
- Review and Update Policy and Procedures – Evaluate to ensure alignment with organizational changes, changes to the law, and clarity of policy violations.
- Educate Your Leaders – One of the biggest risks to organizations is when leadership is undereducated or uninformed on law, policy, and procedures. This can lead to costly mistakes caused by miscommunication, discriminatory actions, and unintentional violation of the law.
- Educate Employees – Don’t wait for a problem to educate employees. Re-communicate policies to employees to make sure they stay top of mind. Be sure to share procedural steps for requesting a religious accommodation and reporting discrimination.
Taking these proactive and preventative actions can go a long way in mitigating organizational risk and maintaining compliance while increasing employee satisfaction over the holiday season.
Join us for more discussion on religious accommodations in the Amediate EEO Plus Forum.
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