Religion at Work

According to traditional etiquette, religion is one of three things never discussed at a dinner party. With good reason, too: Religious disagreement can make the nicest guests nervous.

And it’s not just a problem at dinner parties. Religion can be a significant cause of conflict in the workplace, even in liberal Minnesota. “Minnesota is historically white and Christian, and that can make us less comfortable with other colors and faiths,” says David Duddleston, managing partner at the Jackson Lewis, LLP, law firm in Minneapolis. That’s particularly true after the events of September, 11, 2001, which led some Americans to view Muslims and Arab-Americans with suspicion.

Whether or not they’re comfortable with people of other faiths, employers are responsible for rising above the fray. Acting in a spirit of reasonable tolerance can help keep employers on the right side of the law and keep management and workers alike focused on business, rather than on religious conflict.

Duddleston urges employers to seek reasonable solutions, even if the attempt isn't required by law. "There's no value in firing people—it's a last resort. We believe it's good business to treat employees well."

Reasonable Accommodation

According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employers can’t use religion as a basis for treating workers with more or less favor. A business can’t hire or fire, promote or demote, or assign more or different work based on an employee’s religion. It also can’t require that a worker participate or not participate in any religious activity.

If an employee asks for an alteration that will allow him or her to combine work with religious obligations, an employer has to make reasonable accommodations. Those adjustments might include flexible scheduling, changes to dress and grooming codes, voluntary shift or assignment swaps, or lateral job transfers.

The focus for employers is on what is reasonable. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an unreasonable accommodation might be one that conflicts with another law or regulation, hurts other workers’ job rights or benefits, makes it impossible for the employee to perform the essential functions of his or her job, diminishes the efficient performance of other jobs, lessens workplace safety, or forces other workers to take on more than their share of hazardous or burdensome work.