Religious discrimination refers to discriminating against people or treating them unfairly because of their religious beliefs. Facing religious discrimination in the workplace is never a pleasant experience. If you have been a victim of religious discrimination, you should reach out to Charlotte employment lawyers and figure out what you can do to protect yourself and your rights.
What classifies as a ‘religion’?
All employees and applicants are protected from religious discrimination. This means that the employer or the organization cannot treat them differently or unfairly based on their religious beliefs. An employee does not necessarily need to belong to a large organized religion to be protected from religious discrimination. Their beliefs must only be religious and must be sincerely held.
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Religious beliefs
A religious belief must be meaningful to the person. A religious belief must also contain or concern some “ultimate ideas” such as life, death, etc., and must fill the place of “God” in traditional religions in the believer’s mind.
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Sincerely held beliefs
An employer must only accommodate the sincerely held beliefs of the employee. Although the question of whether said beliefs are sincerely held rarely comes up, some parameters are used to define whether the beliefs are sincerely held or not. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the factors that may indicate whether the beliefs of an employee are not sincerely held are:
- Whether the employee has exhibited behavior that is not consistent with their beliefs.
- Whether the employee is seeking certain benefits for secular reasons or,
- Whether the employer has a reason to believe that the employee is pursuing the benefit for certain secular reasons.
What are the different types of religious discrimination?
Religious discrimination in the workplace can take many different forms. Some of the different types of religious discrimination are:
- It is illegal to discriminate in any aspect of employment if the basis of the discrimination is religion or religious differences. This can include hiring, firing, salary, promotions, etc.
- The law forbids the employer from harassing a person because of their religion.
- It is illegal to segregate jobs or positions based on religious differences.
Schedule a consultation with a lawyer today
You deserve to be treated equally in your workplace, and you should speak up if your rights are violated. If you have been a victim of religious discrimination in the workplace, schedule a consultation with an experienced lawyer today and learn more about what you can do.
