Religious Discrimination in the Workplace
Our attorneys hold employers accountable
Your religion makes no difference in your ability to do your job, but some employers don’t see it that way. There are employees who experience harassment or discrimination at the workplace because of their religion. Taking action to hold employers accountable can be complicated. That’s why you need an experienced religious discrimination attorney on your side.
The lawyers at Gibson Law, LLC used to represent employers in cases like yours. We know how they approach these types of claims and which legal strategies are most effective. Now, we put our experience and legal knowledge to work for employees in Ohio who have been mistreated by their employers.
We fight to help you get justice
Federal and Ohio law both prohibit employers from making employment-related decisions based upon an employees’ religious beliefs or practices. Such protections are important because employers sometimes allow their religious biases or misconceptions to influence their decisions.
An employer may not hire someone who practices a particular religion, believing it will disrupt the business or that it will turn away customers. Employers cannot make any type of employment decision, including hiring, firing, rate of pay, job assignments, promotions, layoffs, training or fringe benefits, due to an employee’s religion.
Religious discrimination in the workplace can be difficult to prove because it is not always obvious. Examples of religious discrimination may include:
- A person of a particular religion is passed over for hiring.
- A person of a particular religion is paid less than other employees who practice different religions.
- A person of a particular religion is passed over for promotion in favor of a less-qualified employee.
- An employer treats an applicant or employee less favorably than people of a different religion.
- Managers or fellow employees make comments or jokes about an employee’s religion.
Employers are also required under the law to provide employees certain religious accommodations. These include allowing employees to have different work schedules to accommodate an employee’s religious observance or practice. This may involve eliminating the conflict by moving the employee to another position or location.
Employers are also generally required to make an exception to grooming or dress policies, if they are against the employee’s religious practices or beliefs. They must also provide employees a place where they can practice their religious observances, such as an adequate place for them to pray during a break.
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Examples of religious discrimination can be reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC). These agencies often have a backlog and it may be a long time before they can review your case. They may also not be able to thoroughly investigate what happened to you.
Our religious discrimination attorneys can help. Our firm knows where to look for evidence of discrimination. We carefully review all relevant company documentation and interview witnesses, including co-workers and managers. We build a strong case that employers can’t ignore and fight for the compensation you deserve.
If you experienced religious discrimination in the workplace, it’s important to get trusted legal advice as soon as possible. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with a member of our legal team at our Cincinnati or Dayton office. We can review the details of your case.