Religion-Based Discrimination on the Job: Working with a Lawyer to Help You File a Discrimination Charge

Complaints regarding workplace racial discrimination are common. However, a lot of employees also have to deal with discrimination because of their religion. If you are a victim of this type of discrimination, you must know your rights and how you can fight back by consulting with employment discrimination attorneys in Charlotte NC. Your lawyer can review the facts and circumstances of your situation and give you an honest evaluation of your case’s merits. If your attorney determines that your case has merits, they can help you collect documents and evidence to support your discrimination charge. 

Under the law, employers are prohibited from discriminating against workers based on their religion. Thus, employers must not base their recruitment, termination, and pay decisions on the religious beliefs of employees. Also, the law makes it illegal for employers to segregate their employees based on faith. Employers must reasonably accommodate the spiritual practices of their workers. 

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Kinds of Religious Discrimination on the Job

Religion-based discriminatory practices on the job include denying a reasonable request for faith-based accommodation, harassing workers due to their practices and faith, as well as retaliating against workers who filed claims for discrimination. 

Religious harassment can be quid pro quo or hostile work environment. If employers require their employees to abandon or change their religious beliefs as an employment condition, quid pro quo is happening. A hostile work environment is created when employers subject their employees to faith-based actions or comments that are serious enough to make the work environment abusive. 

Religion-Based Harassment

Harassment includes unwelcome conduct that is serious and pervasive enough to create a hostile work environment. In general, harassment includes ongoing incidents. For instance, when a coworker is permitted to make harsh comments on another employee’s religious beliefs repeatedly, this could be a form of religion-based harassment. 

Filing Discriminator Charges

If you think you have been discriminated against at work because of your religion, you can file a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or EEOC. Generally, you should file the charge within 180 days of the discrimination. Once you file a charge, the agency will notify your employer and investigate whether or not you have a claim. 

Should the EEOC finds a discrimination claim is warranted, you can file a claim in court. Sometimes, the agency will refuse to file a claim and ask you to sue your employer. When you get a sue letter from the EEOC, you should file a civil complaint against your employer within 90 days from receipt.