Religious Accommodations in the Workplace

California law requires employers to respect and accommodate an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs and practices. When employers refuse accommodations, impose discipline, or treat employees differently because of religion, they may violate state and federal law. Aegis Law Firm helps employees understand and enforce these important workplace protections.

What Is a Religious Accommodation?

A religious accommodation is an adjustment to workplace rules, schedules, or duties that allows an employee to observe their religious beliefs or practices. Religion under California law includes traditional organized religions as well as sincerely held moral or ethical beliefs.

Common religious accommodations include:

• Schedule adjustments for Sabbath observance or prayer times.
• Permission to wear religious clothing, head coverings, or symbols.
• Grooming accommodations for beards, hair, or other religious practices.
• Modifications to job duties that conflict with religious beliefs.
• Time off for religious holidays or observances.

Employers must evaluate accommodation requests individually and may not dismiss them based on assumptions or stereotypes.

California Law on Religious Accommodations

California provides broad protections for religious expression in the workplace through the Fair Employment and Housing Act. Under Government Code §12940(l), it is unlawful for an employer to:

“Fail to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious belief or observance, unless the employer demonstrates that the accommodation would result in undue hardship.”

The law places the burden on the employer to show that accommodating the employee would create significant difficulty or expense. California law also requires employers to engage in an interactive process. Under Government Code §12940(n), employers must:

“Engage in a timely, good faith, interactive process with the employee… to determine effective reasonable accommodations.”

An employer violates the law when it refuses to discuss accommodations, delays the process, or terminates an employee instead of exploring reasonable options.

What Employers Cannot Do

Employers may not:

• Deny accommodations without evaluating alternatives.
• Require employees to abandon religious practices as a condition of employment.
• Discipline or terminate employees for requesting accommodations.
• Retaliate against employees who complain about religious discrimination.
• Apply dress codes or grooming policies in a way that targets religious practices.

Even neutral policies can violate the law if they disproportionately impact religious employees and the employer refuses to provide reasonable adjustments.

What Exactly is Undue Hardship?

Employers often deny religious accommodations by claiming undue hardship. Under California law, undue hardship requires more than minor inconvenience or coworker dissatisfaction. Factors considered include:

• The actual cost of the accommodation.
• Workplace safety concerns supported by evidence.
• Whether alternative accommodations exist.
• The size and resources of the employer.

Customer preference, coworker complaints, or generalized concerns about uniformity rarely meet the legal standard for undue hardship.

How a Lawyer Can Help With Religious Accommodation Disputes

Employers may attempt to justify denials by labeling requests as unreasonable or by exaggerating hardship. An Orange County religious discrimination lawyer can evaluate whether the accommodation request was reasonable, determine whether the employer engaged in the required interactive process, and uncover evidence showing that alternatives were ignored. An attorney can also identify retaliation, connect adverse actions to protected requests, and ensure your claim is filed within strict deadlines. 

Contact Us

If your employer denied a religious accommodation, disciplined you for requesting one, or retaliated against you because of your beliefs, you may have a valid claim under California law. Call (949) 379-6250 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with Aegis Law Firm.