Most employers know they have to reasonably accommodate qualified applicants’ and employees’ disabilities. Not all employers know that they also have to reasonably accommodate employees’ religious practices. That doesn’t mean you have to grant every request for an accommodation, however. The key word here is reasonable. So what is a reasonable accommodation, and what determines […]
Employers: Think Losing or Destroying Records Isn’t a Big Deal? Think Again…
Suppose your company has been sued based on allegations of religious discrimination. You feel pretty confidentthat you did not engage in any such discrimination in any way. Maybe you and your managers even bent over backwards to provide the requested accommodations or a reasonable alternative. You believe you have air-tight explanations for and defenses to allegations […]
Ad”dressing” Religious Accommodations at Work
Do you require your workers to adhere to a dress code or grooming policy? I’ve written about that issue before. You can click here, and here for those posts. You might wonder why I’d be writing about it again. No, it’s not because I like to repeat myself, and no, it’s not because I have […]
Your Employee’s on a Performance Improvement Plan–and S/he Sued???
Suppose you are a Department Head at Larger-than-Life Sciences, Inc. Rhonda the Researcher is one of your direct reports. Rhonda is just not performing well at her job. In fact, you are not sure she is really qualified. Your annual performance review showed serious problems. You then put Rhonda on a Performance Improvement Plan. Rhonda […]
Sikh and Ye Shall Find…A Case of Religious Accommodation and Drug Testing
Suppose you are the hiring manager at Terrific Trucking Firm and you are hiring drivers. Aside from checking your applicants’ driving records, you interview them, run drug tests, background checks, and generally make sure you feel confident that they are a good fit for your company. In walks a candidate whose application you liked, and whose […]