Religion is a protected class- Employers/CEOS- do not make employment decisions (hiring, firing, promotions, etc) based on religious beliefs.

I am shocked all businesses don’t know this already, but here we are:

A North Carolina-based residential home service and repair company required all employees to attend daily employer-led Christian prayer meetings. The meetings were conducted by the company owner and included Bible readings, Christian devotionals, and solicitation of prayer requests from employees. 

The company’s owner took attendance before some of the meetings and reprimanded employees who did not attend. When a manager asked to be excused from the prayer portion of the meetings, the company refused to accommodate the employee’s religious beliefs, cut his pay, and eventually fired him.

What happens when companies make employment decisions based on religion? They get sued.

The company ended up paying a whopping $50k to the affected employees. In addition to payment, the company also had to (1) adopt and implement a new anti-discrimination, non-retaliation, and religious accommodation policies and (2) provide training to all managers and employees, including the owner of the company!

(This took place some time ago, but it is still a good reminder for businesses).

-----

Have we met? I’m a Florida employment lawyer, mediator and workplace investigator. I help my clients navigate tricky workplace situations and comply with employment laws through legal consulting and dispute resolution.