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Religious Discrimination

Notice Concerning the Undue Hardship Standard in Title VII Religious Accommodation Cases.

This document was issued prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Groff v. DeJoy, 143 S. Ct. 2279 (2023). The Groff opinion clarified that “showing ‘more than a de minimis cost’…does not suffice to establish undue hardship under Title VII.” Instead, the Supreme Court held that “undue hardship is shown when a burden is substantial in the overall context of an employer’s business,” “tak[ing] into account all relevant factors in the case at hand, including the particular accommodations at issue and their practical impact in light of the nature, size and operating cost of an employer.” Groff supersedes any contrary information on this webpage. For more information about the EEOC’s resources on religious discrimination, please see https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination.

The laws enforced by EEOC prohibit an employer from treating you differently, or less favorably, because you or a friend, parent, or someone else you associate with holds a particular religious belief (or non-belief). The laws enforced by EEOC protect all sincerely-held religious beliefs. It does not matter if you hold the beliefs of a traditional organized religion, such as Buddhism, Christianity, or Judaism, or if you hold what others consider nontraditional beliefs, such as Wicca and Rastafarianism. Non-believers also are protected from religious discrimination.

The laws enforced by EEOC also protect you from being harassed at work by managers, co-workers, or others in your workplace because of your religious beliefs.

The laws enforced by EEOC give you the right to request reasonable changes to the workplace because of your religious beliefs. We call these requests for "religious accommodation."

Although your employer does not have to grant every request for a workplace change, it is required to carefully consider each request and whether it would be possible. An employer might not have to grant your request if it would be too costly, have a negative impact on efficiency, reduce workplace safety, or have a negative impact on the rights of other employees.

Finally, the laws enforced by EEOC protect you from being punished or harassed at work because you or someone you closely associate with (for example, a relative or close friend) complains about religious discrimination. We call this your right to be protected from retaliation.

If you would like more information after reading the frequently asked questions, see the EEOC's Religious Discrimination page.

 

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