EEOC issues guidance on religious discrimination in the workplace
Citing changing demographics and a steady increase in complaints from people of faith, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last week released an updated compliance manual on religious discrimination in the workplace, USA TODAY reports. The agency issued the guidance after consultation with religious groups, employers, and labor organizations. The number of religious-discrimination charges reported to the agency has more than doubled over the last 15 years. The new manual provides safeguards for workers who request time off for religious observances, and protects workers whose faith requires they wear specific religious garments, such as a hijab, a head covering worn by some Muslim women. Muslims have faced the sharpest increase in workplace discrimination of any major religious in recent years. Between 1997 and 2007, the number of discrimination charges filed by Muslims more than doubled, from 398 to 907.
Source: USA TODAY, 7/30/08, By Tim Murphy (Religion News Service)
[Editor’s Note: The EEOC’s new compliance manual section, question-and-answer fact sheet, and best practices booklet are available from the agency’s press release, below. An overview more specifically of school employee religious practices and expression is available for a nominal download fee at the COSA eDocs Store at the second link.]
EEOC press release
COSA eDocs Store resource on employee accommodations, By Stacy V. Reese