Workplace Religious Accommodations: EEOC Guidance and Court Developments
Best Practices for Hiring, Policies and Employment Decisions Amid Increased Claims and Ambiguous Standards
Recording of a 90-minute CLE webinar with Q&A
This CLE course will provide guidance to counsel on best practices for employers to avoid claims of workplace religious discrimination. The panel will review hiring, accommodation and termination practices amid increased ambiguity in the standards and a surge in employee claims.
Outline
- Hiring practices
- Reasonable accommodations
- Sincere religious belief
- Notice of accommodation issues
- Undue hardship
- Types of accommodations
- Termination practices
- EEOC guidelines and legal theories for violations
Benefits
The panel will review these and other key issues:
- How can counsel aid employers in navigating the ambiguous religious reasonable accommodation standards, EEOC guidance and case law?
- What are the employers’ rights and obligations during the hiring, employment decision making and firing processes?
- What types of accommodations should employers consider based on the context of the accommodation request?
Faculty
Stephen E. Fox
Partner
Sheppard Mullin
Mr. Fox leads Sheppard Mullin’s Texas employment law practice. Consistently recognized by peers and clients as a... | Read More
Mr. Fox leads Sheppard Mullin’s Texas employment law practice. Consistently recognized by peers and clients as a “go-to” courtroom advocate, he has been inducted as a Fellow into the prestigious College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and routinely selected by his peers as one of the Top 100 attorneys in Texas. In 2020, Mr. Fox was selected by Best Lawyers as a Lawyer of the Year in the field of labor/employment litigation, and is one of less than 50 “Hall of Fame” Lawyers selected by D Magazine. He graduated from the University of Virginia’s School of Law and obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame. Mr. Fox's litigation and counseling practice is centered around labor/employment and complex business disputes. His business litigation experience includes trying cases involving trade secret theft, restrictive covenant enforcement, breaches of contract and fiduciary duties, business torts (fraud, unfair competition, defamation), and corporate espionage. In the area of labor/employment law, Mr. Fox has significant experience in defending wage and hour class actions, including claims for off-the-clock work, overtime pay, and meal and rest period violations. He has also tried cases involving claims of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, and other classifications, leaves of absence (ADA, FMLA), corporate downsizing, and non-competition violations.
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J. Gregory Grisham
Partner
FordHarrison
Mr. Grisham has over 25 years of successful experience counseling and representing employers in all aspects of... | Read More
Mr. Grisham has over 25 years of successful experience counseling and representing employers in all aspects of workplace across the U.S. He has helped employers avoid claims, charges and lawsuits with a focus on preventative practices. Preventative practices include counseling in situations involving discipline, termination, demotion, promotion and other workplace changes in the terms and conditions of employment, harassment investigations, wage and hour compliance, FMLA compliance, reasonable accommodation assessment, supervisor training and the review of employment policies and procedures. Mr. Grisham has successfully litigated hundreds of administrative charges, employment lawsuits, and arbitration demands on behalf of employers.
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Dionysia L. Johnson-Massie
Shareholder
Littler Mendelson
Ms. Johnson-Massie is a litigator who focuses her practice on federal employment discrimination, harassment,... | Read More
Ms. Johnson-Massie is a litigator who focuses her practice on federal employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wage-hour litigation and strategic compliance issues, including diversity and inclusion strategies and matters arising under Title VII and Section 1981, the ADA, ADEA, FMLA and FLSA. She regularly provides advice and counsel on the practical and legal implications of everyday employment decisions. She also has extensive experience investigating potential legal issues and developing appropriate legal and compliance strategies for companies. Ms. Johnson-Massie also has unique expertise handling religious accommodation matters for employers in a variety of industries and promotion and tenure issues for educational institutions.
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