Los Angeles Religious Discrimination Lawyer

The passage of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of certain protected characteristics, including religion, race, and sex. But nearly 60 years later, discrimination is still a problem in the workplace. If you have faced religious discrimination in the workplace, a Los Angeles Religious Discrimination Lawyer can help.

All employees deserve to be evaluated solely on their job performance, not their religion or faith. Religious discrimination occurs when an employer makes an adverse decision based on an employee’s religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs.

Unfortunately, some religious groups are so marginalized, they’ve come to expect discrimination, even though it’s against the law. And some types of discrimination are so subtle you may have even second-guessed what was really happening.

If you’re now ready to report religious discrimination or take some action to oppose it, gather any relevant evidence you can, such as emails and copies of old work schedules. While it is difficult to remain in an uncomfortable work environment, you may have a better chance of winning a lawsuit if you don’t voluntarily leave your job. And there is a time limit on how long you have to take legal action, so you shouldn’t wait to speak with a lawyer.

Workplace discrimination can take many forms for both job applicants and employees, including:

• An employer doesn’t follow up with a qualified applicant because she wore a hijab to the interview
• The interview process includes questions about religious beliefs
• A Roman Catholic employee’s request to have Good Friday off is denied, even though the request was made well in advance and does not pose an undue burden to their employer
• A supervisor shows preferential treatment to an employee who shares their religious beliefs
• A manager does not take action when an employee makes a religiously insensitive joke in front of other coworkers
• A shift manager refuses to make reasonable accommodations for a Muslim employee to  take prayer breaks
• An atheist employee is not permitted to excuse themselves from a before-meal prayer
• An employee faces retaliation—such as a demotion or pay cut—after reporting religious discrimination

Many companies have formal procedures in place to report religious discrimination. In most cases, this is the best place to start, especially for reasonable accommodation and day-off requests. If you are unsuccessful with that approach, feel unsafe reporting the discrimination, or have an ongoing issue, you may want to speak with an attorney.