Know Your Rights: Employees Have the Right to a Religious Accommodation To Attend Church

Our country was founded on the idea that all citizens are free to exercise their religion in their daily lives, including while at work, without discrimination. The ACLJ has time and again fought to protect your rights in the workplace, specifically the right to keep the Sabbath and go to church.

We regularly assist individuals through the process of requesting religious accommodations from their employer to attend church, synagogue, or any other religious service, and are ready and willing to fight on their behalf if their employer refuses to uphold Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This Act requires that an employer (of 15 or more employees) reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs—unless such accommodation would result in undue hardship to the employer—once they learn that an employee’s schedule conflicts with the sincerely held belief of upholding the Sabbath.

The Supreme Court has held that employers must make a good faith effort to arrange the employee’s schedule so that he can keep the Sabbath. The employer violates Title VII if it has “made no real effort” in accommodating the employee or has taken a “don’t care” attitude to the request for religious accommodation.

If you are experiencing an employer who is not reasonably accommodating your schedule for church attendance, you have options. These are the initial steps for requesting a reasonable accommodation from your employer:

1. The request must be made in writing to your employer.
2. This written request must put your employer on notice that you hold a sincere religious belief that conflicts with an employment requirement.
3. And the request must specifically ask your employer for an accommodation of your schedule as a result of this sincerely held religious belief.

If your employer rejects your request, the ACLJ has created a legal memorandum describing the employer’s affirmative duty found in Title VII that you can use in discussing this issue with your employer. This is often convincing enough to secure your reasonable accommodation. But if your employer still refuses to provide you with a reasonable accommodation, CONTACT US FOR HELP.

Unfortunately, religious discrimination is becoming more prevalent in our society, but no law requires the workplace to be a religion-free zone. However, there is a long-standing tradition, based in federal and state law, of protecting the religious freedom of employers and employees. The more you hold your employer accountable to uphold your rights under Title VII, the more that employer will understand and recognize their affirmative duty to accommodate your religious beliefs.

If your employer rejects your religious accommodation request, there might be a Title VII violation. The ACLJ is dedicated to defending your constitutional rights. We have been providing assistance and legal representation, at no cost or charge, to people just like you for decades. If your rights are being violated in this area, please contact us at ACLJ.org/HELP.