Does your organization have a process for handling religious accommodation requests? Does your staff know when to reach out to your internal or external HR for guidance? How do you handle such concerns and still keep your business viable?
Often, religious accommodation requests sound like everyday workplace requests. An employee might ask to leave work early, or he might want off to attend a weekly religious service. Employees may have requests related to religious attire, hair grooming practices, dietary needs, and so on. Sounds straightforward, right?
The challenge is that these requests rarely arrive wrapped in convenient “accommodation” language, so our staff isn’t thinking “religious accommodations”. Complicating matters further, enforcement rules and practices have changed significantly in the past two years. Employees with sincere faith-based positions may initially acquiesce, but over time can become increasingly sensitive when they feel forced to choose between practicing their faith and following company rules. As a result, employers can easily underestimate the significance of a request that falls under religious accommodation. There is often a tendency to automatically refuse requests that don’t seem “reasonable” to an employer representative who doesn’t share those strong convictions, and especially when it’s confusing to the employer how to do in a way that’s fair to other employees and that doesn’t upend scheduling, safety concerns or company culture.
Why Religious Accommodation Matters More Than Ever
Religious accommodation has become an increasing focus at the federal level. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of an employee whose employer refused to allow time off for Sunday services, introducing a new understanding of nuances for “undue hardship”. In 2025, Andrea Lucas of the EEOC emphasized expanding religious rights in both private and federal workplaces. Since then, the EEOC has increasingly advocated for employees of a variety of faiths (in accordance with its mission of enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of religion, among others).
How Executive Advantage Helps
At Executive Advantage, we help small (and very small!) businesses apply HR principles and employment law in ways that make sense for their industry, location, and company size. We work with clients to put the right infrastructure in place for handling accommodation requests and to think through the practical and legal implications of accommodating or not accommodating specific situations. As importantly, we serve as a sounding board when questions arise.
Here are a few thoughts. Blanket refusals or giving employees options that seem like a penalty or demotion are never a good first option. Engaging in interactive dialogue in the appropriate manner is always wise.
Have questions?
Schedule a consultation by filling out the form below (or just calling us if find forms cumbersome!). Thoughtful planning and informed decision‑making now can prevent significantly bigger problems later.