It’s Against My Religion: Religious Accommodations in the Workplace

This program, taught by Valerie Ferrier, Partner, head of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at Martin Clearwater & Bell, LLP, provides an overview of federal law and representative cases discussing employers’ obligations when an employee’s religious belief or practice conflicts with a workplace rule or business necessity. 

The course provides examples and practical advice on how to recognize an employee’s possible need for an accommodation, what constitutes a “reasonable accommodation”, and how to respond in a way that keeps the employer on the right side of the law. Attorneys can expect to learn how to advise clients who are presented with a potential conflict, from both a legal and a practical standpoint.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review the federal legislation underlying religious accommodation claims 
2. Analyze recent cases applying religious accommodation standards
3. Identify some examples of reasonable accommodations for religious exercise
4. Advise clients on their responsibilities under the law