Texas businesses are required by law to provide reasonable religious accommodations for their employees. In order to receive these accommodations, employees must submit a request to do so. The business must comply with any reasonable requests as long as it does not impose an undue hardship on the business.
Common examples of grooming and company dress requests
One of the best ways to understand what is required by law for these businesses is to look at a few examples. One easy example is the request for an exception of the company’s dress code or grooming code because of religious issues. For Pentecostal Christian women, wearing short skirts or pants is against their religion. For Muslim women, wearing a religious headscarf is often a necessity. In addition, a Jewish man may need to wear a yarmulke.
Common examples of unpaid time off
Other employment law issues work to address particular issues regarding specific religions and the times they will request off. If an employee requests time off due to a religious reason, it is considered unpaid unless an employee uses their own accumulated paid time off. Some examples of employees asking for time off include a Catholic employee asking for Good Friday off for church services or an employee asking off for their Sabbath.
Common examples of job duty requests
When it comes to performing job duties, employees may ask to be excused from particular responsibilities or tasks based on their religious beliefs. For example, a Christian Pharmacy employee may ask to be excused from filling birth control prescriptions, or a Jehovah’s Witness may ask to change job tasks so that they’re not working on producing weaponry.
All businesses are required to make reasonable workplace religious accommodations for those who ask. Determining the fine line between what’s reasonable and what would cause a financial hardship to the business can be a bit tricky. It’s always advisable to speak to an attorney if you’re questioning whether or not you have to accommodate a particular employee’s request.