Take it on faith: You can accommodate religious diversity

THE LAW: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits em­­ployers from discriminating against employees based on their religious beliefs. It also requires employers to accommodate employees’ religious be­­liefs, as long as doing so does not create an undue burden on the employer.

Although the process is similar to the accommodation process under the ADA, employers are not required to determine whether the employee requesting accommodation can perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. They only need to demonstrate that religious accommodation would constitute an undue burden.

Congressional critics on both the left and right have sought to unify the ADA and Title VII accommodation processes. The cause has created many strange political bedfellows—liberals like Sen. John Kerry have supported changes alongside such conservatives as Sen. Orrin Hatch. However, no legislation has ever faced an...(register to read more)