Georgia law protects employees’ right to ‘Day of rest’

Q. We recently began operating our Georgia production facilities seven days a week. I am familiar with our obligations under Title VII to accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs of employees, but does Georgia law impose any similar requirements?

A. Yes. Under Georgia’s Common Day of Rest Act, businesses that operate on Saturday or Sunday must make reasonable accommodations for the religious, social or physical needs of employees whose usual day of worship falls on one of those two days. The accommodations made by the employer should be designed to permit the employees to enjoy the same benefits as workers whose employers don’t operate or open for business on a day of worship.

Public-sector employers should note the following partial exemption: “The prohibitions of this (Act) are not applicable to any … government department or agency in the conduct of its official duties nor to the employees thereof in the discharge of their official duties.”