Religious Accommodation Requests: Understanding the New “Undue Hardship” Standard
Under the Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act and various state laws, employers must reasonably accommodate individuals who need changes in their work responsibilities due to their religious beliefs, observances, and/or practices. The U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Groff v. DeJoy imposed a new, higher standard for denying these requests: 'substantial' undue hardship. To avoid liability in this area, employers must understand the practical implications of the new standard and change their processes accordingly. In this session, Jennifer Shaw, a nationally recognized expert in this area, will debunk common myths and provide practical guidance to help keep your organization out of court.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the new 'undue hardship' standard.
- Learn how to best document reasonable accommodation requests and your responses.
- Understand how to determine if a religious belief is 'sincerely held,' and when to require documentation.
- Learn best practices for engaging in the accommodation process.
Jennifer Shaw, Esq.
Jennifer Shaw is the founder of Shaw Law Group and a 2019 recipient of the Sacramento Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business” award. A well-respected expert in employment law for more than 30 years, employers regularly rely on Jennifer to counsel them on a broad range of employment law issues. Jennifer’s practical advice covers subjects such as wage-hour compliance, anti-discrimination and harassment policies and procedures, reasonable accommodation/leave of absence issues, and hiring/separation processes. She is a trusted advisor to in-house counsel, HR professionals, and leadership across a broad spectrum of public-sector and private-sector employers.