Religious Discrimination
Columbus Ohio Religious Discrimination Attorneys
Our Ohio Religious Discrimination Lawyers Are Here If You Experience Religious Discrimination
Religion is a large part of many Americans’ lives. According to a recent survey completed by Gallup, nearly three quarters of respondents indicate that their religious faith is important to them. In the workplace, many employees are protected from religion-based discrimination. Unfortunately, religious discrimination remains a serious problem in Central Ohio and all throughout the United States. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that thousands of new religion-based discrimination claims are filed every year. At Coffman Legal, our Columbus Ohio religious discrimination attorneys will ensure that you are able to work in an environment free from harassment and discrimination based on your religious beliefs. We are committed to fighting for the rights and interests of employees throughout Ohio. Unlawful workplace discrimination should not be allowed to stand unchallenged. If you or your loved one experienced on-the-job religious discrimination in Ohio, please do not hesitate to contact our Columbus law office for a free, fully confidential initial consultation.
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Understanding Religious Discrimination: Protections Under Federal Law
Employees are protected from religious discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. If your employer has treated you unfairly because of your religious beliefs, you may be able to bring a legal claim against the company. Notably, federal law provides broad protections against religious discrimination. Indeed, employees who are covered by this law are also protected for their lack of a religious belief. Essentially, companies should never use religion as a basis for making any employment decisions. Whether you follow an organized religion like Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, or another, the law forbids your employer from making religiously biased employment decisions such as:
- Not hiring an applicant;
- Firing an employee in good standing;
- Assigning sub-par workloads;
- Withholding a deserved promotion; and
- Subjecting an employee to harassment on the basis of their religion.
If your employer has taken (or failed to take) any of the preceding actions because of your religious beliefs, it is imperative that you take immediate action to protect your rights. With employment discrimination claims, quick action can make all the difference. When an employee fails to file a claim before the expiration of the statute of limitations, they may lose out on exercising their legal rights.
Religious Dress and Grooming Discrimination
An employer is required by law to accommodate employees’ religious beliefs and practices within reason. It is crucial that workers understand the implications of these rules—generally speaking, employees should be allowed to wear religious clothing and accessories at the workplace, even the attire in question is different from other employees. In addition, you cannot be forced to wear clothing and accessories that your religion prohibits. Exceptions exist if your beliefs and practices cause undue hardship, such as impeding on safety regulations, decreasing work efficiency, or unfairly increasing the workloads of other employees. Religious dress and grooming discrimination can be especially complex issues. If your employer refuses to accommodate your religious beliefs, practices, dress, or grooming, please be sure to contact our Columbus Ohio religious discrimination lawyers.
Religious Harassment Under Title VII
Your employer is not legally allowed to tell you that you must stop, change, or start a religious practice as a condition of your employment. If an employer or coworker says or does something negative regarding your religion, and this treatment is severe enough to create a hostile or abusive environment at work, you have legal rights to make this treatment stop. Under federal law, employees have a right to bring a hostile work environment claim based on religious grounds. Harassment based on religion—even if it is supposedly “joking”—is not acceptable in the workplace. In some cases, you may file a claim against your employer. If your employer tried to stop the adverse behavior but the violator continued to harass you, the claim may be against the individual. If you have experienced religious discrimination at work, contact our Columbus Ohio religious discrimination attorneys.
How to Secure a Religious Accommodation
If an employee has certain religious beliefs, commitments, or practices, it is essential to tell the employer at the time of hire. All accommodation requests should be done in writing so that there is a paper trail. It may seem tedious, but taking all the right steps will protect you if there is ever a problem down the road. If you fail to put what is happening in writing, it could make it more challenging to protect your rights should you need to file a legal claim in the future.
How Our Columbus Ohio Religious Discrimination Lawyers Can Help
Religious discrimination claims are deeply complex. Similar to other employment law cases, workers deserve fully personalized legal representation from an experienced professional. At Coffman Legal, our Columbus Ohio religious discrimination attorneys will be able to counsel you, explain your rights, and help you take legal action. Among other things, we are prepared to:
- Conduct a free, comprehensive review of your religious discrimination claim;
- Answer all your questions and explain your employment law rights to you;
- Investigate the case, securing all relevant evidence; and
- Take all appropriate legal action to protect your rights and interests.
Through a religious discrimination claim, you may be entitled to recover compensation for back wages, loss of benefits, and any other damages that you suffered. Our Columbus Ohio religious discrimination lawyers will carefully review the specific circumstances of your claim and take whatever steps required to protect your rights and get you the best results.
Contact Our Columbus Ohio Religious Discrimination Attorneys Today
At Coffman Legal, our top-rated Ohio employment lawyers have extensive experience handling a full range of religious discrimination cases. If you are being harassed or experiencing any form of religious discrimination from your employer or from a coworker, please do not hesitate to contact us at 614-949-1181 to set up a free, fully confidential consultation with an experienced Columbus Ohio religious discrimination lawyers.
I cannot say enough great things about Matt. He, along with my other attorney, fought tirelessly for me for almost 3 years and in the end, VICTORY!!!!!!! I would absolutely recommend Matt for anyone that needs help with any employment issue. Thank you so much Matt!
– M. Rangel
This firm is very professional, informative, and responsive. I would recommend them to anyone. They are very successful in what they do. Thank you.
– M. Satterly
I was completely impressed with Coffman Legal. They very quickly were able to resolve my case in my favor with a sizable agreement. They were very professional, took the time to explain matters and very timely in their follow up. If you need to get a good employment attorney-this is the group to utilize.
– K. Payne
They assisted with a lawsuit that affected hundreds, if not thousands, of employees who weren’t getting paid their proper wages & they were able to come through in the end and make sure that we were all reimbursed the money that terrible company owed to us.