Your right to religious freedom is one of the most basic civil rights afforded to you under the U.S. Constitution. You can practice your faith, whatever that faith may be.
You should not have to worry about your employer punishing you because of your religious observances. Unfortunately, some American workers endure discrimination at work because of their religion. How might religious discrimination affect your career?
Your employer might try to make you choose between your faith and your job
Expecting basic accommodations for your religious observances is reasonable. Needing to take one day off of work to attend services every week or otherwise practicing your faith could affect your scheduling availability or even what job you can perform at work.
Provided that your request for a day off or responsibilities that don’t violate the tenets of your faith won’t cause undue hardship for your employer, they should accommodate you. Some companies will terminate or otherwise discipline workers who take days off for religious reasons.
Your employer might deny you upward mobility
Few workers want to keep the same job for the entire time that they work for a business. Instead, they likely hope to move out to more challenging positions and higher wages when they demonstrate competence and loyalty to their employer.
If your boss has negative opinions about your religion, they might unfairly deny you advancement opportunities as a result. By pushing back against an employer discriminating against you because of your religion, you can help protect your rights and the rights of other people who work at that company in the future.
