Dive Brief:
- A jury has awarded $5.1 million in damages to 10 discount medical plan workers who said they were forced to participate in a variety of religious activities at work. The practices were part of a belief system called "Harnessing Happiness" or "Onionhead," created by the aunt of the company's CEO, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which sued on the workers' behalf.
- A unanimous Brooklyn federal jury found that United Health Programs of America, Inc., and its parent company, Cost Containment Group, Inc., violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by coercing workers to take part in religious activities at work, including prayer, religious workshops and spiritual cleansing rituals. The company created a hostile work environment for nine of the workers, and one was fired when she opposed the practices, EEOC said.
- The agency said it also will seek injunctive relief against the employer to prevent future occurrences as well as back pay for the fired employee.
Dive Insight:
When religious discrimination claims arise, it's often an employee's religious accommodation request that's at the center of the debate.
Title VII forbids religious discrimination in all aspects of employment, including hiring, pay, job assignments and more. The law's protections also prohibit harassment based on religion. But it also requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations for workers' religious beliefs and practices. Common religious accommodations include scheduling changes and dress code exemptions; and increasingly, employers are struggling with requests for exemptions to flu shot requirements.
Still, other claims do arise and, as illustrated by this most recent case, covered employers are not allowed to coerce employees to engage in (or abandon) religious practices, according to EEOC. An employee cannot be forced to participate in a religious activity as a condition of employment, and the law forbids employers from firing or taking other adverse action against those who oppose such practices.
