Workplace Religious Accommodation and Anti-Discrimination: Mitigating Risk Under Heightened Government Scrutiny

This CLE webinar will examine the EEOC's increased focus on religious accommodation, harassment, and claims of religious discrimination in the workplace, including significant enforcement actions and high-value settlements obtained against employers on behalf of employees alleging religious discrimination. The panel will discuss the latest EEOC guidance, address lessons learned from recent enforcement actions, and offer best practices for developing employer policies and procedures that reduce compliance risks and help employers navigate religious accommodation requests.

Since early 2025, the EEOC has increased its focus on religious accommodations and anti-harassment and anti-discrimination measures for religious workers. In recent years, the agency has filed an increased number of religious discrimination lawsuits and negotiated record settlements on behalf of religious workers. Per the EEOC, "in FY 2025 alone, the agency obtained record-breaking recoveries for religious workers (over $48 million), which was a 146% increase over the $19.55 million recovered in FY 2024."

Employers continue to navigate evolving legal standards governing religious accommodation requests. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Groff v. DeJoy held that an employer seeking to deny an accommodation based on undue hardship must be able to demonstrate that the accommodation would result in "substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business." Employers must now carefully evaluate accommodation requests and ensure their policies, practices, and decision-making processes align with current legal requirements.

Listen as our authoritative panel examines the current landscape of religious accommodation, harassment, and anti-discrimination law in the workplace. The panel will discuss recent EEOC guidance, notable litigation and settlements, practical compliance considerations, and best practices for mitigating the risk of enforcement actions and private lawsuits.