Supreme Court raises the standard for religious accommodations

At the close of its most recent term in late June, the U.S. Supreme Court heightened the standard for what qualifies as an “undue hardship” for religious accommodations required under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The unanimous ruling makes it easier for employees to seek and obtain such accommodations. It also means that employers receiving requests for religious accommodations must carefully analyze requests — and must demonstrate a higher burden on business operations than previously required to deny requested accommodations. In some instances, employers will likely have to grant accommodations they previously rejected. In this McAfee & Taft LINK Video Alert, McAfee & Taft labor and employment lawyers Charlie Plumb, Alyssa Lankford and Isaac Treadaway review the decision and its impact on employers when evaluating employee requests for religious accommodation.