It was very easy for an employee to sue his employer for not accommodating religious beliefs. Today, in his Groff v. DeJoy Opinion, the United States Supreme Court unanimously held that an employer must make such an accommodation unless it results in a substantial increase in costs in connection with the conduct of its business. Before this ruling, an employer could easily reject such accommodation requests as long as it could establish a minimum burden on its business. The case involved Gerald Groff, who worked for the USPS. Groff asked for an accommodation so he wouldn’t have to work on Sundays. USPS rejected his request and filed suit in federal court for violation of Title VII.
What does this mean for employers? Employers receiving requests for religious accommodation from employees should carefully evaluate the costs of granting such requests.
