UNITED STATES — Recent religious-accommodation cases are bringing renewed attention to the rights of employees whose work schedules conflict with sincerely held religious beliefs, including the observance of the Sabbath.
One case highlighted in recent legal analysis involved Apple and a longtime retail employee who requested Fridays and Saturdays off after converting to Judaism. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the employee sought the schedule change so he could observe the Sabbath.
The EEOC alleged that Apple failed to reasonably accommodate the employee's religious observance and later retaliated against him after he complained about religious discrimination. Apple agreed to pay $150,000 to settle the federal lawsuit.
The dispute is part of a broader question facing employers and workers across the United States: how should workplaces respond when ordinary scheduling requirements conflict with an employee's religious practices?
Federal law prohibits employment discrimination based on religion and requires covered employers to reasonably accommodate an employee's sincerely held religious beliefs or practices unless doing so would create an undue hardship for the employer.
The legal standard received significant clarification in the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Groff v. DeJoy. That case involved postal worker Gerald Groff, who sought an accommodation from Sunday work because of his religious beliefs. The Supreme Court ruled that employers must show that a requested accommodation would impose substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of the employer's particular business before denying it on undue-hardship grounds.
For Whole Bible believers, questions surrounding workplace religious accommodation can carry particular significance. Those seeking to observe the seventh-day Sabbath or biblical feast days may encounter situations in which their religious convictions conflict with an employer's normal schedule.
Cases involving Sabbath observance therefore extend beyond individual workplace disputes. They highlight the continuing question of how religious practice can be protected when faith commitments require believers to set apart particular days for worship and rest.
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