In the United States, all workers deserve equal, fair treatment. This is true no matter how old they are, what religion they follow, what ethnicity they are or what gender they are — just to name a few examples.
To dig a bit deeper into how this works, let’s look at religious discrimination. In some cases, it’s as simple as making comments about someone’s religion that are insulting or belittling. In other cases, it has a direct impact on their station with the company. It could include things like:
- Refusing to hire them based on their religion
- Firing them after learning of their religion
- Refusing to pay them the same amount as other workers with a different religion
- Passing over them for promotions
- Giving them the job assignments that no one wants
- Refusing to give them proper training
- Denying them time off
- Choosing to lay them off instead of other workers
- Not giving them the same benefits as other workers
Of course, this is only illegal when doing those things because of their religion. If a worker gets passed over for a promotion because they are not qualified, even if they happen to be a different religion than the worker who gets the promotion, that’s not discrimination. If they’re just as qualified — or even more qualified — and do not get it based on their religion, that violates their rights.
Has this happened to you? It’s frustrating, and the impact on your career can be massive. Make sure you know exactly what steps you can take and what rights you have.
