New Hampshire Religious Discrimination and Harassment Lawyer

Both state and federal law prohibit discrimination based on religion. If your employer fires you or denies you a promotion because of your religious beliefs, that is discrimination based on religion. If you complain to your employer or a government agency about religious discrimination, it is illegal for your employer to retaliate against you because you complained.

Harassment because of your religious beliefs is a form of unlawful religious discrimination. Some examples of religious harassment include the following:

• Verbal harassment, expressed either orally or in writing, such as labeling a Muslim employee a "terrorist";
• Harassing an employee because they do not follow the harasser's religious beliefs, such as constantly telling a woman who underwent an abortion that she is "going to hell";
• Defacing an employee's workplace with graffiti, offensive images, or things that the employee finds offensive because of their religious beliefs such as images of Nazi swastikas.

Employers must take reasonable steps to prevent religious harassment from occurring. You should not have to work in a place where you experience religious harassment from supervisors, co-workers, customers, or anyone else you encounter at work. If you experience harassment because of your religion and you report it to your employer, your employer must take appropriate action to investigate and stop the harassment. Your employer may not retaliate against you because you complain about religious harassment.

You are also entitled to certain reasonable accommodations for your religious beliefs. Whether an accommodation is reasonable depends on the nature of your job but some common types of accommodations include time off from work for the Sabbath, breaks during the day when you can pray, permission to wear religious garb (such as a hijab) at work, and permission to have religiously required facial hair. If you request a reasonable accommodation for your religious beliefs, your employer should work with you to determine if there is a way it can allow you to practice your religion without any undue hardship on the employer. Your employer may not retaliate against you because you request a reasonable accommodation for your religious beliefs.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and New Hampshire's Law Against Discrimination have deadlines for you to file a claim if your employer has violated your right to be free from religious discrimination. So, if you believe that you have experienced religious discrimination, contact an experienced employment lawyer right away to learn more about your rights. The experienced employment lawyers at the New Hampshire Employee Rights Group will give you an initial consultation if you contact us. You can contact the New Hampshire Employee Rights Group at 833.365.2929 or through this web contact form.

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