One of the founding principles of the United States was our right to practice or not practice religion in the way we choose. Current law guarantees people the right to practice their religion and criminalizes harassing someone due to their religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. Learn more by finishing this blog or call PLBH at (800) 435-7542 for a free legal consultation.
Not All Comments About Religious Beliefs are Harassment
First and foremost, it is important to understand that religious harassment is a serious offense. Hearing occasional remarks about your religious beliefs does not constitute harassment from a legal standpoint. However, if the remarks are serious enough or frequent enough that they are creating a hostile work environment, then they have likely risen to the level of legal harassment.
1. Report the Harassment
We always recommend that you report any type of harassment to your supervisor or your company’s human resources department. In fact, your employer may not be legal liable for the harassment if you have not made a formal complaint. If there is no forma compliant process in place at your company, write a letter to management.
2. Document the Harassment
The rule of thumb is that the more evidence you have, the more likely we will be to win your case. Take notes of everything that happened. Note who said what, where they were, what date it was, and what time it was. Note anyone else in the room or general vicinity who may have heard it. Note any time you talk to or otherwise communicate with management about the harassment and note their response.
3. Fight the Harassment
Reporting and documenting the harassment only helps if you then take steps to fight it. We can help you do so. This may involve filing a formal complaint with the appropriate state authorities, or it may involve filing a legal action against your employer. This could result in you receiving compensation for the damages you have suffered.
Your Employer Cannot Legally Retaliate Against You
Most people who go through religious harassment would love to report it but they are afraid to. This is often because they are worried that their employer will end up being even worse to them. While we cannot prevent them from retaliating, we can take the appropriate legal actions if they do. They are not legally allowed to terminate you, demote you, cut your pay, or change your schedule as a result of reporting your harassment. If they do, then we will add that to our claim.
If you would like to know if you have a case and what you can do about it, then we recommend you contact PLBH at (800) 435-7542 for a free legal consultation.