Individual employees may on occasion have personal preference with regard to their religious needs which, according to both federal and state laws, must be reasonably accommodated by an employer. “Reasonable accommodation” means such accommodation to the employee’s religious needs “as shall not cause undue hardship in the conduct of the employer’s business.” Undue hardship includes situations where the employee’s presence is necessary to the orderly transaction of the employer’s business and the work cannot be performed by another employee of similar qualifications, or no such employee is available; situations where the employee’s presence is required because of an emergency; and situations where such accommodation would result in significant added cost to the employer.
Leave may be granted to employees who have given reasonable notice of intention to be absent to observe, as a requirement of his or her religion, the Sabbath or any other Holy Day that falls on a workday. Employees are not paid for such absence; the absence should, wherever practical in the judgment of the supervisor, be made up by working an equivalent amount of time without incurring overtime costs. Alternatively, an employee may elect to charge such absences for religious observances to vacation.
