Religious Discrimination & Accommodation

Religious Freedom and Accommodation in the Workplace

Religious belief and practice are protected in Minnesota. Employers cannot treat you differently (including firing) because of your religion or creed. They must also reasonably accommodate sincerely held religious practices, unless doing so causes an undue hardship on the business. Examples of religious accommodations include allowing flexible scheduling for religious holidays, permitting prayer breaks during work, or allowing modest religious dress (such as hijabs, yarmulkes, or turbans).

Protected religion: All sincerely held religious beliefs, practices, and observances are covered. This includes major faiths, but also minority or less organized beliefs. Employers must respect an employee’s need for religious observance unless they can prove significant difficulty or expense in accommodating it.
Examples of unlawful actions: If an employee who observes Saturday as a Sabbath is denied a weekend off despite reasonable alternatives, that may be an illegal refusal to accommodate. Firing someone for wearing a crucifix or refusing to work on religious holidays (when accommodation was possible) violates Minnesota law. Terminating an employee because they requested time for prayer or because of their religious dietary practices (e.g., separate meals) is also illegal.
Legal standard: While there is no specific statutory citation in MN law text here, the policy section of the MHRA explicitly forbids employment discrimination on the basis of creed or religion. Minnesota courts apply standards similar to federal Title VII: an employer must offer a “reasonable accommodation” for religion unless it imposes undue hardship. Nothing in the Minnesota Human Rights Act exempts religious groups from these rules unless the position is tightly connected to religious functions.

If you feel your religious practices were ignored or penalized at work, Zach Johnson Law is here to help. We review whether your employer could have accommodated your religion (such as swapping shifts for a holiday) and whether the denial of leave or the termination was truly due to religion. Contact Minnesota religious discrimination lawyer Zack Johnson to discuss your rights. We will explain what the law requires of employers and how we can pursue a remedy for any violation.

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