Muslim Employee Wins $70,000 After US Firm Demanded He Shave Beard
Blackwell Security Services Inc., a U.S.-based company, has agreed to pay $70,000 and implement additional measures to resolve a religious discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as announced by the federal agency.
The EEOC alleged in its legal action that Blackwell failed to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious practices, putting him in a position where he had to choose between his faith and his job.
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The lawsuit contended that the employee, employed as a concierge in Chicago, Illinois, is a devout Muslim who wears a beard as part of his religious observance. Shortly after joining the company, a Blackwell supervisor informed him of the company's clean-shaven policy for all employees.
As reported by Daily Trust, the worker sought an exception from the policy to respect his religious beliefs.
How Muslim employee succumbed to company's pressure
Nevertheless, Blackwell insisted on the employee shaving his beard under the threat of termination, even though accommodating his religious practices wouldn't burden the business regarding cost or operations.
To retain his job, the employee adhered to the demand and shaved his beard, causing him significant distress.
This alleged behaviour violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits religious discrimination and mandates employers to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious practices unless it poses an undue hardship.
The EEOC initiated legal action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Civil Action No.1:23-cv-14110) after attempting an unsuccessful pre-litigation settlement through the conciliation process.
Source: Legit.ng
