Religious Accommodations

The need for religious accommodation may arise where an individual's religious beliefs, observances or practices conflict with a specific task or requirement of the position or an application process.

Accommodation requests often relate to work schedules, dress and grooming, or religious expression in the workplace. If it would not pose an undue hardship, the employer must grant the accommodation.

• A religious accommodation is any adjustment to the work environment that will allow an employee or applicant to practice his or her religion.
• A religious practice may be sincerely held by an individual even if newly adopted, not consistently observed, or different from the commonly followed tenets of the individual's religion.

Equal Opportunity, Compliance & Title IX provides information relating to accommodations for religious accommodation including schedule changes or leave for religious observances, but also to such things as dress or grooming practices that an employee has for religious reasons. These might include, for example, wearing particular head coverings or other religious dress (such as a Jewish yarmulke or a Muslim headscarf), or wearing certain hairstyles or facial hair (such as Rastafarian dreadlocks or Sikh uncut hair and beard). It also includes an employee's observance of a religious prohibition against wearing certain garments (such as pants or miniskirts).

When an employee or applicant needs a dress or grooming accommodation for religious reasons, they should notify the employer of the need such as an accommodation for religious reasons. If the employer reasonably needs more information, Equal Opportunity, Compliance & Title IX will work with the employer and the employee to engage in an interactive process to discuss the request.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on religion and requires reasonable accommodation of employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs, observances, and practices unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. More broadly, the University of Arkansas is committed to equal opportunity and to providing a learning and working environment respectful of religious beliefs and practices, including making good-faith efforts to reasonably accommodate the religious needs of applicants, students, employees, and others participating in University programs and services.