HOW INSECURE WAS THIS?
After Blackwell Security Services – which provides concierge and security services – hired a Muslim man who sported a beard “in observance of his religious beliefs,” that individual was informed that all employees were required to be clean-shaven.
When he asked for an accommodation, he was given an ultimatum – either shave the facial hair or be terminated. (And to avoid getting fired, he reluctantly complied and apparently experienced “significant distress,” as a result.)
Believing that such conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Civil Action No.1:23-cv-14110), seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In a press release released in late January, the EEOC announced a settlement of the dispute, wherein Blackwell agreed to pay $70,000 to the impacted individual and further agreed to modify its training and employment related practices to comply with federal law.
In a written statement, Gregory Gochanour, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Chicago District Office noted that, “Title VII protects Americans of all religious faiths and backgrounds and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees’ religious practices when doing so does not impose an undue hardship on the employer’s business …. Here, the accommodation the employee requested—being able to wear a beard at work in observance of his faith—imposed no burden on anyone. There was no need for this employee to be forced to choose between his religion and his livelihood. Employers must ensure that they evaluate accommodation requests in a manner consistent with federal law.”
Blackwell didn’t fare so well there ….