Accommodation of Religious Grooming and Garb in the Workplace

Employers should take note of the new guidance, because it provides useful examples of when and how they should accommodate an employee's religious observance. The EEOC makes clear that neither customer preference nor employer image or branding is a defense for failing to accommodate religious beliefs and practices. Similarly, employers cannot assign employees to non-customer contact positions due to concerns about the effect of their appearance on customer perceptions, as doing so violates Title VII's prohibition on limiting, segregating or classifying employees based on religion.