How should employers manage religious beliefs and discrimination in the workplace?

Many employees will have been celebrating Ramadan this month and this can serve as a reminder for employers to review their policies and practices around religion in the workplace.

Under the Equality Act 2010, religion or belief is a protected characteristic and employers have a responsibility to protect their employees.

While employers may have different approaches to managing religion and belief in the workplace, you must ensure you are protecting their employees from discrimination.

What is the law around religious discrimination?

The Equality Act protects employees and workers from discrimination, harassment and victimisation because of their religion, belief or lack of belief.

The law recognises four main types of discrimination:

• Direct discrimination – treating someone less favourably because of their religion or belief, such as overlooking someone for promotion due to their religion.
• Indirect discrimination – applying a policy that disadvantages an employee or a group of a particular religion without objective justification.
• Harassment – unwanted conduct related to religion or belief that violates dignity or creates a hostile work environment.
• Victimisation – treating someone unfairly because they have raised or supported a complaint about religious discrimination.

While the Human Rights Act 1998 protects freedom of thought, conscience and religion, employers do have an obligation to comply with the Equality Act.

What are your duties as an employer regarding religion?

Employers are not required to grant every religious request, but they must handle them fairly and lawfully.

The main responsibilities include:

• Avoiding discrimination through recruitment, employment and dismissal
• Reviewing workplace rules to spot potential indirect discrimination risks
• Preventing harassment by setting behavioural standards and responding promptly to complaints
• Handling similar requests consistently
• Considering health and safety implications carefully before restricting religious practices
• Protecting information about religion, which is a special category of data under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018

Businesses and employers should try and find a workable balance between legitimate business needs and reasonable accommodation of religious practices.

Dress and appearance

Requests to wear religious dress or symbols, such as hijab, turban, kippah or crucifix, are common.

Blanket bans can amount to indirect discrimination unless justified by genuine safety or hygiene reasons.

You should ensure your dress codes are neutral, job-related and flexible where possible.

Prayer breaks and quiet spaces

Some employees may request short breaks for prayer or access to a quiet room.

Minor adjustments to existing break times or allocating a shared quiet space can often accommodate these requests without disrupting operations.

You are not obliged to provide dedicated facilities, but you may want to consider reasonable solutions.

Working hours and religious holidays

Religious observance may affect employees’ availability during certain festivals or sabbath periods.

You should encourage early notice of requests, consider shift swaps where feasible and apply objective criteria when approving or refusing leave.

Fasting and social events

Workplace culture can sometimes revolve around food and drink, such as staff lunches and holiday parties.

Offering inclusive catering options and being mindful of fasting periods, including Ramadan, can help prevent exclusion.

You may also want to avoid participating in an alcohol-focused event central to team engagement.

Recruitment and training

Discrimination should be prevented from the outset.

Job adverts should focus on skills and requirements and interviews should use objective and competency-based questions.

Employment contracts and workplace policies should address equality, anti-harassment, dress standards, leave procedures and grievance processes.

Managers should also receive training on discrimination risks and how to assess requests fairly.

How can employers handle religious requests?

When an employee raises a request linked to religion, you should:

• Gather only the information necessary to assess it
• Consider the impact on operations and alternative solutions
• Document your reasoning
• Provide clear explanations if refusing a request

A consistent approach provides you with protection if decisions are later challenged.

If concerns later escalate, you should follow a fair grievance process, investigate the matter impartially and address inappropriate behaviour swiftly.

Early intervention and legal support can often prevent costly disputes.

How can we support you in protecting religion and belief in the workplace?

With the right professional support, you can make sure your equality, diversity and inclusion policies are fair and compliant.

Our professional team can:

• Advise on managing discrimination complaints
• Support you during the mediation process
• Negotiate settlement agreements
• Guide you through the Employment Tribunal process

By reviewing your policies and embedding fair processes early, you can be confident that you are managing religion fairly in the workplace and protecting your employees.

If you want further advice on discrimination matters in the workplace, contact our team today.