Are companies legally required to allow employees to take time off for religious holidays, even if there's a backlog of work? While U.S. employers are not required by federal law to provide employees with holiday pay, employers must provide reasonable accommodation for an employee's religious beliefs and practices, which may include leave for religious observance or holidays. In addition to U.S. laws prohibiting discrimination based on religious beliefs or practices, the United Kingdom (UK), France and Italy all have laws prohibiting religious discrimination, which may impose different obligations on employers. FordHarrison partners Robbin Hutton and Kathryn Pascover, along with attorneys from Ius Laboris member firms in Italy, France and the UK, address this issue in Religion, Holidays and Days off in the Global Workplace. This article was published in Corporate Counsel and available on FordHarrison's Knowledge Base.
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