In 2018 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) accused the Northern Memorial Healthcare of violating Title VII's provision preventing unlawful retaliation. The hospital withdrew a conditional offer of employment, depriving Emily Sure-Ondara of equal employment opportunities, based on her religious beliefs and practices. Sure Ondara, a registered nurse, is a member Of the Seventh Day Adventist church and had requested religious accommodation in the workplace as allowed in Title VII of the civil rights act.
Sure-Ondara's requests were reasonable, and I believe they would not have caused any undue hardship to the company. She was qualified for the job, and her only request was permission to observe her religious Sabbath practices on Friday night. She even offered to provide a replacement on Friday evenings and report to work in case of emergencies. The suggested request was reasonable and practical as it benefited both parties and ensured that the hospital would not be understaffed on Friday night shifts. Sure-Ondara's suggestions were within the allowed religious accommodations to allow scheduling changes, voluntary substitutes, and shift swaps, allowing an employee to observe their religious beliefs and encourage them to express their religion in the workplace.
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In this case, the proposed accommodations were appropriate as they posed more than de minimus cost or burden to the company. It cost nothing to implement these changes and make the work environment acceptable to Sure-Ondara. This implementation would not have interfered with the hospital's daily activities or burdened other employees with Sure-Ondara's work share as a substitute would have been provided.
The argument that Sure-Ondari should have disclosed her religious beliefs during the interview is invalid. The law states the employee can raise this issue anytime during the employment process in the form of a dialogue or a conversation. It was wrong for the hospital to deny Sure-Ondara employment as she was fully qualified. The practice is an example of disparate treatment, discrimination based on religious beliefs.
References
EEOC v. North Memorial Health Care , 908 F.3d 1098 (8th Cir. 2018).
