Leave for Religious Observances (Winter)

 Employers must reasonably accommodate employees' sincerely held religious beliefs or practices unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the employer. A reasonable religious accommodation is any adjustment to the work environment that will allow the employee to practice his or her religion. Flexible scheduling, voluntary substitutions or swaps, job reassignments, lateral transfers and modifications to workplace practices, policies and/or procedures are examples of how an employer might accommodate an employee's religious beliefs.

TimeAndDate:  December 2023  |  January 2024  |  February 2024
Multi-Faith Calendar
Interfaith Calendar   2023   2024
Religious Holidays Calendars

Policy Religious Accommodation
Policy Religious Holiday (Absences)
Policy Floating Holidays
Form Request for Religious Accommodation
SHRM Samples

Must employers allow employees to have religious holidays off?
An employee states that his religious beliefs preclude his ability to work on Saturdays. Do we have to accommodate his schedule?
Can we require documentation from a religious authority to verify an employee's request for religious accommodation?
SHRM HRQA

SHRM MEMBERS' SURVEY: Tell us what you think about the Express Request self-service feature in four quick questions.

Additional Resources

Religious Discrimination
EEOC

Adjustment of Work Schedules for Religious Observances
OPM Fact Sheet

Workplace Accommodations for the Jewish High Holidays
Anti-Defamation League

Muslim Holidays: Fact Sheet
Congressional Research Service | Apr 2023

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Related Reading

Supreme Court Fortifies Standard for Religious Accommodations
SHRM | Jun 2023