Religious Accommodations: What the EEOC Is Watching — and What HR Can't Afford to Get Wrong
September 23, 2026 1:00 ET
In the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC’s) National Enforcement Plan, the agency made it clear that religious freedom is one of its top areas for enforcement. One of the hottest issues in this area is religious accommodations. Generally speaking, employers must make reasonable accommodations with regard to known religious beliefs, practices, or observances that conflict with an employer’s requirements, as long as the reasonable accommodation does not impose an undue hardship on the employer’s business. The rule is easy to articulate, but it is much more difficult to apply.
In this webinar, we will discuss:
The broad definition of a sincerely held religious belief and when it may be appropriate to question whether an employee meets the definition.
The Supreme Court decision in Groff and the higher standard it imposes relative to the undue hardship defense.
Best practices for handling religious accommodation requests.
Common missteps by employers that may lead to liability (or, at a minimum, send the wrong cultural message to religious employees).
Practical lessons for HR from appellate court decisions post-Groff.
SHRM Knowledge Advisors will join the live webinar to answer your questions in real time—right in the chat. If we don’t get to your question during the session? No problem, SHRM members can head to SHRM Connect after this webinar to keep the conversation going with advisors for 30 extra minutes. This benefit is only for members who join the live webinar and not included later on demand.
Meet the Presenters
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Jonathan Segal
Jonathan is a partner at Duane Morris LLP in its Employment Group. Jonathan also is the managing principal of the Duane Morris Institute, which provides business-focused training on myriad employment issues.
Jonathan has trained federal judges across the country on employment issues for more than 20 years. Most recently, Jonathan provided formal training at a Judicial Conference to federal circuit and district judges on the new provisions in the Judicial Code of Conduct as they relate to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, reporting and abusive conduct.
Jonathan has been cited as a national authority on employment issues in articles in SHRM, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Bloomberg, Forbes, Associated Press, Reuters, Business Week, CNN, Money, SHRM, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Philadelphia Business Journal, among many other publications.
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Jessica Langlois
Jessica Langlois, SHRM-CP, brings 25 years of human resources experience and a passion for helping people thrive at work, offering broad HR expertise across multiple states and industries.
Her background spans nonprofit and for-profit sectors, including human services, venture capital, real estate, and construction. Jessica focuses on values-driven HR, inclusion, and building workplace cultures rooted in integrity and trust.
Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the SHRM California specialty credential.
Jessica embraces all four seasons, finding solace by the lake in spring and summer, enjoying fall’s respite, and skiing or snowshoeing in winter.
SHRM certification has approved this webinar for 1 PDC toward SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification. A program code will be provided at the end of the webinar.