Blackwell Security Services, Inc. has been ordered to pay $70,000 in settlement for a religious discrimination lawsuit filed against them by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), as per the agency’s announcement on Jan. 31. The case stems from an incident involving a concierge in Chicago who, as a Muslim, wore a beard as part of his religious practice. Shortly after being hired, a supervisor at Blackwell allegedly informed him that all male employees must be clean-shaven.
Upon requesting a religious accommodation to be exempt from this policy, the worker was reportedly given an ultimatum by management: shave or face termination. Despite the accommodation causing no financial or operational burden on the company, the EEOC asserted that the employee experienced significant distress, as detailed in the complaint filed at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating based on religion and mandates the accommodation of workers unless it poses undue hardship. As part of the settlement, Blackwell agreed to provide relevant managers with training on laws prohibiting religious discrimination.
Although the lawsuit predates the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October, the conflict has heightened concerns regarding religious discrimination. An attorney advised HR Dive that employers should anticipate increased discrimination against Muslims, Jews, Israelis, Palestinians, and similar ethnic groups as a result of the conflict, emphasizing the need for corrective action within HR departments.
Gregory Gochanour, the regional attorney for the EEOC’s Chicago District Office, reiterated that Title VII protects workers of all backgrounds from religious discrimination and mandates employers to make reasonable accommodations unless facing undue hardship.
Gochanour emphasized that the employee in the Blackwell case should not have been compelled to choose between his religious beliefs and his livelihood.
