The EEOC recently warned employers about two common religious discrimination pitfalls.

Most religious bias complaints arise from a current employee being denied an accommodation, such as time off for a religious service.

But, as the EEOC remind employers in a new Compliance Manual, the duty to accommodate applies to job applicants, too.

Take this example: A company gives a test as part of its hiring process. The tests are only given at certain times each week. If an applicant can’t make a scheduled test for a religious reason, the company would have to make some kind of change as an accommodation.

Interview questions

Also, the EEOC says, companies are barred from asking applicants if they’ll need any time off or other accommodations once they’re hired.

What can you do? Just make sure applicants understand the schedule they’ll have to work and ask if there will be any problems.

Read the entire Compliance Manual here.

Tags: EEOC, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, job tests, religious discrimination