Can I be fired for refusal to work on Sunday because I go to church?
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Can I be fired for refusal to work on Sunday because I go to church?
Asked on November 3, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, South Carolina
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
It depends on how critical Sunday work is to the position for which you were hired. An employer must make "reasonable" accomodations to an employee's religion. A reasonable accomodation is one that is not too expensive or disruptive. So, say you are an office worker who normally works M-F (and was hired to do that)--you could not be fired for not going in on a Sunday when your employer wanted you to do extra work. On the other hand, say you are waiter hired to work during a restaurant's busiest days, and Sunday is one of them--then you could be fired for refusing to work Sundays, since you are refusing to do the job for which you were hired.
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