Welcome to this week’s Faith Driven HR News, where we share the latest HR headlines, leadership insights, and practical resources for Christian organizations.
Religious accommodation continues to be an important issue for employers.
This week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced a lawsuit alleging that an employee was terminated shortly after requesting a religious accommodation related to his beard. The allegations have not yet been proven, but the case is a good reminder that employers need to take religious accommodation requests seriously.
Under current federal standards, employers generally must reasonably accommodate an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs or practices unless the accommodation would impose substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of the employer’s particular business.
That can involve scheduling, religious observances, dress and grooming practices, prayer, or other workplace policies.
For Christian organizations, religious liberty is deeply important. We should also remember that respecting religious conviction in the workplace extends to employees whose beliefs may be different from our own.
When an accommodation request comes forward, slow down, listen carefully, document the request, and work through the situation thoughtfully before making an employment decision.
Learn more from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Churches, ministries, Christian schools, camps, and other nonprofit organizations often depend heavily on volunteers. But what happens when one of your paid employees wants to volunteer too?
The U.S. Department of Labor recently issued an opinion letter addressing this question.
In a recent opinion letter, the Department of Labor concluded that exempt employees of a nonprofit organization may volunteer outside their normal working hours when the service is offered freely, without coercion or expectation of compensation, and the volunteer work is not the same type of service they are employed to perform.
However, an employee generally cannot simply “volunteer” to perform the same type of work they are already employed to perform.
That distinction matters.
A ministry employee who freely volunteers for an unrelated charitable activity may be very different from an employee who stays after hours performing their regular duties without being paid.
Christian organizations should encourage a spirit of service while also making sure generosity and ministry commitment are never used as substitutes for proper compensation.
Learn more from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Department of Labor has also released resources specifically designed to help faith-based organizations better understand federal wage and hour requirements.
That is worth paying attention to.
Churches and ministries sometimes assume that their nonprofit or religious status automatically exempts them from employment laws that apply to other organizations. That is not always the case.
Questions involving employee classification, overtime, volunteers, internships, meal periods, and hours worked can become complicated quickly.
Good intentions are important, but they do not replace good HR practices.
Take time to review how your organization classifies employees, tracks working time, handles volunteers, and compensates people for work performed.
Learn more from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Employees should not be afraid to ask for an accommodation, raise a concern, question a policy, or tell a supervisor that something does not seem right.
How leaders respond in those first few moments matters.
Listen before reacting. Ask questions before reaching conclusions. Avoid making promises you cannot keep, and do not dismiss a concern simply because you have never encountered it before.
Strong leadership does not mean having an immediate answer to every situation. Sometimes wisdom means saying, “Thank you for bringing this to us. Let us take a look at it and get back to you.” That simple response can prevent a small concern from becoming a much larger problem.
Many organizations have good people, good intentions, and a strong mission—but HR practices can develop over time without anyone stepping back and looking at the entire picture.
Policies become outdated. Job descriptions no longer reflect what people actually do. Supervisors handle similar situations differently. Recruiting, onboarding, performance management, compensation, and employee relations processes may have developed independently of one another.
The IHN HR Assessment provides an independent review of your organization’s HR practices and identifies opportunities to reduce risk, strengthen leadership, and better align your people practices with your mission.
We do more than identify problems. We provide practical recommendations that help you move forward.
Finding people who understand your mission and want their work to have purpose can be challenging.
That is why we created Job Shepherd.
Job Shepherd connects Christian employers with professionals looking for opportunities where their skills, calling, and faith can come together.
Whether you are looking for your next great employee or considering where God may be leading you next, we invite you to explore Job Shepherd.
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
Proverbs 15:22 (NIV)
Father,
Thank You for the people You have entrusted to our organizations.
Give us wisdom as we make decisions that affect their work and their lives. Help us listen carefully, lead fairly, and respond with both truth and grace.
Give our leaders discernment when situations are complicated and humility when we do not immediately know the answer.
Help us build workplaces where people are valued, our practices reflect integrity, and our organizations honor You in the way we lead and serve others.
Amen.
Client Testimonial
Finding the right person isn’t just about filling a position. It’s about finding the right fit.
We were grateful for the opportunity to partner with Sauder & Stoltzfus, LLC in their search for a Tax Supervisor—taking the time to understand not only the technical requirements of the role, but also the culture and the team.
That’s what recruiting should be: helping organizations find people who can contribute, grow, and strengthen the organization for the future.
Thank you, Jacob, for the kind words and for trusting IHN HR with your search.
How confident are you that your managers know what to do when an employee requests a religious accommodation or raises an HR concern?
Reply to this newsletter and let us know.
Contact us today to learn how we can help your organization Align. Strengthen. Advance.
Be Encouraged,
The IHN HR Team
Align. Strengthen. Advance.
Every organization is different. If you have an HR challenge, leadership need, or simply want to strengthen your organization, we would welcome the conversation.
