MaryJo is a very religious woman. She takes every opportunity to propagate her r
ID: 444258 • Letter: M
Question
MaryJo is a very religious woman. She takes every opportunity to propagate her religion at work, in social gatherings, and even at the mall. In fact, one of the tenets of her religion is that salvation is dependent upon converting as many people as she can. Her coworkers have become annoyed at her incessant preaching. Her employer has noticed that the only way work gets done is for coworkers to engage in elaborate schemes to avoid being in her presence. Her employer admonishes her to stop proselytizing at work. Instead, she offered to simply limit her proselytizing to certain hours of the day. Her employer declined and told her that she was being paid to work, not to preach. MaryJo was fired when she refused to follow her employer's admonishment. She filed a claim with the EEOC, alleging that her employer failed to accommodate her religious beliefs. Does MaryJo have a valid claim?
Explanation / Answer
No MaryJo will not have a valid claim, because preaching conversion is illegal, and MaryJo's activities were not complying by law. Hence, the employer had a right to terminate her services.