Religion and Belief Guidance for Managers - July 2026

8. Examples of Requests

The following examples have been constructed by the Equality and Human Rights commission to illustrate good practice points which will assist employers to comply with the law. These examples may help managers decide how to deal with a particular situation, but do not represent legal advice on how courts or tribunals will determine these or similar issues. Advice should be sought From a HR Business Partner in relation to specific cases.

• Changes to work duties, including a requirement for employees to clean the work kitchen, lead a vegetarian employee working in an office to tell his employer that he wishes to avoid coming into contact with meat at work to comply with his religion or belief. The employer recognises not all vegetarians have the same objection but accepts in this case that the request is genuinely motivated by the employee's belief and that it is sincere. After talking with other employees, the employer concludes the impact on other employees can be easily managed and decides to exempt the vegetarian employee from fridge cleaning duties where meat is stored.

• A Jewish check-out operator within a small supermarket has been allowed regularly to finish work early on a Friday afternoon to prepare for the Sabbath. A new manager, who has not been made aware of this by the branch manager, constructs a work rota requiring the Jewish employee (and other employees) to work late on Fridays. On discovering this, the Jewish employee asks the new manager to change the rota to meet his religious needs. When considering his request, the new manager looks at the rotas to see if there are other staff who could cover his Friday shifts on a regular basis. He then discusses the practical consequences with the Jewish employee and with the other members of the team to see if the change will have adverse consequences for them. He discovers that the other members of the team will not be adversely affected and so agrees to the request.

• A Muslim job applicant has been offered a job in a care home which she discovers requires her to be available for work on Fridays, including during prayer times. She asks the employer if she can be allowed regular time off work on Friday to attend worship at a local mosque. Her employer, who provides care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to service users, looks into the request but encounters significant difficulty in changing other employees' work rotas to meet her religious needs. There is insufficient cover available from the small number of other employees to enable the service to be provided and ensure that every employee has a fair amount of time off work. The employer offers occasional time off work on Fridays without compromising service delivery and the needs of other employees, but the Muslim job applicant decides not to take up this offer of employment, preferring to search for other work that will fully meet her religious requirements.

• When at work, two employees begin to talk about environmental issues. During the conversation, one employee states that, based on her deeply held ecological beliefs, she believes that it is quite wrong for anyone to drive to work and that anyone who does this is irresponsible. Her colleague, who regularly drives to work, is offended by this comment and complains to her employer of harassment at work. The employer rejects the complaint, saying the discussion was a reasonable expression of a philosophical belief in the workplace.

• An employer has a policy prohibiting the wearing of all jewellery. The reason for the policy is to ensure employees present a corporate image to the public. A Christian employee, who usually wears a small cross on a chain around his neck, asks his employer to change this policy, so he can continue to wear his cross. The employer re-examines the reasons for the policy and decides to provide an exemption for mutually acceptable forms of jewellery worn by employees for religious reasons. The employer decides this exception still means it can present a corporate image. There is no adverse impact on others in making this change to the policy.

• A Sikh doctor asks the hospital in which he works to allow him to wear a turban as he now feels that this is something he should wear to comply with his religious obligations. The hospital's dress code requirements are silent about whether a turban (or other head coverings) can be worn at work. His employer recognises that not all Sikhs share the same beliefs or practices. It seriously examines the request and concludes that a securely fitted turban in the hospital's colours should be allowed under its dress code to enable doctors to be identified and because it does not pose a health and safety risk. The Sikh doctor agrees to wear a turban at work that meets these requirements.

• A newly appointed magistrate has a philosophical belief that protecting the welfare of children means that they should not be brought up by parents in same-sex relationships. She asks her employer to exempt her from dealing with family law work involving same-sex couples. The employer considers this request but decides to reject it and requires her to carry out her work duties on the basis that the belief is incompatible with upholding the dignity and fundamental rights of same-sex couples under its equal opportunities policy.

• During a home visit, a Hindu social worker offers to say prayers for a service user in an attempt to help that person overcome certain health issues. The service user, who does not share those beliefs, feels uncomfortable about this taking place at her home but fears the consequences if she refuses. She reluctantly accepts the offer but subsequently complains to the employer, who disciplines the social worker for inappropriate unprofessional conduct amounting to an abuse of power over a vulnerable service user. The social worker is warned not to repeat such conduct at work without the permission of the employer and the service user.

• A Christian hospital nurse offers to say prayers for a patient, making it clear that there is no pressure or obligation on the patient to agree and he will not be offended if the patient declines. The patient decides that she would like the prayers to be said for her as she will gain some comfort from them. The hospital nurse's colleagues who witness this raise concerns with their manager who, after investigation, decides nothing inappropriate occurred in these circumstances. This was because the nurse had discussed and agreed in advance with his employer that he could offer prayers, when the hospital chaplain was unavailable, to patients who had identified spiritual needs and who accepted the offer without any pressure or abuse of power.