You might want to give your employee handbook a second look!

When you sit down to write an employee handbook, you'll probably start by trying to think of all the subjects you need to cover. The obvious ones come easily. Of course, you must tell your employees about how they will get paid, when they will get paid, and all the other rights associated with their pay. Everyone wants you to show them the money!

You also know that you must include sections on your organization's discrimination and accommodation policies. Most employee handbooks address discrimination based on religion, sex, disability, and race as well as accommodations for disabled individuals. A quick Google search of the terms “discrimination” and “accommodation” will turn up boilerplate language you can use when you draft these sections. However, your search may fall short in providing all the relevant information on religious accommodations.

Most employee handbooks don't address how the employer will accommodate employees' religious practices, but it's critical that employees and employers have an understating of how or whether the company will accommodate their religious needs. Religious doctrines can influence many different aspects of a person's life, from the clothes she wears to the days of the week she works, and her compliance with the tenets of her religion could have an effect on her work.