Are employers obliged to grant leave to an employee who has requested time off for religious observance?
With regard to days of religious observance which occur during an employer´s normal working week, it is a question of balance. For instance, if the employer provides Christian workers with the opportunity to take time off to attend Church services (e.g. on Ash Wednesday) it will amount to direct religious discrimination against workers of other faiths (e.g. Muslims, Jews, Hindus) if the employer does not provide them with the opportunity to take time-off too to attend similar services in their places of worship. The employer could also be discriminating against any workers who are refused opportunities to take time off for secular activities (e.g. to visit a dentist, or to attend a school play or sports day). However, employers must be careful about adopting an inflexible solution that prevents all workers from ever having an opportunity to attend religious ceremonies. This entire issue is one that is better considered under the heading of flexible working . Where employees have partic
