#WorkforceWednesday: Remote Work and Religion: New Legal Risks for Employers in 2025

As religious rights in the workplace gain new attention, a recent OPM memo broadening religious accommodations for federal employees could impact employers everywhere—at home and in the office.

Essential Impacts for Employers:

• The federal memo expands religious accommodations, including remote work.

• The Supreme Court’s 2023 Groff v. DeJoy ruling raised the “undue hardship” standard, making it more difficult for employers to deny religious accommodation requests.

• Accommodation requests are increasing, intersecting with remote work.

These developments create new compliance challenges and potential legal risks for employers in the public and private sectors. Epstein Becker Green attorney Nancy Gunzenhauser Popper explains how to evaluate accommodation requests under the heightened standard and what the new federal memo could mean for your organization.

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