A former employee of Disney Corp. has filed a suit in federal court. In her complaint, the woman alleges that she was subject to workplace discrimination due to Disney’s refusal to allow her to wear a headscarf while she worked. This refusal, according to the California woman, constituted workplace discrimination, which resulted in her leaving her job.
The woman began to work for Disney in 2008. While employed, the woman, a member of the Muslim religion, stated that she was subject to ethnic slurs by some of her co-workers. It was not made clear whether the woman had reported these slurs to her supervisors.
The woman also claims that she requested permission to permanently wear her headscarf while at work in 2010. The company is alleged to have denied her request stating that the scarf did not fall in line with the appearance policy they had in place. However, the woman claims that other employees were able to display tattoos that displayed religious symbols, which was also considered a violation of the personal appearance policy.
California workplaces are required to offer a place of employment for employees that is free from workplace discrimination. If such discrimination occurs and the company does not do enough to remedy the problem, an individual may be able to file a civil lawsuit to combat the hostile atmosphere that the discrimination has resulted in. By seeking the proper advice as to how such a suit can be commenced, a worker may be able to recover civil damages for the injuries they have sustained as a result of the hostile work atmosphere they have been subjected to.
Source: Business Insurance, “Muslim woman charges Disney with religious discrimination,” Judy Greenwald, Aug. 14, 2012