Reference no: EM131346699

Assignment

According to the EEOC, Blue Sun Rising refused to offer Lee Kentt, a server at the restaurant, any accommodation for his Kemetic religion, an ancient Egyptian faith. As part of his practice, Lee went through a rite of passage where he received religious inscriptions in the form of tattoos. The inscriptions, less than a quarter-inch wide and encircling his wrists, are a verse from an Egyptian scripture and are written in a liturgical Egyptian language. The inscriptions symbolize his dedication and servitude to his creator and Lee's beliefs make it a sin to intentionally conceal the religious inscriptions.

Lee had the religious inscriptions on his wrists when he was hired at the Bellevue, Wash., Blue Sun Rising, which has a dress code that prohibits employees from having visible tattoos. The EEOC said that although Lee worked at Blue Sun Rising for approximately six months without a complaint from customers, co-workers or his immediate supervisors, a new manager saw the tattoos and fired Lee for not concealing them.

Lee claimed that he had multiple conversations with management, giving "lengthy explanations" about his faith and need for an accommodation. He sought an exemption from the dress code, but Blue Sun Rising refused to provide it or any alternatives. In the words of the ex-chief financial officer John Winter, if Lee could not cover his tattoos it "would be better he seek employment elsewhere."

Question:

Did the manager do the right thing? Why or Why not? This is the second question in the defining religion discussion.