Can an Employer Require You to Be Happy?

A lawsuit was recently filed by employees of a health insurance company who allege that they were required to engage in coerced religious practices pursuant to a belief system called “Harnessing Happiness.” On a regular basis, management required employees to pray, hold hands in a prayer circle, read spiritual texts, light candles, burn incense to remove bad energy, listen to meditation music playing throughout the workplace, and use low lighting in their offices. The company had a spiritual consultant who advised that demons came through the overhead lights. Daily, the employees were required to select a card from a stack of “Universal Truths Cards,” to keep the card next to their computer monitors, and to “contemplate the truth” of the message on the card throughout the day. The cards covered topics such as Divinity, Destiny, Faith, Miracles, Sacredness, and Enlightenment.

The employees allege that these and other practices violated their right, under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, to be free from religious discrimination. A likely defense will be that the company’s philosophy was not a religion. If you want to read the complaint for more details, click on this link.