These laws make it unlawful for an employer to make any employment decision based on an employee's religious beliefs or practices. An employer may not refuse to hire someone because of their religion, impose stricter promotion requirements, enforce unequal workplace policies, or subject an employee to harassment because of their beliefs.

Employers also cannot retaliate against employees for requesting or using a religious accommodation. The law protects sincerely held religious beliefs, whether part of an organized religion or a personal, moral, or ethical belief system.

Additionally, employees cannot be forced to participate, or not participate, in a religious activity as a condition of employment.

Under New York State and City law, employers must reasonably accommodate an employee's sincerely held religious practices unless doing so would cause significant difficulty or expense for the employer.

In New York City, employers are also required to engage in a good faith "cooperative dialogue" with the employee to explore potential accommodations. Examples include adjusting work schedules to avoid conflicts with religious observance, modifying dress codes to allow religious attire or grooming, or permitting prayer breaks during the workday.

Religious discrimination can also occur in subtle ways, such as consistently assigning less desirable shifts to an employee because of their faith, excluding them from meetings or opportunities, or making derogatory comments about religious practices.