Autozone Case Study

AutoZone AutoZone first opened its doors in 1979 under the name Auto Shack. Presently Auto Shack is AutoZone, a fortune 500 organization and one of the leading auto parts store in the nation with approximately $8.1 billion in annual sales. AutoZone currently has stores in 48 states including Mexico and Puerto Rico with more than 65,000 employees. (AutoZone Inc., 2016)

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. AutoZone, Inc. Summary On 09/10/2010, a judgement was filed against AutoZone Inc. for wrongful employment practices by discriminating against an employee because of his religious beliefs. The AutoZone in question is located in Everett, Massachusetts. Mr. Mahoney Burroughs had been an employee of AutoZone since 2007 as a Senior

It is clear that Mr. Burroughs religious rights were violated and was discriminated against under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42U.S.C. 2000 e-5(f)(1) and (3), and pursuant to Section 102 of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, 42 U.S.C. 1981 a. In turn, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Massachusetts AutoZone in violation of Federal laws thus, ruling in favor of the EEOC and ordered AutoZone to pay $75,000 plus attorney fees. In addition to monetary relief arising from the judgement, AutoZone is also require to put in place a policy against discrimination, would have to train its management, human resource department, and all its employees on the new policy. Furthermore, for the following three years from judgement, the organization has to report to the EEOC all handling of requests for reasonable accommodations relating to religious beliefs.

Exclusions to Consider Yes, there are exclusions to consider in this case as permitted by the Civil rights Act and they are as

Organizations can’t limit religious expression more heavily than other forms of expression as long as it has a similar impact on efficiency in the workplace. Employee’s expressions cannot create discomfort to others. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2016)

Avoiding Religious Discrimination in the Workplace An organization could avoid any risk of discrimination happening in their workplace by having in place clear and detailed anti-harassment policies to include continuous training on the policies as well as new-hire a training plan. Consequences for employees not following anti-discrimination guidelines set in place by the organization should be upheld accordingly and each case treated with the outmost fairness in order to be effective. Moreover, employees who feel they are receiving unwelcome religious conduct should let the individual and follow through with letting management become aware if it does not stop.