Is Funeral Leave “Religious”?

An appeals court says that requesting funeral leave – in this case involving a trip abroad to a traditional funeral – might be tantamount to requesting a religious accommodation under Title VII, and it sent the case back to a district court for determination. The case raises difficult questions about employee requests for funeral leave, and it might mean that employers will need to get past some culture-centric notions about religion and do something akin to due diligence before saying yes or no.