Generac Settles EEOC Charge Involving Religious Accommodation Request

MILWAUKEE — Generac Power Systems, a Wisconsin generator manufacturer, reached an agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to resolve for monetary and injunctive relief a religious accommodation charge involving an employee’s request to use biological pronouns for another employee, the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s reasonable cause finding, Generac violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it did not fully engage in the reasonable accommodation interactive process before denying a religious employee’s request to use biological sex-based pronouns when referring to a trans-identified employee, even after the religious employee informed Generac that using non-biological pronouns went against his sincerely held religious beliefs. Generac’s religious accommodation process failures also resulted in the religious employee’s resignation.

“Title VII requires employers to engage with religious accommodation requests, and that obligation does not disappear when the request involves a religious employee’s sincerely held belief in the binary nature of sex,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “Consistent with Executive Order 14168, the EEOC will continue to prioritize for enforcement charges that involve protecting religious beliefs where an employee seeks to express the biological reality of sex in the workplace. We commend Generac for resolving the matter promptly and strengthening its religious accommodation process.”

In addition to monetary relief for the affected employee, the agreement requires Generac to update its religious accommodation policies and provide training with the goal of promoting greater understanding and effective handling of religious accommodation requests going forward. This resolution reflects Generac’s ongoing commitment to religious liberty and to fostering a workplace where employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs are respected and accommodated appropriately in accordance with applicable federal anti-discrimination laws.

“As a leading American manufacturer and employer, Generac remains committed to treating employees fairly and respectfully and in accordance with all applicable federal and state employment laws,” a Generac spokesperson said. “We appreciate the EEOC’s engagement throughout this process and the opportunity to resolve this matter and remain focused on our employees and business.”

Since January 2025, the EEOC has taken over 40 public actions to defend employees’ religious liberty, including filing lawsuits, resolving lawsuits via consent decrees, and resolving charges via public conciliations and other forms of pre-litigation settlements.

Title VII requires covered employers to reasonably accommodate an employee’s or applicant’s sincerely held religious beliefs, practices, or observances unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the employer’s business. Among other things, religious accommodations may include schedule changes; voluntary shift swaps; dress or grooming accommodations; prayer breaks; or other adjustments that allow individuals to observe their faith while continuing to perform their job duties. Employers must evaluate accommodation requests in good faith and may not discriminate or retaliate against individuals for requesting or receiving a religious accommodation. For more information on religious discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Milwaukee Area Office has jurisdiction over Wisconsin and Iowa.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.