I worked remotely as a Cybersecurity Analyst at Ernst & Young (EY) within the Department of Energy (DOE) for two and a half years. While my early experience was positive, things drastically changed when a new manager, Grace Orosz, took over.
As a practicing Muslim, attending Friday prayers (Jumu'ah) is essential for me. My original manager, Tarique, and his successor, Carlos, were both understanding of my religious obligations. However, once Grace became my manager, she began scheduling key meetings during my prayer time, despite my clear communication and marked availability on Teams. Even after I explained my situation and tried to accommodate, Grace consistently scheduled meetings during that period and became upset when I couldn’t attend.
Grace escalated this to the higher-ups, including Rob J. Brougham at DOE, without considering my side of the story. As a result, I was removed from the DOE engagement and placed on the bench at EY for four months. After that, I was assigned to an Army engagement, which was not in my cybersecurity field. Despite doing well there, I was unexpectedly informed on July 12, 2024, that I was being let go from EY, with the justification tied to the earlier DOE issues, despite those being over a year old.
I strongly believe that Grace’s actions were driven by my religious practices, specifically my Friday prayers, and I view this as a clear case of workplace discrimination. EY’s failure to address this or hear my side of the story was deeply disappointing. I may esculate this to a lawyer too.
