The employer shouldn't assume there is an undue hardship or automatically reject the requested accommodation but engage in a conversation with the employee about accommodation, Bunting said. Examples of Accommodations We strive to be creative and flexible in arriving at a reasonable accommodation. PO Box 81489 Middlesex, NJ 08 Fax Number: Your accommodation request will be reviewed by your . Frequently Asked Questions, Commissioner Charges and Directed Investigations, Office of Civil Rights, Diversity and Inclusion, Management Directives & Federal Sector Guidance, Federal Sector Alternative Dispute Resolution, sincere religious, ethical or moral beliefs. stream c. Types of Accommodation Requests. CO/OICs will accommodate . After you complete your submission, you will receive automated responses and updates from the system as your documents or exception requests are processed by the John Hopkins Exception Review Team.If you have questions or concerns, please contactoie@jhu.edu. I would like to request for accommodations to help decrease the pain caused by my back condition. I observe the seventh-day of the week (Saturday) as the Sabbath as taught by my church in harmony with the Old and New Testament teachings of the Bible. x][s} d =@_(3"I7ZqOnmY.=s@C`0NT6_w5_/O?a(Km~]Wy]]? If accommodation is easy, do it," said Kelly Dobbs Bunting, an attorney with Greenberg Traurig in Philadelphia, speaking at the SHRM Employment Law & Compliance Conference 2022on March 30 in Washington, D.C. For incoming students, a request must be made at the earliest possible opportunity after admission. Avoid application of punitive leave policies. Attach a copy of the policy, highlighting the issue at hand. Change employee to a shift or department that does not operate on Friday night or Saturday. I identify as an observing [religious affiliation], and I am writing to request that you make accommodation for my religious observance this semester in accordance with the college's attendance policy. The University may request the student provide information to support the need for an accommodation based on the student's sincerely held religious belief. 10 Examples of Religious Exemption Requests for Covid-19 Vaccines In the United States, employers have the responsibility to create a safe and unbiased work environment for people of different races and beliefs. I have experienced an increase in fatigue, as well as eye irritation. Learn how SHRM Certification can accelerate your career growth by earning a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. RA ensures equal opportunity in the job application, examination, and hiring processes that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in those processes, and perform the essential functions of the job. For example, if an employer has to hire a temporary worker to cover Saturdays for an employee who misses shifts then for religious reasons, there might be an undue hardship in accommodating the employee, she said. else if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-mena.aspx") > -1) { 1-844-234-5122 (ASL Video Phone) Religious Accommodation Request Template. $('.container-footer').first().hide(); It covers COVID-19 vaccine requirements and mandates, too. Work on Sunday or holidays in place of Saturday. Given ongoing construction in our building and increased dust from it, my allergy symptoms have greatly increased. I am willing to come to work earlier on Fridays, come to work on Sunday, or to cooperate in whatever arrangements may need to be made so I can retain my Sabbath observance according to my convictions. When the economy is unstable, employers are faced with difficult decisions around staffing, pay and benefits. 3. Bunting noted that companies that previously placed employees on unpaid leave when they declined COVID-19 vaccinations for religious reasons are now bringing them back to the workplace. the type of workplace and the nature of the employee's duties, including whether the employee requesting a religious accommodation to a COVID-19 vaccination requirement works outdoors or indoors . Once a religious objection to taking a vaccine is established, an employer has a duty to accommodate that religious belief up to the point of undue hardship. CBP Applicant: An applicant requesting religious accommodation for any stage of the application process must submit a request for religious accommodation to the Indianapolis or Minneapolis Hiring Center, as applicable. A quick Q & A on religious exemptions. Companies, however, have a leg up on public-sector employers when it comes to dealing with religious challenges to vaccine mandates. If an employee asks for time off on Saturdays to attend a religious service but also is known to attend a drag racing club then, the employer can push back and ask if the worker will attend the religious service or the drag race. On [enter date or dates] we will be observing [name of holiday]. This includes accommodations you need during the COVID-19 pandemic to help you stay healthy and be able to work. An employer doesn't have to provide a religious accommodation if it poses an undue hardship to a business. I observe the seventh-day of the week (Saturday) as the Sabbath as taught by my church in harmony with the Old and New Testament teachings of the Bible. 3. Hardship Letter Religious Accommodation Discrimination Example {Your Name} {Your Address} {Your Phone #} {Your Loan #} {Date} To Whom It May Concern: I would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation due to religious belief. Document accommodations the employer tried to make and that the employee rejected. WASHINGTON (AFNS) --. The other employees may wind up leaving due to the extra workload. how the accommodation will help resolve the conflict between your religious beliefs or practices and a university policy, procedure, or other requirement. REQUEST FOR RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION / ACCOMMODATION RELATED TO [COMPANY NAME'S] COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY by offering opportunities for discussion, reminding people of available support services, and leading at a difficult time with compassion and empathy. We have reviewed the attached case file and recommend action on SSgt Alpha's request for religious accommodation from compliance with Air Force grooming standards be deferred pending his imminent transfer of duty stations. "Try your hardest to accommodate. I am a Seventh-day Adventist, and I observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Please purchase a SHRM membership before saving bookmarks. var currentUrl = window.location.href.toLowerCase(); The Interactive Process is the way in which employees, supervisors, and their departments arrive at a reasonable accommodation. Employers are supposed to start out with the assumption that the employee's religious belief is sincere. Ramadan Meal Options:Hopkins Dining is happy to add additional services and holiday specific menu items for students during Ramadan. An applicant or employee may need a reasonable accommodation (a change to the way things are normally done at work) so he can practice or observe his religion. The hiring manager had assured her that [] The Jedi religion is listed by the military as one of more than 200 religions it recognizes. I therefore respectfully request that you make an accommodation for my religious belief, observance, and practice in keeping with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by allowing me to leave work on the Fridays in question just prior to sundown. Explain that you would like an accommodation to allow you to practice your religion at work. The description of the [modified/alternate] employment is as follows (include description of accommodation here): This is a temporary accommodation, not. Housing operated by religious organizations and private clubs may limit occupancy to members as. JAN provides free, confidential technical assistance about job accommodations and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, following receipt of the request, OIE will speak with a students faculty and/or student affairs representative, or an employees supervisor and/or department in order to further evaluate and/or implement the religious accommodation. Some examples include: 4. OIE will then gather the necessary informationtoconsiderthe request. Given the current labor shortage, the employer might not want to lose the employee or have the worker complain about the company on social media, she added. After you complete your submission, you will receive automated responses and updates from the system as your documents or exception requests are processed by the John Hopkins Exception Review Team. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. You are exclusively responsible and bear all risks associated with any user-generated content you submit or read. It's been wonderful working here, everyone is very supporting and company really acknowledges employees work. Religious accommodation requests require a written statement, via the CDCR Form 2273, Request for Religious Accommodation, indicating the individual's sincerely-held religious belief that precludes them from receiving any COVID-19 vaccine. Your manager may not be familiar with your church, and the law doesn't require employers to have an encyclopedic knowledge of every religion. A final thing to remember is that, as stated, while it is your right to have these accommodations made where possible, you must formally request them. Canadian law grants protection to an individuals personal religious beliefs which are sincerely held, regardless of whether those beliefs are adhered to by others or even by the faith community to which the individual belongs. I am grateful for my job, and always strive to do my very best at work. Contact the University Chaplains Office only if there is a conflict in making the accommodations for a religious/cultural observance. So you can pray. Students and employees must generally submit religious accommodation requests annually. Secular activitiesshopping, sports, employment, and entertainmentare laid aside. This isn't really a religious request, so the employer can push back and request a letter from a faith leader, she said. Sabbath Accommodation Request - Employee Letter, Seventh-day Adventist Publications on Church - State Subjects. If that effort fails or if the particular University office has questions, students may submit an online request for reasonable religious accommodations. While Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 doesn't go as far as encompassing sports as a religion, the EEOC does define religions as including religious beliefs that are new or uncommon, not part of a formal church or sect, only subscribed to by a small number of people, or illogical or unreasonable to others. whether the employee requesting a religious accommodation to a Covid-19 vaccination requirement works outdoors or indoors; whether the employee works in a solitary or group work setting, or has . To help our brethren who may need support in writing a letter to establish a 'religious objection,' we have created a Religious Accommodation Request template that can be used and modified to suit individual circumstances. The purpose of an accommodation request is to allow the requesting employee to perform certain job duties, either in their current role or in a position they are seeking. }, I believe that such a request would not be unsafe, inconvenient, or costly. Workplace distractions interfere with my concentration and focus so I would like to try noise cancelling headphones to minimize sound distractions. The Sabbath is sacred to me and I devote these hours to God. Hence, you will need to write a hardship letter religious accommodation discrimination. << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 5511 >> However, the law does stipulate that the employer only has to conform if the accommodation will not cause the company any undue hardship. All content available on or through samplehardshipletter.org is for general information purposes only. At JAN, I often discuss options with employees about what might be useful to include and how to clearly explain what accommodation is needed. $("span.current-site").html("SHRM China "); employee-religious-exemption-november-2021 Download Vaccine Religious Exemption First-Year Residential Students Living on Campus: You can sign up for a kosher meal plan while registering for housing the summer before you arrive on campus.Second-Year Resident Students Living in McCoyor Charles Commons: You can sign up for a kosher meal plan while registering for housing the spring of your first year.Second-year Residential Students Living in Homewood Apartments, Bradford, or Rogerss House: You can sign up for a kosher meal plan while registering for housing the spring of your first year or by signing up for meal plans on theHousing Portal.Upperclassmen and Off-Campus Students: You can enroll for a Kosher meal plan on theHousing Portal by logging in with your JHED. This template letter is not intended to give legal advice, but rather general legal information and serve as a general resource. Reasonable religious accommodation requests will be made on a casebycase basis taking into account factors including but not limited to: nature of the accommodation requested; duration of the request; timeliness of the request; alternative accommodations; financial impact; academic impact; and other related factors. The Office of the University Chaplain has communicated to the faculty via the Provosts office a list of major religious holy days. Please bear in mind that I do not request to have the Sabbath off in order to have an extra day at home to catch up on odd jobs or to engage in recreation or amusements. The policy guarantees that you are not unduly prevented from observing your religious practice; it does not necessarily guarantee the observance of that practice at a particular time or in a particular location (e.g. $(document).ready(function () { Thank you in advance for accommodating my request. SPOKANE, Wash - State employees required to get the COVID-19 vaccine now have a way to request religious and medical exemptions. This site contains User-Generated Content, meaning any and all information and content that a user submits to the Site. State that you are a practicing member of a certain religion. These may prove helpful to consult. Particular considerations for different accommodation types include: A request for a religious accommodation for housing must be made before housing is requested. This is likely to be your HR representative, but do check on that first. Sample Email - Religious Accommodation Request. According to company policy at {Company Name}, I am required to {participate in function/religious event, follow certain dress codes, work on certain days, work certain hours, etc.}. Be aware of differences in state law. Other objective reasons that a request isn't for religious reasons might include if the worker says he or she only puts organic substances into his or her body, defining organic substances as those that come from dirt. A commander may require immediate compliance of an approved accommodation only under exigent circumstances and in furtherance of a compelling government interest due to operational necessity,. Questions regarding applying for housing should be directed to Housing Operations at (410) 516-7960 or housing@jhu.edu. how the accommodation will help resolve the conflict between your religious beliefs or practices and a university policy, procedure, or other academic requirement. One option that I would propose is [enter request]. Financial Hardship Examples, Samples and Articles, Writing A Hardship Letter Religious Accommodation Discrimination, Writing A Hardship Letter Property Repairs. If it impacts safety, the employer can also say no to the accommodation request, she said. Model Letter: Requesting Religious Accommodation in the Face of COVID-19 Vaccine Workplace Mandate Dear [Name of Human Resources Officer or other appropriate supervisor]: On [set forth date], I and other employees of [name of employer] were notified that all employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof thereof or face In an effort to meet individual students needs, Housing Operations will work directly with the Office of Institutional Equity and the Office of Religious & Spiritual Life for assigning students who are approved for religion-based housing accommodations.To request a religious-based housing accommodation, students should submit the Homewood Campus: University Housing Religious Accommodation Request Form to the Office of Institutional Equity by the following deadlines based on their class. Sample Accommodation Request Letter. If the employer discovers the employee lied, then the employer has an additional factor to consider. I am informed that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. The requestor will be informed in writing of the decision to grant or deny the request, and of any conditions or limitations placed on the grant. Ashanti McShan, a 17-year old high-school student, was excited about her first day of work at Burger King. Build specialized knowledge and expand your influence by earning a SHRM Specialty Credential. An employee may Edit your religious accommodation approval letter online Type text, add images, blackout confidential details, add comments, highlights and more. 1/9/2019 Employer Address City, State, Zip Code RE: Accommodation for Religious Belief and Practice Dear (HR Person's Name): I am writing this letter on behalf of your employee, xxxxxx, who is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Questions #1-7: Basic Information Questions 1 - 7 require . info@eeoc.gov The Department of the Air Force is processing a number of Religious Accommodation Requests for the COVID-19 vaccine. The EEOC, which enforces Title VII and recently updated its pandemic guidance on vaccine exemptions, defines religion in the workplace bias context as firmly and sincerely held religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. Please note that accommodation requests received past the deadline will not be considered until afterhousing assignments are determined. LockA locked padlock Bunting recalled one employee who claimed that being a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles was a religion and he needed Sundays off. I realize the need for this requested accommodation is still a few months away, but I wanted to make arrangements in advance so that we can discuss it and plan. T hank you for considering my request. This observance coincides with [name of assignment] that is listed on the syllabus. A request for a religious accommodation for dining must document: As with housing and dining accommodations, medical accommodations should be made at the earliest possible opportunity after admission. Whenever possible, such requests should be submitted no less than 30 days in advance of the desired accommodation. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow sufficient time to engage in an interactive process. Describe what you expect this reasonable accommodation to be. Hence, your letter should also explain how your request will only pose a minor burden. Please let me know if you need additional information or would like to discuss additional ideas. For instance, state that there is a company policy in place that requires you to do certain things that are not acceptable within your religion. Model Letter: Requesting Religious Accommodation in the Face of COVID-19 Vaccine Workplace Mandate For good or bad, COVID-19 has changed the way we navigate the world and the way in which "we the people" exercise our rights. It is difficult to say with certainty how long it can take to process requests, as many factors could impact timing (i.e., volume, complexity and availability of the student for follow up questions and/or their ability to timely provide supporting documentation). Should you have any questions about the reasoning or observance of this [name of religious holiday], please feel free to contact Hierald Osorto, Director of Religious and Spiritual Life, at hosorto@ithaca.edu. {Your Loan #}. SAMPLE REQUEST FOR RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION [EMPLOYMENT] Dear [HR Department]: [Employer] has directed me to get vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine, or suffer adverse employment action, up to and including termination. Although Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) do not require clergy letters to be submitted in order to obtain a religious accommodation to receiving . Religious beliefs may exempt you from participating in certain functions or completing certain actions. A lock ( Erin Mulvaney. I would like to request an exception based on my religious beliefs and practices. Find the latest news and members-only resources that can help employers navigate in an uncertain economy. We have noticed that many brethren in Canada and elsewhere are facing the loss of employment for their unwillingness to comply with recent vaccine mandates in the workplace. I have the interest of the company at heart. [Company Name] is committed to providing equal employment opportunities without regard to any protected status, and a work environment that . You can also download it, export it or print it out. You should consult an attorney for legal advice specific to your . In some cases, OIE may need to obtain additional information and/or documentation about the student or employee's religious or spiritual practice(s) or belief(s). If you have questions or concerns, please contact, Whenever possible, employees should submit vaccine exceptionrequests to OIE at least 30 days in advance of, Johns Hopkins Medicine Compliance Deadlines.