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. a permanent position. Work a flexible schedule so that the employee can leave the job on Friday afternoon before sundown, to permit time to travel home before Sabbath begins. Employer Letter Example: Vaccine Mandate Objection No authorship claim or copyright asserted.A letter that also came to me via a route like a letter in a bottle. Learn how SHRM Certification can accelerate your career growth by earning a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately. 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. {Your Name} Dear Professor [last name], I am enrolled in your course [course number]. Always end a letter by thanking your employer for their kind consideration. 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. info@eeoc.gov Request for Accommodation of Religious Practice SAMPLE 1. }, I believe that such a request would not be unsafe, inconvenient, or costly. Build specialized knowledge and expand your influence by earning a SHRM Specialty Credential. There are many types of accommodations. Sabbath Accommodation Request - Employee Letter, Seventh-day Adventist Publications on Church - State Subjects. SHRM Employment Law & Compliance Conference, Montana's governor made vaccination status a protected category, How to Push Back on Religious Accommodation Requests, New OSHA Guidance Clarifies Return-to-Work Expectations, Trump Suspends New H-1B Visas Through 2020, Faking COVID-19 Illness Can Have Serious Consequences, White House Takes Action Against Migrant Child Labor, Antisemitism Fears, Incidents Are Rising in the US, Federal Lawmakers Propose Ban on Noncompete Agreements. 11/2/21 Updated religious exemption template Attached is a sample template that can be modified for your use as your prepare your employee religious exemption. It has become more difficult to breathe while in the office, even in my own personal office. 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. An employer that requires vaccinations against COVID-19 must grant sincere religious accommodation requests, so long as they. Once OIE has all supporting documentation, it will strive for a 5 business day turnaround. Your letter should be a formal one, addressed to the right person. else if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-mena.aspx") > -1) { And, it is also for encouraging and enticing your clients to visit your place of business as well. More than 10,000 requests from across the Total Force have been received, of which approximately 2,100 have been disapproved due to military readiness considerations. *If you are a graduate student and the portal does not work for you, please contact Dining to be manually added. Would you please let me know in the next week? The University may request the student provide information to support the need for an accommodation based on the student's sincerely held religious belief. "Try your hardest to accommodate. On [enter date or dates] we will be observing [name of holiday]. 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). 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. As you consider these examples, you may find it helpful to review How to Disclose a Disability and Request Accommodations in the Workplace on JANs page for Individuals, which also provides more information about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Sample Hardship Letter Financial Hardship Letters Writing A Hardship Letter Religious Accommodation Discrimination. Here in Canada the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) offers this advice: The religious objections held by individuals to specific vaccines will vary significantly. 2000(e) requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation for employees religious observances. if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-china.aspx") > -1) { For Deaf/Hard of Hearing callers: Date of Letter I would like to request an exception based on my religious beliefs and practices. Treat every employee's reasonable accommodation request as legitimate on its face. Professional Studies and Executive Education, American University's United Methodist Affiliation, submit an online request for reasonable religious accommodations. There are also Kosher retail items available for purchase at theCharles Street Market (Char Mar). Manager Responsibilities - Reasonable Accommodation Tips, 131 M Street, NE Upon approval of a request for a religious exemption to immunization, the student may be asked to sign a release acknowledging that in the event of an outbreak, the student may face particular restrictions regarding classes, housing, or other activities. 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,. And here is where the vaccine issue becomes even more complicated. You are encouraged to submit your request for accommodation ten (10) business days following implementation of the vaccination policy. Example Letter "Religious Reasonable Accompaniment Form" Please print or type the enclosed Letter, and attach it to the Religious Reasonable Accommodation form and fax it to: New Jersey Department of Corrections. For instance, you may ask for a shift swap, provide a substitute, or ask them to waive the requirement in full. % 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. If you wish to submit proof of your COVID-19 vaccination or request a religious exception for the COVID-19 vaccine requirement, please do so via the Universitys Vaccine Management System (VMS) that will launch on July 1, 2021. 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. [Company name] (the Company) has engaged in good faith written and/or oral communications The University Chaplain will also consult with others related to the student's request. $("span.current-site").html("SHRM MENA "); The hiring manager had assured her that [] 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. Once OIE has all supporting documentation, it will strive for a 5 business day turnaround. Permitting a student or employee to take a particular day or time period off for a religious holiday; Providing a student or employee with a time and place to pray. There is no public health emergency. If the employer discovers the employee lied, then the employer has an additional factor to consider. Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures, File a Discrimination and Harassment Report, ADA Compliance and Disability Accommodations, Accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, Faculty and Staff Workplace Accommodations, Faculty and Staff Workplace Accommodation RequestForm, Documentation Guidelines for Individuals with Disabilities, Pre-Entrance Health Requirement Deadlines, Homewood Campus: University Housing Religious Accommodation Request Form. An employee may {Your Address} $("span.current-site").html("SHRM China "); Although a manager may consider it reasonable to permit me to have, say, every other Saturday off work, this would not actually accommodate my belief, since I cannot work on any Sabbath. Sabbath Accommodation Request - Employee Letter DATE EMPLOYER NAME ADDRESS CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE RE: (YOUR NAME) Dear (NAME): I am writing to request religious accommodation for my observance of Sabbath. Accordingly, employers should treat religious exemption requests with care and consistency, as a matter of law and respect for your employees.Requesting a religious exemption is not a free pass, though. 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. Because many people still do not want to be vaccinated, a number of websites have . This template letter is not intended to give legal advice, but rather general legal information and serve as a general resource. how the accommodation will help resolve the conflict between your religious beliefs or practices and a university policy, procedure, or other academic requirement. You can also download it, export it or print it out. Please give this request consideration at your earliest convenience. 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. Please note that all such forms and policies should be reviewed by your legal counsel for compliance with applicable law, and should be modified to suit your organizations culture, industry, and practices. 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. 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. document.head.append(temp_style); You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. 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. I have experienced an increase in fatigue, as well as eye irritation. Sabbath observance is so important to Adventists that it is part of our churchs name, i.e., Seventh-day.. If the student does not belong to a religious community that could provide this letter,the student should indicate this in their letter and request a letter from the University Chaplain after due consultation with the University Chaplain. Subject: Assertion of Religious Exemption to Vaccination and Request for Accommodation. SAMPLE REQUEST FOR RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION [STUDENT] Dear [School Administration]: [School] has issued a directive requiring me, a student enrolled in [school] [or, if the student is a minor, my child [name of student], a student enrolled in [school],] to get vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine. This is a matter of considerable importance and urgency to me. At JAN, I often discuss options with employees about what might be useful to include and how to clearly explain what accommodation is needed. 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. The first step is to request an accommodation. Share sensitive Sign it in a few clicks 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. Neither members nor non-members may reproduce such samples in any other way (e.g., to republish in a book or use for a commercial purpose) without SHRMs permission. In order to retain my integrity in Sabbath observance, it is important that I be allowed to leave work each Friday just prior to sunset. The sample letter linked contains false information such as: The COVID-19 vaccines are experimental gene therapy. The law protects people who have sincere religious, ethical or moral beliefs. Thank you for your consideration and understanding in this matter. Requests for reasonable accommodation to participate in pre-employment polygraph examinations must be submitted to the Office . The accommodation [will begin or began] on [date] and end based upon future doctor visits. I look forward to hearing from you soon regarding this request. If it impacts safety, the employer can also say no to the accommodation request, she said. 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. 5. Ramadan Meal Options:Hopkins Dining is happy to add additional services and holiday specific menu items for students during Ramadan. The Interactive Process is the way in which employees, supervisors, and their departments arrive at a reasonable accommodation. 6. I would like to suggest the following accommodations to address this issue: Please let me know if you need additional information or would like to discuss additional ideas. If there are any other ideas or options that you could provide it would be greatly appreciated. Students are required to check their course syllabi at the beginning of the semester, make any conflicts with religious/cultural observances known to their professors, and discuss arrangements for missed classes or assignments. 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. Religious Exemption Letter. Step 4. 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. student affairs representatives, faculty, managers, and/or supervisors) who participated in the interactive process. In Exodus 20, the Bible commands us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, and to refrain from work on that day. Ask your manager to meet with you. No attorney-client relationship is created by using the templates. The Jedi religion is listed by the military as one of more than 200 religions it recognizes. The most effective way to monitor religious accommodations is to encourage ongoing communication.Religious accommodations remain in effect through the date included on the approval letter unless the student or employee is notified by the University of a change. Please purchase a SHRM membership before saving bookmarks. If employees have submitted a request for reasonable or religious accommodation due to the inability to comply with mandatory testing, they may request permission to remain off work, using their own leave credits or . 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.}. . how the accommodation will help resolve the conflict between your religious beliefs or practices and a university policy, procedure, or other requirement. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS You are exclusively responsible and bear all risks associated with any user-generated content you submit or read. Additional information may be requested if needed to evaluate the request. (1) Observances of Worship and Holy Days. If students are sabbath-observant, they must make this fact known to their professors for any course in which Saturday work is required. 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 . I welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further at your convenience. Explain that, under the doctrine of a certain belief in your religion, you cannot perform certain actions, such as shaving your beard or working on Sundays, for example. Below I have included some possible ideas that could help at my workstation. If an accommodation would violate a collective bargaining agreement, it would result in an undue hardship. Employees may also request workplace adjustments based on other COVID-19 circumstances not related to being in the increased risk category. Describe what you expect this reasonable accommodation to be. Religious Exemption letter. Religious accommodations can take many forms. 3. Employer's name Thank you in advance for accommodating my request. Bunting recalled one employee who claimed that being a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles was a religion and he needed Sundays off. Official websites use .gov Sample Email - Religious Accommodation Request. For that reason, I am requesting a religious accommodation, under Title VII and any similar [state where employer located] state law (s), that will excuse me from having to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and further request that no adverse employment action be taken against me on account of my religious beliefs. I anticipate this arrangement would be necessary for only 5 or 6 weeks, or until the sun starts to set after 5:00 p.m. Please note:To receive a religious accommodation, the religious observance must be one required by one's religious tradition. Your manager may not be familiar with your church, and the law doesn't require employers to have an encyclopedic knowledge of every religion. Financial Hardship Examples, Samples and Articles, Writing A Hardship Letter Religious Accommodation Discrimination, Writing A Hardship Letter Property Repairs. Student Vaccine ExceptionRequests:Whenever possible, students should submit vaccine exceptionrequests to OIE at least 30 days in advance of Pre-Entrance Health Requirement Deadlines and OIE will do its best to respond in a timely manner. The Justice Centre does not have a standard template to address such individual beliefs. This sample letter can be used to ask your employer or prospective workplace for reasonable accommodations you need in the hiring process or for your job. If a religious accommodation infringes on co-workers' ability to perform their tasks or creates a hostile work environment the accommodation will likely qualify as an undue hardship and therefore not a reasonable accommodation. Change employee to a shift or department that does not operate on Friday night or Saturday. 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). Thank you for considering my request. In addition, having a list of what I might need to do for the workday/week could also help me keep track of my work. Depending on the circumstances, some examples of workplace accommodations may include: providing a woven cloth mask or personal protective equipment (PPE); physical distancing or modifying the work environment; modifying work schedules; Consider the request. Hiring and Staffing Dept. When we met with you, we discussed what type of accommodation you . Since our company operates on the basis of a five-day workweek, Monday through Friday, there has not been any problem in my work schedule regarding having the hours of the Sabbath off. Religious beliefs may exempt you from participating in certain functions or completing certain actions. $('.container-footer').first().hide(); Governor Jay Inslee is requiring thousands of employees to get . It is the policy of the University of Washington to reasonably accommodate students' religious observances in accordance with RCW 28B.137.010.. Expand your toolbox with the tools and techniques needed to fix your organizations unique needs. Washington, DC 20507 All content available on or through samplehardshipletter.org is for general information purposes only. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Work on Sunday or holidays in place of Saturday. (800) 526-7234 (Voice) | (877) 781-9403 (TTY) | Employer Live Chat, Home| About| For Employers| For Individuals| For Others| On Demand, Feedback| Accessibility| Copyright| Disclaimer| Privacy, Examples of Accommodation Request Letters, Personal air purifier (for my office) and air filters (for HVAC), or. A business also might reject a religious accommodation request if the accommodation would decrease workplace efficiency, such as if everyone else has to cover the worktime of the employee who is missing work regularly, she said. Implementing the Religious AccommodationTo communicate the final accommodation, OIE will issue in writing a religious accommodation approval letter to the employee or student, and copy those relevant individuals (i.e. Any such request must be in a typed, legible, and double-sided letter. 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. Sabbath Accommodation - Sundown Request - Employee Letter DATE EMPLOYER NAME ADDRESS CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE RE: (YOUR NAME): Dear (NAME), As I believe you are aware, I am a Seventh-day Adventist. The Sabbath is sacred to me and I devote these hours to God. State that your request is not costly, inconvenient, or unsafe in any way, and should therefore be granted. Please log in as a SHRM member before saving bookmarks. Employee Flu Vaccine ExceptionRequests:Whenever possible, employees should submit vaccine exceptionrequests to OIE at least 30 days in advance of Johns Hopkins Medicine Compliance Deadlines and OIE will do its best to respond in a timely manner. This is likely to be your HR representative, but do check on that first. Therefore, the individual making the request must be "qualified", meaning the employee is able to perform the essential functions of the job with or without a reasonable . However, the rules do stipulate that you must make requests for certain accommodations based on your religious beliefs. For accommodation ideas by disability or limitation, visit JANs A to Z page. Employees, as well as job applicants, may request a religious or reasonable accommodation from an employer requirement that conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow sufficient time to engage in an interactive process. stream Hence, your letter should also explain how your request will only pose a minor burden. Dear Boss, First, I request a religious exemption. Pursuant to DoDI 1300.17, Accommodation of