The accommodation [will begin or began] on [date] and end based upon future doctor visits. 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. << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 5511 >> The need for religious accommodation may arise where an individual's religious beliefs, observances or practices conflict with a specific task or requirement of the position or an application process . Find your nearest EEOC office Individuals covered by the federal vaccination mandate currently impacting nine Penn State campuses who believe that their sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances prevent them from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, may complete an online accommodation request form on or before Nov. 5. Any academic unit may issue additional or more specific information that is consistent with approved policy. For example. 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. Request for Religious Accommodation . information only on official, secure websites. He has requested a schedule that would accommodate his religious observance of . Expand your toolbox with the tools and techniques needed to fix your organizations unique needs. Leading up to the holiday, Hopkins Dining will refine their planning and will distribute full details to students prior to the beginning of Ramadan. I would like to request accommodations so that I might be able to perform my job effectively before my performance starts to suffer. 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 . Examples of Accommodations We strive to be creative and flexible in arriving at a reasonable accommodation. Bunting concluded by outlining best practices to follow when handling religious accommodation requests: If an employee rejects a good accommodation that an employer has offered, "you're golden," Bunting said. The University may suggest an alternative accommodation it deems reasonable to accommodate a request. Virtual & Washington, DC | February 26-28, 2023. You cannot, in other words, expect an employer or any other form of organization to guess what your religious beliefs are, and to put the appropriate measures in place. I will be very grateful if you could assist me in achieving a suitable schedule to avoid such a conflict. 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. The law requires that employees and employers engage in the Interactive Process. The religious accommodation request, if filed with an employment agency, may be submitted to the agency to whom the employee currently has a personnel management relationship. var temp_style = document.createElement('style'); To help our brethren who may need support in writing a letter to establish a religious objection, we have created aReligious Accommodation Requesttemplate that can be used and modified to suit individual circumstances. a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities. 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. Make a temporary accommodation while a permanent one is being arranged. 3 0 obj Submission of the completed form will be treated as a request for a disability accommodation and evaluated and decided under applicable Rehabilitation Act standards for reasonable accommodation absent undue hardship to the agency. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has excellent regulations and a compliance manual with lots of information and suggestions for how someone, like myself, can be accommodated. If it would be easier, I would be happy to talk with you about this further in person or by phone. 5. Some examples include: 4. You are exclusively responsible and bear all risks associated with any user-generated content you submit or read. Your signature Rising sophomores (Class of 2025): Thursday, March 3, 2022, Incoming students (Class of 2026 and transfer sophomores): TBD. 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,. Site information is not to be replaced with or considered professional medical advice. For religious exemptions toimmunization requirements, students should submit along with their requests: Please email your request, your letter to President Burwell, andaletter from a leader of your faith community (or a request for consultation with the University Chaplain)to president@american.edu. Sample Accommodation Request Letter. Members can get help with HR questions via phone, chat or email. 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. American University will make good faith efforts to provide reasonable religious accommodations to students whose sincerely held religious beliefs conflict with a university policy, procedure, or other academic requirement unless such an accommodation would create an undue hardship. 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. Notice of Liability Sample Letter. If an employer has tried everything else, unpaid leave is acceptable. 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. The VMS will be accessible via the myJH portal when it goes live on July 1. {Your Name} $("span.current-site").html("SHRM MENA "); 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. 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. I would like to work with you to explore how I can meet the requirements of your course while still honoring my religious practice. If there is more than one option, the student affairs representative or employer will balance a student oremployees expressed preference with operational or academic considerations.Religious accommodations can take many forms. Need help with a specific HR issue like coronavirus or FLSA? Employers can request additional information when religious accommodations are requested, Bunting noted. (Note: This is a sample letter giving you a few theological reasons to help you with Biblical reasons to back up your claim for an exemption. Johns Hopkins UniversityWyman Park Building, Suite 5153400 North Charles StreetBaltimore, Maryland 21218, 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. how the accommodation will help resolve the conflict between your religious beliefs or practices and a university policy, procedure, or other academic requirement. 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. I would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation due to religious belief. To request permission for specific items, click on the reuse permissions button on the page where you find the item. Learn how SHRM Certification can accelerate your career growth by earning a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. For example, an applicant may ask to reschedule an interview that is on a religious holiday or an employee may request an exception to a "no hats" rule to wear a religious head covering, such as a yarmulke or hijab. Be courteous and professional and show that you are willing to meet your employer halfway. Describe what you expect this reasonable accommodation to be. 01. 2. Other objective reasons that the employer has to believe the requested accommodation isn't being sought for religious reasons. 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. I have the interest of the company at heart. how the accommodation will help resolve the conflict between your religious beliefs or practices and a university policy, procedure, or other requirement. 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. 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. Inconsistent behavior with the professed belief. You can also download it, export it or print it out. 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). 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. Whatever adjustments need to be made, you can count on me to do everything I can to cooperate fully. A reasonable religious academic/workplace accommodation is a change in the academic/work environment or in the way academics, tasks or responsibilities are customarily done that enables a student orfaculty/staff[1]to participate in theirreligious practice or belief without undue hardship on the conduct of theUniversity's business or operation. Unlike with disability accommodations, cost often may be a winning undue hardship argument for employers when religious accommodations are requested. This observance coincides with [name of assignment] that is listed on the syllabus. LockA locked padlock Thank you for considering my request. CO/OICs will accommodate . a permanent position. Treat every employee's reasonable accommodation request as legitimate on its face. An employer doesn't have to provide a religious accommodation if it poses an undue hardship to a business. I would like to request an exception based on my religious beliefs and practices. Dear Professor [last name], I am enrolled in your course [course number]. Hence, you will need to write a hardship letter religious accommodation discrimination. You are entitled to make this request, and your employer must make these accommodations based on the law of Equal Employment Opportunity. 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. Please log in as a SHRM member. 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. 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). Find the latest news and members-only resources that can help employers navigate in an uncertain economy. M`f"_qy7iSvvhBnq>!I+b"j0GL1Hy=3qIRrK{ 7\p% $K'@? < e/q[4T5iC`t`]fX`W_da(dk5 GadSh7(C/?. 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. The other employees may wind up leaving due to the extra workload. The law protects people who have sincere religious, ethical or moral beliefs. Embed Request Forms in Your Site. For Airmen seeking a religious accommodation request, chaplains play a critical role in ensuring each request is fully considered in accordance with DAFI 52-201, Religious Freedom in the Department of the Air Force. Make accommodation policies clear, and apply them equally even if the employer has never heard of the religion. A request for a religious accommodation for housing must be made before housing is requested. 5. Make sure, as well, that the letter does not contain any grammatical or spelling errors. 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. 1-844-234-5122 (ASL Video Phone), Call 1-800-669-4000 State that your request is not costly, inconvenient, or unsafe in any way, and should therefore be granted. In most cases, students should seek to make arrangements with the appropriate University office first, contacting professors, residential life, or dining services. I am writing this letter to submit a request for accommodations in the workplace. For Academic accommodations requests, students should seek to make arrangements with the appropriate professors first at the earliest opportunity. 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. If an employee is resisting an employer-required COVID-19 vaccine because it was derived from fetal cell lines, the employer might ask whether the employee has received a flu vaccine or has ever taken a medication that was similarly createdand there are many, including aspirin. As this would cause minimal burden for only minor {rescheduling, uniform changes, etc. if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-china.aspx") > -1) { 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. This isn't really a religious request, so the employer can push back and request a letter from a faith leader, she said. For incoming students, a request must be made at the earliest possible opportunity after admission. temp_style.textContent = '.ms-rtestate-field > p:first-child.is-empty.d-none, .ms-rtestate-field > .fltter .is-empty.d-none, .ZWSC-cleaned.is-empty.d-none {display:block !important;}'; The extent to which an employer must accommodate an employees religious objection to taking a vaccine will be dependent on the specific circumstances of the employment.. The Interactive Process can begin in a number of ways. 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. Make sure that you make it very clear what it is that you cannot comply with and why. However, the law does stipulate that the employer only has to conform if the accommodation will not cause the company any undue hardship. According to new guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), employers can push back when there is: HR may speak with supervisors and inquire about whether the person talks about religion at work or has ever asked for specific days off. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Second, the religious belief must be "sincerely held" to be entitled to accommodation. Gain the intel you need now to successfully anticipate and navigate employment laws, stay compliant and mitigate legal risks. 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. 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. Writing A Hardship Letter To Social Security. Religious accommodations can take many forms. A request for a religious accommodation for housing must document: A request for a religious accommodation for dining must be made at the earliest possible opportunity after admission. I am grateful for my job, and always strive to do my very best at work. 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. If there are any other ideas or options that you could provide it would be greatly appreciated.