student affairs representatives, faculty, managers, and/or supervisors) who participated in the interactive process. Suspicious timing might arise if a worker requests and is denied time off on a Saturday and then the worker claims to have joined a religious organization that meets then and revives the request. LockA locked padlock $(document).ready(function () { 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. State that you are a practicing member of a certain religion. {Your Address} 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. 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 . If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately. Secular activitiesshopping, sports, employment, and entertainmentare laid aside. 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. Manager Responsibilities - Reasonable Accommodation Tips, 131 M Street, NE Would you please let me know in the next week? Consider the request. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. These may prove helpful to consult. Scheduling accommodations may involve: 1. The other employees may wind up leaving due to the extra workload. 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. Rising sophomores (Class of 2025): Thursday, March 3, 2022, Incoming students (Class of 2026 and transfer sophomores): TBD. In order to establish the existence of a religious objection, it will be necessary for the individual to have specific religious beliefs which would be violated in a non-trivial way by receiving a particular vaccine. 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. I would like to request accommodations so that I might be able to perform my job effectively before my performance starts to suffer. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. *If you are a graduate student and the portal does not work for you, please contact Dining to be manually added. document.head.append(temp_style); You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. 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 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. 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. 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. Always end a letter by thanking your employer for their kind consideration. Don't, for example, automatically laugh when an employee says he or she is a follower of the Jedi. 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 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. The Office of the University Chaplain has communicated to the faculty via the Provosts office a list of major religious holy days. If it impacts safety, the employer can also say no to the accommodation request, she said. There are also Kosher retail items available for purchase at theCharles Street Market (Char Mar). (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. There are many types of accommodations. Find the latest news and members-only resources that can help employers navigate in an uncertain economy. A medical certification of both the underlying health condition and the necessity of an accommodation would likely be needed to support a request to be excused from a masking requirement. Step 4. 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. In Washington, the exemption approval process is largely left up to individual departments to approve exemptions and provide accommodations, and it could . Avoid application of punitive leave policies. 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). var currentUrl = window.location.href.toLowerCase(); An employer must try to arrange to allow the employee to meet these religious obligations. Members can get help with HR questions via phone, chat or email. Send religious accommodation letter sample via email, link, or fax. 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. The University may suggest an alternative accommodation it deems reasonable to accommodate a request. I would like to request for accommodations to help decrease the pain caused by my back condition. 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. Click the link TO DOWNLOAD A RAMADAN RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS REQUEST TEMPLATE. 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. I will be very grateful if you could assist me in achieving a suitable schedule to avoid such a conflict. 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). Attach a copy of the policy, highlighting the issue at hand. 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. An official website of the United States government. Describe what you expect this reasonable accommodation to be. 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. A request for a religious accommodation for housing must be made before housing is requested. 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. This is false. 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. Fundamental requirements of the applicable academic program and/or related technical standards; Essential functions of an individual's job; Duties of others in the department or job group; Availability of alternative accommodations; Any undue hardship resulting from the requested accommodation; and. "Try your hardest to accommodate. 1-800-669-6820 (TTY) The hiring manager had assured her that [] 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.}. 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. I would be a violation of my deeply held sincere religious conviction to work on Sabbath--the 24 hour period from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. Religious accommodation is covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 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. 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. PO Box 81489 Middlesex, NJ 08 Fax Number: Your accommodation request will be reviewed by your . The sample letter linked contains false information such as: The COVID-19 vaccines are experimental gene therapy. 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. Each request is individually reviewed by . Your letter should be a formal one, addressed to the right person. Be courteous and professional and show that you are willing to meet your employer halfway. This observance coincides with [name of assignment] that is listed on the syllabus. 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. Students and employees must generally submit religious accommodation requests annually. 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. 1/9/2019 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 point of dedicating a page for accommodation requests is for your client to know your business more intimately like they know every inch of their personality. 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. 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 . You can also download it, export it or print it out. When we met with you, we discussed what type of accommodation you . I am (mention your name) on behalf of (mention company name) and would like to say that, the department provider's letter you submitted to us on [mention date] stated that you have the following work problem.