religious accommodation request letter sample religious accommodation request letter sample

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,. I would like to request for accommodations to help decrease the pain caused by my back condition. 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. I would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation due to religious belief. However, the rules do stipulate that you must make requests for certain accommodations based on your religious beliefs. It has been brought to the attention of The Vault Project that many employers are requesting a signed letter from a pastor on their religious exemption request forms for COVID vaccines. PO Box 81489 Middlesex, NJ 08 Fax Number: Your accommodation request will be reviewed by your . On [enter date or dates] we will be observing [name of holiday]. 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. Request for Religious Accommodation . 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. 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. Inconsistent behavior with the professed belief. information only on official, secure websites. Sabbath Accommodation - Sundown Request - Employee Letter, Seventh-day Adventist Publications on Church - State Subjects. *If you are a graduate student and the portal does not work for you, please contact Dining to be manually added. Your letter should be a formal one, addressed to the right person. << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 5511 >> 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. A request for a religious accommodation for housing must document: a description of the accommodation you are requesting; Sample Hardship Letter Financial Hardship Letters Writing A Hardship Letter Religious Accommodation Discrimination. I am a practicing member of {Religion}. Below I have included some possible ideas that could help at my workstation. For instance, if you are unable to work on a Sunday, offer to work on a different unpopular shift instead, so that your colleagues are not disproportionately disadvantaged by your request either. Be courteous and professional and show that you are willing to meet your employer halfway. The law protects people who have sincere religious, ethical or moral beliefs. Ask your manager to meet with you. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's template is the same one the agency uses for its own employees, and was part of a Thursday update to . 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. Secular activitiesshopping, sports, employment, and entertainmentare laid aside. To request a religious accommodation: You must submit the Request for Religious Accommodation Form t o your Departmental HR Manager (DHRM) or their designee. I am a Seventh-day Adventist, and I observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. It covers COVID-19 vaccine requirements and mandates, too. Employers are supposed to start out with the assumption that the employee's religious belief is sincere. Sample Accommodation Request Letter: Allergies Date of Letter Your name Your address Employer's name Employer's address Dear [Insert employer's name here]: Given ongoing construction in our building and increased dust from it, my allergy symptoms have greatly increased. 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. Don't, for example, automatically laugh when an employee says he or she is a follower of the Jedi. I request Reasonable Accommodation to have {Company Name} {waive the requirement, provide a substitute, allow shift swap, etc.}. 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. Your session has expired. 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. 3 0 obj Make accommodation policies clear, and apply them equally even if the employer has never heard of the religion. One option that I would propose is [enter request]. Virtual & Washington, DC | February 26-28, 2023. }); if($('.container-footer').length > 1){ 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). Under the Equal Employment regulations, I am entitled to accommodations provided that they do not cause undue hardship to the company. 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. However, writing such an initial request can feel intimidating and employees can get nervous about what to include in the letter and how to word it. The Jedi religion is listed by the military as one of more than 200 religions it recognizes. Expand your toolbox with the tools and techniques needed to fix your organizations unique needs. 01. However, the law does stipulate that the employer only has to conform if the accommodation will not cause the company any undue hardship. Would you please let me know in the next week? Your signature A religious accommodation is any adjustment to the work environment that will allow an employee or applicant to practice his or her religion. 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. 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. Manager Responsibilities - Reasonable Accommodation Tips, 131 M Street, NE 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. That being said, you should write your exemption letter in your own words according . If employers get an accommodation request from a believer in a religion that is so obscure there's no faith leader, Bunting recommended asking the employee to e-mail HR a paragraph describing why the worker needs to be accommodated for religious reasons, judging its sincerity and, if determined to be sincere, granting the accommodation. Dear Professor [last name], I am enrolled in your course [course number]. Please give this request consideration at your earliest convenience. 1-800-669-6820 (TTY) Make a temporary accommodation while a permanent one is being arranged. %PDF-1.3 Students and employees must generally submit religious accommodation requests annually. Because many people still do not want to be vaccinated, a number of websites have . I would like to request accommodations so that I might be able to perform my job effectively before my performance starts to suffer. Moreover, I am informed that the Federal Courts have held a reasonable accommodation is one that eliminates the conflict between the job duties and a workers religion. And here is where the vaccine issue becomes even more complicated. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS 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. Contact the University Chaplains Office only if there is a conflict in making the accommodations for a religious/cultural observance. 2000(e) requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation for employees religious observances. % 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. Always end a letter by thanking your employer for their kind consideration. Given ongoing construction in our building and increased dust from it, my allergy symptoms have greatly increased. General Information Catalog IT Policies, Standards, and Guidelines Thank you in advance for accommodating my request. nd OIE will do its best to respond in a timely manner. Once OIE has all supporting documentation, it will strive for a 5 business day turnaround. 4. Exploring Religious Accommodation OptionsOIE will consider reasonable religious accommodation requests on a case?by?case basis and consider factors, including but not limited to the: OIE will endeavor to protect the requesting student or employees privacy in evaluating and processing the accommodation to the greatest extent possible. 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. If it would be easier, I would be happy to talk with you about this further in person or by phone. Click the link TO DOWNLOAD A RAMADAN RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS REQUEST TEMPLATE. Leading up to the holiday, Hopkins Dining will refine their planning and will distribute full details to students prior to the beginning of Ramadan. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The Office of the University Chaplain has communicated to the faculty via the Provosts office a list of major religious holy days. 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. {Your Loan #}. To have your request for a religious academic/workplace accommodation considered, please review the following process: 1. $('.container-footer').first().hide(); T hank you for considering my request. Whenever possible, such requests should be submitted no less than 30 days in advance of the desired accommodation. Questions regarding applying for housing should be directed to Housing Operations at (410) 516-7960 or housing@jhu.edu. For example, if someone wants to wear long, loose-fitting religious attire near a bagel slicer, the employer might decline the request, but try to find another position for the worker away from the bagel slicer. Religious beliefs may exempt you from participating in certain functions or completing certain actions. State that you are a practicing member of a certain religion. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor, go to the emergency department, or call 911 immediately. (3) A request for the accommodation of religious practices may be granted in whole or in part. Gathering InformationOIE asks students and employees to complete the religious accommodation request form. 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 . Thank you for considering my request. [2]It is important for student affairs representatives, faculty, human resources, and supervisors to recognize a request and to refer the student or employee to OIE to initiate the interactive process. 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. Would you please let me know in the next week? I am writing this letter to submit a request for accommodations in the workplace. I am informed that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. The description of the [modified/alternate] employment is as follows (include description of accommodation here): This is a temporary accommodation, not. I often suggest employees consider making a written request so they can decide what to say and how to say it without the stress of a face-to-face meeting with their employer. stream I am enrolled in your course [course number]. c. Types of Accommodation Requests. Please confirm that you want to proceed with deleting bookmark. 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. Whatever adjustments need to be made, you can count on me to do everything I can to cooperate fully. When May an Employer Reject a Religious Accommodation Request? 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. Dear Boss, First, I request a religious exemption. Your printed name. 2. x][s} d =@_(3"I7ZqOnmY.=s@C`0NT6_w5_/O?a(Km~]Wy]]? You are exclusively responsible and bear all risks associated with any user-generated content you submit or read. [Company Name] is committed to providing equal employment opportunities without regard to any protected status, and a work environment that . 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. Need help with a specific HR issue like coronavirus or FLSA? 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. Housing operated by religious organizations and private clubs may limit occupancy to members as. Gain the intel you need now to successfully anticipate and navigate employment laws, stay compliant and mitigate legal risks. 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. 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. Employer's name 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. JAN provides free, confidential technical assistance about job accommodations and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). how the accommodation will help resolve the conflict between your religious beliefs or practices and a university policy, procedure, or other academic requirement. Additional information may be requested if needed to evaluate the request. Any academic unit may issue additional or more specific information that is consistent with approved policy. 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. var currentLocation = getCookie("SHRM_Core_CurrentUser_LocationID"); Below is a guide with suggestions and sample answers to help you complete your COVID vaccine religious exemption request using the Department of Defense 'DD 3177 Religious Exemption Form' along with notes to help you avoid the obvious "pitfalls" weaved into this document to undermine your ability to obtain a religious exemption. $("span.current-site").html("SHRM MENA "); 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. Sitting or standing for long periods of time in the same position is causing increased pain and is decreasing my mobility. Similarly, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires an employer to accommodate an employee's sincerely held religious beliefs or practices unless . 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. 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. As I believe you are aware, I am a Seventh-day Adventist. 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. For accommodation ideas by disability or limitation, visit JANs A to Z page. 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. An employer violated federal law when it refused to grant an employee an exemption from its mandatory flu shot policy without a note from a clergy leader, the federal government has alleged in a . I am a Seventh-day Adventist, and I observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. $(document).ready(function () { The Department's reasonable accommodation policy is outlined within Personnel Bulletin 21-03 Processing Requests for Reasonable Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities. When we met with you, we discussed what type of accommodation you . 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. I am grateful for my job, and always strive to do my very best at work. 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. how the accommodation will help resolve the conflict between your religious beliefs or practices and a university policy, procedure, or other requirement. You can also download it, export it or print it out. 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. Kosher Meal Plans: The university offers severalKosher meal plan optionsthat can be used at the The Taam Tov section of theHopkins Cafe. Sabbath Accommodation Request - Employee Letter, Seventh-day Adventist Publications on Church - State Subjects. description of the accommodation you are requesting; A written letter to the chief official of the school, President Sylvia Burwell, that states the immunization would violate their religious belief as required by DC Code Section 38-506. Request for Accommodation of Religious Practice SAMPLE 1. 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. Writing A Hardship Letter To Social Security. 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. The law requires that educational institutions must develop policies to accommodate student absences to allow students to take holidays for reasons of faith or conscience or for organized . 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. This is a matter of considerable importance and urgency to me. These may prove helpful to consult. 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 Governor Jay Inslee is requiring thousands of employees to get . 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. I would also be open to any other suggestions that you might have. Particular considerations for different accommodation types include: A request for a religious accommodation for housing must be made before housing is requested. Please enable scripts and reload this page. In most cases, students should seek to make arrangements with the appropriate University office first, contacting professors, residential life, or dining services. So you can pray. Requests for religious accommodations must be assessed on a case-by-case basis, considering the unique facts; the nature of the requested religious accommodation; the effect of approval or denial on the Service member's exercise of religion; and the effect of approval or denial on mission accomplishment, including unit cohesion. As we approach the winter months, however, the sun sets earlier than at present. 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. The University may suggest an alternative accommodation it deems reasonable to accommodate a request. [1] Faculty/staff are hereafter referred to as employee(s).[2] Students who cannot take a quiz, test, or final exam on a scheduled date due to a religious observance must inform OIE of any conflicts before the semesters add/drop deadline, or as soon as possible after a particular assignment or examination date is announced. Religious Accommodation Request Resolution Employee (identified below) has requested an accommodation related to a religious belief, practice, and/or requirement. This includes people who belong to traditional, organized religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism or Sikhism, as well as people who have newer or less common religious beliefs, and atheists. 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). Recognizing a Religious Accommodation RequestThe Office of Institutional Equity ("OIE") receives and reviews all religious accommodation requests, including but not limited to vaccine exceptionrequests. 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. Members can get help with HR questions via phone, chat or email. 1-844-234-5122 (ASL Video Phone), Call 1-800-669-4000 CO/OICs will accommodate . On [enter date or dates] we will be observing [name of holiday]. Questions #1-7: Basic Information Questions 1 - 7 require . Your address "Each of the manufactures of the Covid vaccines currently available developed and confirmed their vaccines using fetal cell lines, which originated from aborted fetuses. All content available on or through samplehardshipletter.org is for general information purposes only. The sample letter linked contains false information such as: The COVID-19 vaccines are experimental gene therapy. 3. Send religious accommodation letter sample via email, link, or fax. Religious beliefs are one freedom protected in the workplace by Title VII of the US Civil Rights Act of 1964. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Religious Exemption Letter. 3. It is the policy of the University of Washington to reasonably accommodate students' religious observances in accordance with RCW 28B.137.010..