religious accommodation request letter sample

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. (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. 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. . 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 . Please let me know your decision at your earliest convenience. Please contact dining@jhu.edu or consult the Hopkins dining webpage if you have additional questions. I am a Seventh-day Adventist, and I observe the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow sufficient time to engage in an interactive process. I would like to request accommodations so that I might be able to perform my job effectively before my performance starts to suffer. 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.}. A request for a religious accommodation for housing must be made before housing is requested. Thank you for your consideration and understanding in this matter. Request for Religious Accommodation . 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. Make sure, as well, that the letter does not contain any grammatical or spelling errors. This observance coincides with [name of assignment] that is listed on the syllabus. In addition, it . Once OIE has all supporting documentation, it will strive for a 5 business day turnaround. Make a temporary accommodation while a permanent one is being arranged. 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. 6. A letter from a religious leader of the faith community to which the student is a member stating the need for an exemption. To permit me to have Sabbath off once or twice a month would not suffice as a reasonable accommodation, since it would still force me to choose between my religion and my job. I have joined the office 5 months ago. Train managers to recognize religious exemption requests and to refer them to HR. OIE will then gather the necessary informationtoconsiderthe request. Sabbath Accommodation - Sundown Request - Employee Letter, Seventh-day Adventist Publications on Church - State Subjects. Religious Accommodation Request - Template Back Top 3 0 obj 1-800-669-6820 (TTY) It is your responsibility to make sure your employer has received the letter, and it is your responsibility to follow it up to make sure that your requested changes have been made. Dear Professor [last name], I am enrolled in your course [course number]. 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. 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. Employers can push backgentlyon religious accommodation requests and don't have to grant requests that would result in an undue hardship, which is much easier for employers to show for religious accommodation requests than disability accommodation requests. You are exclusively responsible and bear all risks associated with any user-generated content you submit or read. 02. 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. *If you are a graduate student and the portal does not work for you, please contact Dining to be manually added. A request for a religious accommodation for housing must document: a description of the accommodation you are requesting; 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. Below I have included some possible ideas that could help at my workstation. 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. These may prove helpful to consult. T hank you for considering my request. 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. "Each of the manufactures of the Covid vaccines currently available developed and confirmed their vaccines using fetal cell lines, which originated from aborted fetuses. 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 . $(document).ready(function () { 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. Given ongoing construction in our building and increased dust from it, my allergy symptoms have greatly increased. An official website of the United States government. Virtual & Washington, DC | February 26-28, 2023. On [enter date or dates] we will be observing [name of holiday]. 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. 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. 3. Make accommodation policies clear, and apply them equally even if the employer has never heard of the religion. << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 5511 >> Examples of possible . 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. The Orthodox Union certifies the Kosher program and offers lunch and dinner Sundays through Thursdays and lunch on Fridays. It has become more difficult to breathe while in the office, even in my own personal office. Companies, however, have a leg up on public-sector employers when it comes to dealing with religious challenges to vaccine mandates. 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. Religious beliefs are one freedom protected in the workplace by Title VII of the US Civil Rights Act of 1964. That being said, you should write your exemption letter in your own words according . Click the link TO DOWNLOAD A RAMADAN RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS REQUEST TEMPLATE. There is no public health emergency. In Exodus 20, the Bible commands us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, and to refrain from work on that day. var currentLocation = getCookie("SHRM_Core_CurrentUser_LocationID"); However, the rules do stipulate that you must make requests for certain accommodations based on your religious beliefs. 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. 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. 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). An employer that requires vaccinations against COVID-19 must grant sincere religious accommodation requests, so long as they. Your printed name. Find the latest news and members-only resources that can help employers navigate in an uncertain economy. employee-religious-exemption-november-2021 Download Vaccine Religious Exemption 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. Ramadan Meal Options:Hopkins Dining is happy to add additional services and holiday specific menu items for students during Ramadan. An employer must try to arrange to allow the employee to meet these religious obligations. An employer that rejects such a request should be OK if it's sued in such circumstances, and it likely will be sued, she added. The Department's reasonable accommodation policy is outlined within Personnel Bulletin 21-03 Processing Requests for Reasonable Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities. I look forward to hearing from you soon regarding this request. if there are additional services at other times, or services offered on campus versus at a home congregation). I am enrolled in your course [course number]. 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 . To request a religious accommodation: You must submit the Request for Religious Accommodation Form t o your Departmental HR Manager (DHRM) or their designee. 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. 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. State that your request is not costly, inconvenient, or unsafe in any way, and should therefore be granted. You can also download it, export it or print it out. Please purchase a SHRM membership before saving bookmarks. 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. I would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation due to religious belief. 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. 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. Any such request must be in a typed, legible, and double-sided letter. General Information Catalog IT Policies, Standards, and Guidelines Employer's name if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-china.aspx") > -1) { Second, the religious belief must be "sincerely held" to be entitled to accommodation. 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). Find your nearest EEOC office For incoming students, a request must be made at the earliest possible opportunity after admission. And, it is also for encouraging and enticing your clients to visit your place of business as well. Please give this request consideration at your earliest convenience. 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. 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. Gathering InformationOIE asks students and employees to complete the religious accommodation request form. stream 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. 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. A religious accommodation is any adjustment to the work environment that will allow an employee or applicant to practice his or her religion.