![]() ![]() Documentation of receiving a COVID-19 primary vaccine series will no longer be necessary for students and employees.Each year, students and employees will be required to either receive the COVID-19 vaccination or officially decline it.The following key points have been highlighted: Here is the August letter we received from President Drake regarding important updates on COVID-19 vaccination requirements at the University. As soon as the revised policy is approved, we will swiftly update the information and provide the latest details. If there is more than one accommodation that would resolve the conflict, the employer may choose which religious accommodation to offer.The UC Office of the President (UCOP) is presently in the process of reviewing the UC vaccination policy, with plans to implement updates in August 2023.If an employer grants some employees a religious accommodation from a COVID-19 vaccination requirement, the employer is not required to grant all employee requests for accommodation. ![]() Undue hardship has been found when the religious accommodation “impair workplace safety, diminish efficiency in other jobs, or cause coworkers to carry the accommodated employee’s share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work.”.When considering whether a request for a religious accommodation causes an “undue hardship,” the employer should consider not only the cost associated with the accommodation, “but also the burden on the conduct of the employer’s business,” including the risk of spreading COVID-19 to other employees or to the public.An employer should consider all possible reasonable accommodations, including telework and reassignment.As a best practice, employers should notify employees and applicants of the specific procedures for requesting a religious accommodation.If an employee is waiting for a specific brand of the vaccine or an alternative version of the vaccine to become available because the employee has a conflict with receiving a particular vaccine based on the employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs, the employee may request a religious accommodation.However, because an employee’s beliefs or degree of adherence may change over time, an employee’s newly adopted or inconsistently held belief may still be sincerely held. An employee’s prior inconsistent conduct is relevant to whether an employee’s religious belief is sincerely held.If an employer has an objective basis for questioning, the employer would be justified in making a limited inquiry and requesting additional supporting information. Employers should assume that a request for a religious accommodation is based on a sincerely held belief unless the employer has an objective basis for questioning either the religious nature or sincerity of a particular belief. ![]() Title VII does not cover objections to a workplace vaccination policy for social, political or economic reasons, personal preferences or nonreligious concerns regarding possible side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, because such objections are not considered “religious beliefs” under Title VII.When requesting a religious accommodation, an employee does not need to use any “magic words” such as “religious accommodation.” The employee must advise its employer that there is a conflict with the employee’s sincerely held religious belief and the employer’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement.The update, among other recommendations, provides the following guidance to employers: On October 25, 2021, the EEOC updated its technical guidance for employers addressing the religious exemption from COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Many employees believe their personal belief is akin to religion. The religious exemption, however, has caused some confusion as what constitutes a religious objection. The medical exemption is straightforward and can be determined by documentation from a medical professional. ![]() As previously posted, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has only recognized two exemptions: medical and religious. With new laws being passed mandating employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, many employees and employers have been wondering about exemptions. ![]()
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