EEOC posts update on religious objections to COVID-19 vaccines

This week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) posted updated and expanded technical assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance addresses questions about religious objections to employer COVID-19 vaccine requirements and how they interact with federal Equal Employment Opportunity laws. Among key updates, the guidance said requests for religious exemptions from vaccination do not need to include any specific language and employers should assume requests are based on sincerely held religious beliefs unless they have an objective basis for questioning requests. Employers that can demonstrate “undue hardship” are not required to grant an employee’s request for a religious accommodation. (AHA News article, 10/25/21)