FAQs and Guidance on Religious Exceptions to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

2 minute read

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued FAQs and guidance about how employers should handle employee requests for religious exceptions to their workplace COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The FAQs address how employers should comply with Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act (Title VII), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and other federal fair employment laws while also observing all applicable emergency workplace safety guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.

The new FAQs clarify, among other things, that employers with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate:

• May require employees to receive vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment;
• Must accommodate medical and religious-based refusals to receive the vaccine, unless it would cause undue hardship;
• Are not required to grant vaccine mandate exemptions for social, political, or economic views or personal preferences; and
• Should generally avoid questioning the sincerity or nature of an employee’s religious beliefs.

Employers subject to Title VII and other federal fair employment laws should not only become familiar with these FAQs but also review the EEOC’s full guidance on COVID-19 and federal fair employment laws

Download the following bulletins for more details.

EEOC Issues Guidance on Religious Objections to Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

New EEOC FAQs on Requests for Religious Exceptions to Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

EEOC Adds FAQs Addressing Religious Objections to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Under Title VII

This blog is intended to be a compilation of information and resources pulled from federal, state, and local agencies. This is not intended to be legal advice. For up to the minute information and guidance on COVID-19, please follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and your local health organizations.