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USA Operations Centers Religious Accommodation Policy May 2017
As this policy is reviewed, please note the following States/Areas for which exceptions exist:
Utah
Specific details on each section may be found within the General Information of this text.
It is Joyner's policy, once on notice that a religious accommodation is needed, to reasonably accommodate an employee or applicant whose sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance conflicts with a work requirement, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship. A religious accommodation poses an undue hardship when the proposed accommodation in a particular case poses a more than de minimus cost or burden. Accommodation requests by employees should be submitted in writing, via the Religious Accommodation (RA) Request and Questionnaire and must make Joyner aware of both the need for an accommodation, and that it is being requested due to a conflict between religion and work. Accommodation requests by applicants should be submitted to the assigned Recruiter.
The Definition of Religion and Religious Practices The term religion includes not only traditional, organized religious such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, but also religious beliefs that are new, uncommon, not part of a formal church or sect, only subscribed to by a small number of people, or that seem illogical or unreasonable to others.
Religious observances or practices may include attending worship services, praying, wearing religious garb or symbols, displaying religious objects, adhering to certain dietary rules, proselytizing or other forms of religious expression, or refraining from certain activities. Whether a practice is religious depends on the person’s motivation. The same practice might be engaged in by one person for religious reasons and by another person for purely secular reasons.
State Exceptions
Utah - An employee may express his/her religious or moral beliefs and commitments in the workplace in a reasonable, non-disruptive, and non-harassing way on equal terms with similar types of expression of beliefs or commitments allowed by the employer in the workplace, unless the expression is in direct conflict with the essential business-related interests of the employer.
Written Request
The employee should submit a request for a religious accommodation in writing using the RA Request and Questionnaire to his/her immediate supervisor.
The employee will receive a written response from management, via the RA Request and Questionnaire.
A new written request for a religious accommodation must be completed, if applicable, each time an employee changes jobs, or if there are substantial changes to the working conditions of the job for which the request was granted. It is not necessary to complete a new request with each change in leadership (in current/existing job).
Managers should be aware of the policy.
Management should engage in the interactive process to determine the appropriate course of action, make the accommodation decision, and discuss with the HREC if necessary.
Management should provide, in a timely fashion, a written response to the employee via the RA Request and Questionnaire received from the employee. Once the RA Request and Questionnaire is completed by the manager, it will route to HR Records for appropriate storage in the employee's Official Employee Drop FIle (OEDF).
In the event that a supervisor leaves for another position, that supervisor should ensure that his/her replacement is aware of any existing accommodations.
HREC may consult with leadership in the employee’s department, with Employee Relations, and/or with Legal Services as needed. HREC should be familiar with the policy, and should be able to provide counsel to business partners.
Recruiting:
If an external applicant requests a Religious Accommodation, the Recruiter should have the external applicant provide the request in writing (e.g. via email).
The Recruiter should continue the recruiting selection process until the contingent offer stage.
If the external applicant is selected to receive a contingent job offer, the Recruiter should engage in the interactive process to determine if an accommodation can be provided.
If an accommodation can be provided, the Recruiter will respond in writing to the external applicant. The response will be shared with the hiring manager and sent to HR Records for storage in the Official Employee Drop File (OEDF).