EEOC Issues New Guidance on Religious and Pregnancy Vaccine Accommodations! How can the Updates Help You Mitigate these Exemptions?

EEOC and Vaccine Accommodations 2022

On 13th January 2022, the Supreme Court blocked the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) ETS Rule on vaccine mandates for private Employers with 100+ employees. Now it is more important than ever that Employers are more aware of how to mitigate vaccine mandates in the workplace based on the current US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) mandates.

The EEOC recently updated its COVID-19 guidance, detailing its view of employer obligations under Title VII when evaluating religious objections to COVID-19 vaccination mandates. The EEOC also added guidance on requests for accommodation based on pregnancy under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Together, these comprise the second significant update to EEOC’s COVID-19 guidance since the FDA and CDC authorized COVID-19 vaccines.

Employers who implemented vaccine mandates have faced a tidal wave of requests for religious exemptions. The sheer volume of requests combined with the difficulty of separating protected versus unprotected claims, all while respecting an employee’s stated beliefs, has been a significant challenge for human resources and legal departments. With these latest updates, made on October 13, and October 25, 2021, the EEOC has attempted to provide clearer guidance to employers on accommodation requests.

Although, the OSHA ETS Rule is blocked for large private companies, Employers need to prepare for the possibility that there may be some form of a version of the mandate. Until then, the EEOC is the mandate that needs to clear for the workplace.

Join us on Compliancevent to learn the next steps Employers look forward to take from January 2022 onwards. You’ll also receive FREE customized compliance tools to appreciate your participation.

Why You Should Attend it?

The EEOC had informed employers that they can mandate vaccines in the workplace. However, since the EEOC’s directive, Employers have experienced confusion and frustration with mitigating exemptions for the vaccine especially when it comes to sincerely held religious beliefs and pregnancy. Although the EEOC has provided an update on these issues, Employers are still grappling with handling these issues. This training will provide Employers and professionals how to mitigate this challenge.

What You'll Learn

-Why did the EEOC issue these new guidance’s at this time?
-What are the challenges with requests for sincerely held religious beliefs?
-How can you use the new guidelines by EEOC while making decisions about the credibility of the requests for religious exemptions?
-Learn if the EEOC form created for religious exemption can be an effective tool in your company
-What factors can impact how you determine reasonable accommodations for both exemptions?
-Why is pregnancy still on the list by EEOC as an exemption to the vaccine mandate?
-How can Employers manage the challenges based on their policies?
-Now that the OSHA Rule is suspended, for now, learn what Employers need to do while they wait for the legal update
-What impact do Employers have if they exceed the EEOC guidelines on religious exemption and pregnancy?
-Employers now more than ever need to understand the Reasonable Accommodation process and how to use it effectively for vaccine exemptions
-Learn why pregnancy concerns by pregnant women, lactating and women interested in getting pregnant are real and significant
-Learn why litigation may still be  a risk no matter what the EEOC new guidance says
-What is the most effective course of action when you decide to terminate employees who refuse the vaccine?

Who Must Join

-All Employers
-Business Owners
-Company Leadership
-Compliance professionals
-HR Professionals
-Compliance Professionals
-Managers/Supervisors
-Large Business Owners
-Company Leadership

You may ask your Question directly to our expert during the Q&A session.