And, as you and many employers have found, large numbers of employees now claim religious exemptions to avoid vaccinations. Yes, you need to accommodate employees with sincerely held religious beliefs if you can do so without undue hardship or their presence poses a direct threat to others’ health and safety. Except - if we accommodate these employees, it makes our newly instituted mandatory vaccination policy meaningless. What can we do? My HR officer and I understand we’re obligated to “reasonably accommodate” sincerely held religious beliefs. It says employees can refuse vaccinations because vaccines interfere with divine providence. The Bible tells me my body is a temple.” I suspect the few unvaccinated employees who haven’t yet claimed a religious exemption didn’t see what one of our employees helpfully posted next to the break room coffeepot. I’m holding a dozen exemption requests that use an identical phrase: “This mandate directly affects my religious beliefs.

Within days of announcing our mandatory COVID vaccination policy, 90% of our unvaccinated employees found religion. If I’m to believe the stack of religious exemptions on my desk, a miracle unfolded in our company last week. Updated: NovemPublished: November 22, 2021

Jehovah witness vaccine exemption