Arbitrary Deadline for Requests for Religious Accommodations is Improper

Mission Hospital, Inc. has agreed to a settlement in a religious discrimination case.  The EEOC’s lawsuit alleged that the company mandates that employees receive a flu vaccination each year.  The company permitted employees to request an exemption for religious accommodations, but the company required the requests to be made by September 1.  The EEOC’s lawsuit claimed that three employees of Mission Hospital requested accommodations based on their sincerely held religious beliefs, but were denied because they made the request after September 1.  These three employees were later terminated.  See EEOC v. Mission Hospital, Inc., No. 1:16-CV-00118 (W.D.N.C.).