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Original poster

To have objected to ‘prayers’ at work

587 replies

Iamthewintersale · 21/01/2025 13:56

Will try to keep this brief… Work in a team of 12, 6 in U.K. and 6 in USA ( mid-west) and once a week we have a team meeting that we take turns in running.

Tomorrow is the turn of A. A is a Republican, church goer, voted Trump because she wanted, quote ‘More money in my pocket book and illegals dealt with’.
So far so MAGA. This came up pre-election as she’s the only Trump fan on the team and was open about it.

On the agenda for the meeting is ‘Prayer’ as point one. I pinged manager a note saying what?? A thinks it would be nice to start off with a prayer. As a team. I have asked for it to be OFF the agenda. US manager thinks it’s ‘harmless’ but has said will clarify.

AIBU to think it’s totally inappropriate??? I’m an atheist for a start, most of my U.K. team are the same or at least agnostic.

Seems weird that she’s never tried this before, but suddenly Trump ‘god saved me to MAGA’ is inaugurated and a team prayer is in the agenda.
We are a large global company, BTW, not some local mom & pop outfit that sells bibles…

YANBU - work is secular. She keeps her views and prayers to herself own time.

YABU - lighten up, what harm can it do.

OP posts:
CrowleyKitten · 25/01/2025 22:56

ScaryM0nster · 22/01/2025 11:12

It’s pretty common for team meetings to have some kind of ‘pause for thought’ type section.

In the same vein some radio shows do.

I see no problem with it as long as active participation is optional. It’s no skin off anyone’s nose to quietly observe a short period of meditation, or prayer, or thanks, or person sharing their xperience of how in this particularly cold snap you need to be careful with using screen wash as it might freeze on the windscreen and make things worse (last memory from a uk/us team meeting when Houston briefly got sub zero).

and how do you think the person that suggested that prayer would react if a colleague of a different religion suggested they do the same? I very much doubt they would "quietly observe" if it were, say, a Muslim or Pagan colleague leading a prayer.

godmum56 · 25/01/2025 18:58

ScaryM0nster · 22/01/2025 11:12

It’s pretty common for team meetings to have some kind of ‘pause for thought’ type section.

In the same vein some radio shows do.

I see no problem with it as long as active participation is optional. It’s no skin off anyone’s nose to quietly observe a short period of meditation, or prayer, or thanks, or person sharing their xperience of how in this particularly cold snap you need to be careful with using screen wash as it might freeze on the windscreen and make things worse (last memory from a uk/us team meeting when Houston briefly got sub zero).

on what planet?

crockofshite · 23/01/2025 18:17

A lot of companies have designated prayer rooms for private use.

If she feels a prayer coming on, the godly trumpet can take herself off to the designated private prayer space and let it all blurt out in her own time.

travellinglighter · 23/01/2025 15:37

It’s a military thing as well, morning prayers can be used to describe the brief on the overnight situation.

Abitofalark · 23/01/2025 15:08

Mommybunny · 22/01/2025 19:19

I’m an American who thinks this is bonkers fwiw but I worked briefly for a team in a major U.K. law firm just a couple of years ago that had a weekly meeting they called “prayers”. Not a single religious word was spoken but it was an opportunity for the team to brief each other on the matters they were working on, legal developments etc. It was always well attended because breakfast was served. I never knew why it was called “prayers” - I expect it was a vestige of a time when real prayers might have been said.

It's a tradition found at senior levels in professions or government and not particular to lawyers. A regular weekly meeting of senior staff with the boss and colleagues providing an opportunity to raise matters, make requests or highlight anything of note. It's not for religious prayer.

Mommybunny · 23/01/2025 13:59

CarolinaInTheMorning · 23/01/2025 13:48

And in US civil procedure (varies by jurisdiction and type of case), a pleading will include a "prayer for relief." Prayer is a long-standing legal term.

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Yes exactly. I’m totally familiar with the term in that context, but it sounded strange to me in the context of a meeting.

Mommybunny · 23/01/2025 13:57

NoBinturongsHereMate · 23/01/2025 11:30

More likely to be linked to 'pray in aid' than 'pray tell'. The former is a specific legal term about asking for/using something as assistance and support.

Makes sense - “prayer” used as a synonym for “petition”.

(sorry I didn’t mean to hijack the thread with a legal discussion)

CarolinaInTheMorning · 23/01/2025 13:48

NoBinturongsHereMate · 23/01/2025 11:30

More likely to be linked to 'pray in aid' than 'pray tell'. The former is a specific legal term about asking for/using something as assistance and support.

And in US civil procedure (varies by jurisdiction and type of case), a pleading will include a "prayer for relief." Prayer is a long-standing legal term.

JessicafelloffTheKnappett · 23/01/2025 11:54

NoBinturongsHereMate · 23/01/2025 11:30

More likely to be linked to 'pray in aid' than 'pray tell'. The former is a specific legal term about asking for/using something as assistance and support.

Thanks @NoBinturongsHereMate 🙏, good to know. Anyway, not related to religious praying.

NoBinturongsHereMate · 23/01/2025 11:30

More likely to be linked to 'pray in aid' than 'pray tell'. The former is a specific legal term about asking for/using something as assistance and support.

JessicafelloffTheKnappett · 23/01/2025 11:08

Perhaps I'm wrong (& IANAL) but to me the "morning prayers" in law offices are likely linked to Pray Tell.... as in another way of saying, let's have a Team Catch up / Town Hall / All Hands etc....

MrsBuntyS · 23/01/2025 10:19

DH is a corporate lawyer and ‘morning prayers’ is in his diary a lot. It is just jargon for a catch up meeting. We aren’t allowed to eat or drink in teams meetings during Ramadan with our GCC colleagues which is fair enough. I work in a v v global company and we avoid any talk of politics or religion. We don’t have any Americans though so …

maddening · 23/01/2025 10:04

Her voting selection is nothing to do with it.

It is totally inappropriate for any religious prayer regardless of the religion to be brought in to team meetings

Original poster
Iamthewintersale · 23/01/2025 10:02

‘ Corporate policy was no discussion of politics or religion in the workplace. Nothing in your office that hinted at your affiliations. It was a policy that was strictly enforced.’

We definitely don’t have any such policy, Insuppose with so many people and locations they expect people just to be sensible about it but as the political climate and government DO very much affect our business it would be odd to try to forbid any discussion around this.

OP posts:
Mommybunny · 23/01/2025 07:49

Ohnobackagain · 22/01/2025 21:33

@Mommybunny and @Mirabai prayers has a different meaning in the legal world (at least in UK), or used to. Perhaps it was that.

Could well be, I’m a lawyer myself but not UK qualified. In any event I don’t think it was a joke.

britinnyc · 22/01/2025 21:54

YANBU, I am in the US and we have a policy at work about using work communication for any political or religious discussion, these topics are divisive and need to be kept out of the workplace. This is the norm IME unless the workplace is affiliated with a religion (Catholic school etc).

ChicLilacSeal · 22/01/2025 21:49

Iamthewintersale · 22/01/2025 16:36

Meeting went ahead, no prayers but colleague did manage to mention ‘our new president’ and her optimism for the future… which was immediately shot down by another colleague in the USA as the new edicts around several things are likely to impact their Revenue…
any more is too outing but that solidifies that the prayers are going to have a political tinge to them…

Oh nooooo, she did not!!

Someone really needs to let this person know that politics and religion are inappropriate in the workplace!

ChicLilacSeal · 22/01/2025 21:38

Garlicnorth · 21/01/2025 23:23

You can mix these up with exclamations of "Allahu Akhbar!", "Satan, have pity on my long despair!", "Ramen 🙏" and "I believe in fairies" 😂

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Ramen 😂

CautiousLurker01 · 22/01/2025 21:36

ChicLilacSeal · 22/01/2025 21:34

Since the company and the people hosting the meeting are in the US, I wonder if UK law would not apply? I don't know.

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If it’s operating in the UK and the participating employees are UK tax resident/on UK contracts, it will be bound by UK employment law.

ChicLilacSeal · 22/01/2025 21:34

CautiousLurker01 · 21/01/2025 14:48

According to UK law, it is illegal to require employees to take part in acts of prayer/religious service. The Equality Act 2010 protects both your right to take part in a religion and NOT to observe one without discrimination or disadvantage in UK employment settings.

I’d email her and state that, consequent to the above, including prayer in a meeting as she has done is illegal here and that it needs to be removed from the agenda. It is not harmless.

Since the company and the people hosting the meeting are in the US, I wonder if UK law would not apply? I don't know.

Ohnobackagain · 22/01/2025 21:33

@Mommybunny and @Mirabai prayers has a different meaning in the legal world (at least in UK), or used to. Perhaps it was that.

SerendipityJane · 22/01/2025 20:43

One job I had, there were "The Gods" - C++, SQL and x86 assembler experts respectively. Everyone referred to them as that.

Gonners · 22/01/2025 20:25

Arf @NoBinturongsHereMate - It's a shame I don't still have a job, as I love the idea of signing off emails to elderly clients with:

Yours-in-Christ
Gonners
Strictly was crap last night, wasn't it?
Gotta go ... my pizza's getting cold.

NoBinturongsHereMate · 22/01/2025 20:11

Gwenhwyfar · 22/01/2025 19:07

That's just them expressing their religion though, not forcing it on anybody else.

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In a completely inappropriate way.

Email signatures are for essential work related info (name, job title, contact details, possibly a standard corporate message). Not for personal beliefs or views - bible verses have no more place than a review of last night's TV or what you're having for lunch.

CulturalNomad · 22/01/2025 20:10

no prayers but colleague did manage to mention ‘our new president’ and her optimism for the future

I worked in the American headquarters of a large multinational insurance company and a statement like that would have been strictly forbidden. Corporate policy was no discussion of politics or religion in the workplace. Nothing in your office that hinted at your affiliations. It was a policy that was strictly enforced.

Obviously if the election was germane to your work product you could mention it, but you sure as heck better not give a hint as to your personal feelings about it.

I'm surprised at the amount of political and religious discussion taking place in your work environment.