That prayer to Jesus is inappropriate at a company party?

You talk a lot about respect..
I have in no way suggested that people should think the same way I do about my faith. I wouldn’t personally pray in that situation, as I’ve said. If I was aware that there would be a prayer from a person of a different faith or none, I’d just behave respectfully towards that person. We may not share a faith, but we share a common humanity and I’d take pleasure in their words. I certainly wouldn’t be offended and going on about feeling disrespected. I’d actually think that complaining in that situation, unless something offensive was said, would be arrogant. It all feels a bit immature TBH.
I do however think that people should think hard about the culture that we seem to be embracing of being so offended.
The biggest respect that we could give each other is to stop being so outraged and maybe be a little more tolerant of things and of each other. There is nothing to be gained by this attitude of frequently being offended by things that actually don’t harm anyone. It’s becoming ridiculous. We generally teach our children tolerance, but what are they learning when their parents have attitudes like this?
Imagine what society would be like if we could all shrug our shoulders in situations like this, disagree inwardly, smile and move on. Obviously there are many things that we truly should be outraged about, but someone (perhaps misguidedly) saying a prayer of love and gratitude surely isn’t one of them. If it is, I think we have a big problem.

Were the colleagues also expected to pray? Or just sit quietly for a moment when someone else did? Do you think they would have been reprimanded in any had had they not?
Also, do you think all work Christmas parties follow strict work etiquette or are rules and expectations relaxed a little?
People will turn a blind eye to some harmless shenanigans at a Christmas party but dare someone say a quick Christian prayer and people are getting in a knot over it, give over.

It was a company-related end of year event. Ergo - this counts as the workplace.

Yeah.
Although was this scenario even in the workplace?

No, this isn't a correct interpretation. Of either the law or basic etiquette in work-related situations.

This is a workplace event. It's most 'inclusive' to be neutral in expression about issues like religion and politics. This is not 'in your day to day life' outside work and in your private life, where you are free, as long as it falls within the law of the UK, to believe and express any religious or political views you wish.

It's about the circumstances, context and setting. Again, it is not appropriate or "inclusive" to expect workplace colleagues to pray in the way that you might with your own family or friends. As I say - this is basic etiquette.

In the workplace??

Quite. They would've done the same as your company in my former (international, US-based) company too. UK employees, UK rules. However, it has been known for employees at some US-based companies to not quite understand the cultural and 'HR issues here and that what goes in the US is not necessarily global, nor can it be imposed globally (this goes for other aspects of company life, I found).

Eh, yeah.
Unless of course you're an uninclusive bigot.

Oh, so somebody requiring Christians, Muslims, Atheists and all other belief systems to stop what they were doing so they could recite a brachot before a meal would be absolutely fine?

Opinions and views which have not needed to be ratified by any ecclesiastical nod from the Vatican nor Canterbury.

Because Christmas qua jolly, traditional festival in the depths of Winter isn’t a religious observance event at all but a secular one, as much tied to folklore as to scripture.
The point is, there’s certainly the Christmas of the spirit or soul, with the birth of the Lord and that lovely Bethlehem story woven all around it, and then there’s the Christmas linked to the longed-for solstice, seen as a metaphor if you like, but all about letting loose and celebrating in a time of darkness and close gathering.

If you believe your Lord was born on 25 December then celebrate this with good heart! For all you know your next door neighbour might be a follower of Mithras, and celebrating the same thing.

Is this the magic of Christmas? That it is so wonderfully applicable to so many deep needs in late December, for brightness, warmth, feasting and sharing, songs and old traditions?
It’s so flexible and understanding, and no amount of tinsel and bad behaviour in the streets at chucking out time can besmirch whatever perfect truth it represents for you, in your secret heart.

The people of the UK were celebrating Yule and Winter Solstice way before the Romans invaded and forced Christianity upon us.

Many of the things we do at Xmas are from back then (lights, trees, yule logs, gifts etc).

It's been widely accepted in Theology for a long time that in all likelihood Jesus the man was born in October (from records and the description of the nativity scene in the Bible - mention of crops etc) and the adoption of the December birth was a reaction to many western populations refusing to give up their major celebrations - eg we were allowed to keep the celebration if we made it about Jesus.

A re-branding, if you will.

We lost many MANY traditions via religious rule.

The period is certainly not about Jesus for me and my family and many others.

Blessed Yule to all.x.

Indeed, and they probably wouldn't get their knickers in a twist over a quick prayer at a Christmas event.

Bit of a weird move.

This kind of thing didn't happen 50+ years ago so why now? Especially when we are now a majority agnostic country.

The resurgence of Christianity we're experiencing in the UK at the moment is nothing to do with religion - it's all about US style right-wing politics and I absolutely detest everything about it.

No place for it in politics and certainly not needed in the workplace.

Odd. She could have said a quiet prayer herself before eating if so inclined.
Come off it @40andlovelifeand @AwfullyGoodit was inappropriate. You do realise several other major holidays happen around the same time -Hanukkah and Bodhi Day for example? I’m Catholic and I would not do this.

You do know that many Jews, Hindus, and Muslims in GB do indeed mark Christmas, with a tree, a festive meal, and all that side of the fun?
To be in the swim with the rest of the population amongst whom they live, and to enjoy it 🎄a lot, too.

To be accurate, Christmas is supposed to be a celebration of the birth of Jesus, over 2000 years ago.

The fact that it’s changed is down to people's opinions and views over the years.

Not me. My winter festival is pagan and I’m proud of it, the patriarchal Christian church may have adopted our festivals to make themselves popular but there’s a long line of magical women who don’t forget.

I’m genuinely gobsmacked by the supporters of a strictly religious to Christmas here, with respect to this office party, weeks before 25 December.
( Fundamentalist Xians? Certainly something I’ve never encountered in my oen life, anyway)

so why was Christmas his Birthday Party then?

Right on. Well said!

But there’s no real scriptural or doctrinal substructure to Christmas in terms of an order of service, as it were.
We read that this or that occurred (and the nativity story we absorb depends on which Evangelist is relating it) but even the most devout would surely concede that here and now, it’s as much a cultural festival as a religious one.
More so.
It’s inescapably blended with threads and iconography belonging to an earlier tradition, probably two in fact, and every part of it is infinitely adaptable to one’s own preferences and to any or no degree of faith.
You can’t say that about many serious religious festivals.

If it made people uncomfortable then they are not very inclusive are they? Maybe they're just Christanophobic bigots, and as such maybe shouldn't go to any Christmas events? Unless of course they think it's perfectly OK to appropriate a Christian festival and bastardise it to such an extent that its origins are totally erased? Not very inclusive or kind.

It used to be, certainly. And the word reflects that etymological origin.

However - and this might come as a shock to you - for a lot of people in the UK, possibly even the majority, it's not about Jesus. It's about family, celebration and, yeah, commercialism.

Most cultures have a midwinter festival. The traditions and the rituals may shift and adapt, but the human instinct to mark the solstice stays much the same.

I’d be questioning that. I work for a US HQ’d company and while many American colleagues talk about god all the bloody time we’ve not reached the point where anyone would do this. HR would step in.

If it’s respect you’re concerned with, you will surely agree that out of respect you wouldn’t expect people to think or feel the way you do and, in fact, out of respect, if someone wants to showboat like that, they given people fair warning so that they can respectfully decide if they’d like to participate or not. I’m sure that out of respect, you wouldn’t be as arrogant as that.