To have objected to ‘prayers’ at work

[Iamthewintersale]

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.

Absolutely ridiculous. What kind of company do you work for?! This would feel ludicrous in all jobs I've had!

PS I work with a lot of US people so am quite used to them dropping in comments about their church, or bible study or the whole ‘god bless ‘Merica’ thing but this feels much more intrusive to me.

If she insists, ask if you can do a pagan prayer at the next meeting.

Obviously it's inappropriate. No further discussion, tbh.

Prayers should be voluntary, no-one forced to take part or listen. If it was that five minutes before the meeting, those who want to take part are invited to do so, that would be OK to me.

Not on a meeting agenda, no way. That is utterly inappropriate.

Unless it was stated as part of the original contract, I would state clearly that I do not take part in any organised religion and I would not be taking part.

Beyond weird and presumptuous.

I think it's totally inappropriate. People's personal beliefs have no place in the workplace (unless that workplace is e.g. a church, mosque or whatever).

If this item stays in the agenda I would turn my camera off and absent myself until it was over.

Of course YANBU. People can pray in their own time, or in their heads during a meeting if need be, but collective prayer should be kept out of the workplace.

Yes totally inappropriate. And unprofessional

Prayer to start a work meeting? No!
Perhaps this is normal though for the woman proposing it so a bit of cultural sensitivity might be needed. If she wants a prayer time she could start the meeting five minutes early and let everyone know so they can join her if they want to.

Totally inappropriate, Americans are nuts. At a big family birthday party a couple of years ago, an American in-law made a speech and suddenly asked everyone to pray in the middle of it. The rest of us being Brits, we just quietly gave each other looks across the tables while she wanged on about blessings.

A is being inappropriate to try to insert their religion into a work meeting.

If it goes ahead, fine your inner Quaker. Sit in silence for 5 minutes at the next meeting.

YANBU

If she wants to pray at the start of the workday nobody is stopping her, but she doesn’t get to make all the rest of you do it.

Prayers are bad enough but linking them to an election is even more mind bogglingly weird and inappropriate. America really is a foreign country.

Ha, another U.K. colleague has just messaged me with a ‘WTF?’

I think I would be raising an item/objection under AOB.

I wonder if you inform your manager you are an atheist, going ahead with a group prayer in the meeting might count as a contravention of your rights under the protected characteristic of religion.

Alternatively, could it be an autocorrect for something else? My phone autocorrects to some really bizarre stuff and if A writes the word prayer frequently, it could potentially be that.

I am a Christian. And I totally disagree with taking faith into work. Performative religion is a bore.

Do you have any non-Christian colleagues who would be happy to do the prayers. I'd like to see the response if Mo suggested some Islamic prayers

I’m in the United States. It would be considered completely inappropriate in any workplace I have been.

If this is not removed from the agenda, contact HR.

Is this an American owned company or European?
Rightly or wrongly that would probably affect my visible reaction to this (despite actually thinking wtf 🤣)

I'd ask to be excluded for that part on the grounds of me being an atheist. Anyone else should be allowed to step out for that part. Hopefully, this should make management realise how inappropriate prayer is in a work setting.

Can the UK team join the meeting 10 minutes after the start?