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.

Oh yes, really nice. "I wish that shooter had managed to kill Trump"

I am an active Christian and I would find this inappropriate in a completely secular organisation. As a previous poster has commented in such a setting as a faith based school I would not object even if it were a different denomination or faith to mine. I have been in this situation and would maintain a respectful silence if I felt that I could not join in.

Oh, I’m sure 100s and 100s if not thousands of the US staff are… someone voted for him!

"I have online meetings where the team chats about football/rugby from the weekend."

But is "chat about football" an actual agenda item as in this case?

I would reply all with a list of ‘suggested order of prayers for meetings going forward’:
Jewish; Catholic; Hindu; C of E; Sikh; Jain; Pagan; Protestant; Wiccan; Humanist( Islamic; and ask if anyone has any others they would like to add.

I would ask if next time you can sacrificial a goat/lamb/virgin according to your religion

Other UK colleague has mentioned to line manager that it contravenes U.K. law… so I don’t think prayers will be happening. Not at this meeting anyway.

Well I’m neither an atheist nor an agnostic- but this is highly inappropriate. Work is secular religion/belief is a private matter.

As a Christian, couldn't agree more

@Iamthewintersale That’s batshit, don’t put up with it. This person is attempting to set a precedent & she will no doubt continue to push more & more boundaries to test how far she can go. So your company needs to nip her nonsense in the bud! If she does not like it, she can resign and go to work for a church or the rump administration.

I do love a song or a poem and would gladly volunteer to inflict entertain the meeting with my singing of a favourite song or recite a poem. I could even do a psalm to combine it with religious sentiment. Wicked!

Any type of praying needs to be done outside of work time, its not something that should be happening during a work meeting.

Suggest that the that want to pray do so at a tea break or lunch break.

Same here. This is wholly inappropriate.

Absolutely inappropriate and possibly illegal.

Genuinely curious, what makes you think it could possibly be illegal?

Very performative - inappropriately so. Although frankly 'give me strength' is often on my lips in meetings ...

I'm a Christian and think this is utterly mad. I've only ever had prayer happen in one workplace and that was a Christian charity and it was an optional prayer meeting at the beginning of the day. It's completely inappropriate in any other setting.

You're likely to see more instances like this unfortunately.

A PP commented that such people felt "entitled" to push their prayer routine on to others; as good as demanding that they participate before a joint meeting.

I would say yes, they feel entitled, but also VERY MUCH Emboldened now too, in their own country and beyond, and not just with prayers.

I think you should be firm with your US manager, who thinks this is 'harmless' ; make sure he clarifies this. A huge global company should not be letting one person dictate how a meeting begins.

The respectful way for people to drop out is for the item to drop off the agenda and people not be forced to take part or even entertain it as part of a work meeting HTH.

Here or in the US.

Private religious observance during the working day, which is where Islamic worship comes into workplaces, is wholly different to requiring colleagues to participate in a group religious activity against their will. The protected characteristic of religion or belief is at play in both cases in both UK and US legislation.

Because possibly asking people to attend a meeting and then want to have a pray at the start - then forcing those not want to pray to leave the room is going to have some type of regulation.

As its forcing people to either ray or leave the start of the meeting, which is not appropriate behaviour - have the prays t another time for this that do want to take part. Forcing someone to leave a room is the part that is probably illegal, if it is illegal

wasn't there a whole thing in Bideford a while back at the council meeting about praying at the start

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-16980025

a while back - then realises it was 13 years....ffs

YANBU, its extremely inappropriate to have prayer in a work meeting

I would imagine that forcing all staff to participate in a religious ceremony would count as direct discrimination and fall foul of the Equality Act.