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.

As an employee of an international company I think you have a duty to point out how inappropriate this is in a UK setting. Just imagine if she tried it in a meeting with UK-based clients/suppliers. They'd think your whole company was nuts!

Yanbu, religion and politics are a no no at work. Your colleague seems like a bellend

The assumption that this will be Christian prayer, and you will all join in is breathtaking.

Time to join in with your witches prayer.

Unless you work for the church it seems bizarre. You should explain that this is awkward and discriminatory towards non Christian staff. If she wishes to pray with other Christians then do something privately. It shouldn't involve the whole company. Of course refuse to participate, but it shouldn't even really be happening at all in company time.

That’s an absolute no and I’m religious! I would be extremely unhappy about it. I am more than happy to support colleagues who need/want to pray during their breaks but not in a meeting.

It's totally fucking inappropriate to start a business meeting with a prayer.

Back in the early 2000s I had a boss who was an evangelical Christian and believed it was her duty to spread the word about Jesus to 'save' people. This was exactly the sort of stunt she used to try to pull. It wasn't appropriate then and it isn't appropriate now. You should not be asked to participate in prayers of any kind at work. Totally fine for staff to form a Christian network if they want to so they can talk about their faith and so on as a private group at lunchtimes or whatever. Fine for her to be open about her Christianity and talk about her church-related activities during social chit-chat etc. But not fine to add prayers to meetings.

I'm guessing your Christian colleague would kick off immediately if someone tried to include Muslim prayer rituals at the start of a meeting.

i would ask them to ping people who want no part of the prayers as soon as they're over and you'll join the meeting then.

Alternative: play some black sabbath while they're doing it.

Religion of any sort should have no place in the day to day running of society. It should be something people do in private whilst using their own personal time. It has far too much influence in too many societies and that’s not a good thing - think banning abortion.

YADNBU OP!

I'd ask your manager to either get it removed, or advise management that you will exit the meeting when that agenda point is hit, and they can message you when they move onto the next point for you to rejoin.

I was going to say I'd be OK with it till I realised she might be a Prosperity Gospel type and would be 'manifesting success in our business' which would completely annoy me - and I'm a Christian myself but I don't support any of that. So no, I think prayers should stay in private time prior to the meeting unless everyone is of the same mindset.

I think you need to separate out three things

• your dislike of her politics
• you dislike of her religion
• Having religious observance during a work meeting

As you work in the Uk you will be aware that people here have freedoms of both religion and political belief. This applies to everyone, even if you don’t agree with them. It’s a fundamental part of human rights here in the Uk and criticising someone for expressing their views is probably a breach of your company policy.

That’s different from the third point, which depends on your company custom and practice, if it’s not mentioned in policy.

If you don’t wish to particulate you can ask your line manager for a respectful way to opt out.

I understand it can be challenging to work with people of different cultures, ethnicities and religions from your own , but it’s important to respect differences and appreciate that a workplace benefits from diversity and acceptance.

Your HR dept might be able to provide some training for you and your team on diversity and inclusion.

I'm a devout Christian. If someone tried this at my work it would be a toss up between:

• Me volunteering to lead the prayer and praying for us to have the wisdom to keep divisive American politics out of the workplace/ praying that American Christians turn back to god and away from worshipping their country

• Pointedly asking if there will be a rotation of the prayer led by Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist colleagues etc (we're a very diverse workplace!)

I don't think it's inappropriate - no-one is forcing you to take part in the prayers, but others can do so if they wish. I have worked with the governing bodies of many faith schools over the years, and I've never known a meeting that did not start with a prayer on the agenda, sometimes a prayer at the end. I'm an atheist but have never had any problem in sitting quietly and respecting other people while they pray.

Prayers should play no part in business meetings, unless all participants have been consulted prior and given the option to opt out. I’d be taking this further.

Presumably that sort of shit is what you sing up for when you join a faith school.

The OP doesn't work for a faith school. Or a faith org.

Ask A Manager, a US based blog about work says it's legal as long as employees can genuinely opt out of religious stuff, she suggests some wording you could use for your (bonkers) co-worker or a manager https://www.askamanager.org/2012/06/when-your-boss-leads-a-workplace-dinner-in-prayer.html

I think you should advise your US manager that they're at risk of breaching UK law if they allow this.

As a person who lives in the US for 40ish years and has worked in the US for 25ish of those 40 years at various companies this would never, ever happen at any of the places that I have worked. With one exception - a church.

Grossly inappropriate and expecting employees to participate in practices of a religion they do not share is in contravention of Fundamental British Values - because it removes your right to religious freedom including the freedom to not be religious. If your boss allows it they are opening the company up to discrimination claims under UK law.

Not a cat in hell's chance I'd be letting this go.

. Posted twice - no idea how!

A faith school meeting is a very different situation to an ordinary workplace. We have prayer before our church council meetings.

I would not expect prayer before work meetings unless there was a clear rotation between all regions (with no religion also having a slot)

That's really different - a faith school is an explicitly religious organisation. A commitment to that is usually among the requirements for their governors. That is nothing like a random, non-religious workplace. Unless OP is about to dripfeed that she works for Christian Aid then it isn't the same.

I'm a practising Christian and would be deeply opposed to anyone doing this at work. It isn't appropriate. On a purely pragmatic level I also don't exactly see it being likely to prompt many conversions...

Can you not just keep silent and let them get on with it? I'm not religious and we don't pray in work but do other things that I don't agree with. Difference is that I won't try to stop other people from doing them even if I don't participate.

You're working with colleagues in the US for whom this is important. You could make a point but why? How would it serve you?

Get up and leave the room when the prayers start, and make sure this loony and everyone else at the meeting can see you walk out. Pop back with a cup of coffee a few mins later and if they're still going do some yoga in the back ground.

Prayers have no place in a secular work place.

US HQ but global offices… I’d love to see someone try to add this to a German team meeting 🤣🤣