Reasonable Accomodations for Religious Purposes - Friday Prayers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a Christian who is about to request Friday telework to attend an in-person prayer group at my church on Friday mornings. The June 16 OPM is so broad and so tilted toward the employee that I figure why not try this. I think you should definitely request it. No one but your supervisor needs to know the details. Good luck! 👍

Do you have enough leave to cover the time off to attend?

Read the memo. Telework accommodation for time-specific prayers. The burden shifts to agency to establish undue hardship.

I know the fed haters on DCUM will go apoplectic.

Not the PP but I read the memo and nowhere in there does it say someone doesn’t have to take leave for these things, only that they should be allowed to telework. Telework does not equal go to church (or the gym or grocery shopping). That mindset is what got us here in the first place.

Exactly. Praying =/= working for a check paid by taxpayers

It's pretty obvious the assumption here is that someone will shift their workday around to cover the time away for prayers and start earlier or work later to cover the time away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the risk is the accommodation they offer you is being able to work 4x10s in the office. Remember with the RA process you do not get to pick the accommodation.

What do you mean you don’t get to pick the accommodation in the context of a religious RA? Isn’t the request for TW, maxiflex etc part of the justification?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the risk is the accommodation they offer you is being able to work 4x10s in the office. Remember with the RA process you do not get to pick the accommodation.

What do you mean you don’t get to pick the accommodation in the context of a religious RA? Isn’t the request for TW, maxiflex etc part of the justification?

Let's say, for example, you want to pray a few times per day. The agency can say ok here's a room you can use for that, no TW. Let's say the church service you want is at 12 but there are others at different times. You don't get to pick the specific service you want to go to. I think it will be hard to use this process for recurring TW but of course I dont know the details of everyone religion that exists out there. I think using it intermittently, like say for Catholic holy days of obligation or something, is more likely to be successful.

[Anonymous]

I just spoke to my supervisor about the new OPM guidance. I don’t have to provide any details. I simply have to state in my request that for genuinely held religious reasons I desire to pray during regular breaks on Fridays. I requested a Friday telework accommodation for a “time-specific religious practice” and that was it.

My boss said the memo basically shifts the burden to agencies to establish solid reasons for denying such requests. They can’t question the religion (it can be anything, even yoga with a spiritual bent), the practice (it can be anything, as long as it’s characterized by the employee as prayer or practice), or the length of employee’s commitment to the religion (I could have adopted it yesterday).

The only way to deny is to document how and why teleworking imposes “undue hardship” on the agency. Scott Kapur of OPM wrote the memo and he’s also the force behind the new policy that allows employees to try to convert colleagues during working hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just spoke to my supervisor about the new OPM guidance. I don’t have to provide any details. I simply have to state in my request that for genuinely held religious reasons I desire to pray during regular breaks on Fridays. I requested a Friday telework accommodation for a “time-specific religious practice” and that was it.

My boss said the memo basically shifts the burden to agencies to establish solid reasons for denying such requests. They can’t question the religion (it can be anything, even yoga with a spiritual bent), the practice (it can be anything, as long as it’s characterized by the employee as prayer or practice), or the length of employee’s commitment to the religion (I could have adopted it yesterday).

The only way to deny is to document how and why teleworking imposes “undue hardship” on the agency. Scott Kapur of OPM wrote the memo and he’s also the force behind the new policy that allows employees to try to convert colleagues during working hours.

Interesting. We just fired someone for that last week. (Large IT Company)

[Anonymous]

Please do it, and please pursue it if you aren't accommodated. All religions should be treated equally. If this administration doesn't want to accommodate Muslims, it shouldn't be allowed to give the same accommodations to other faiths.

[Anonymous]

Is an RA required if it's a one time thing rather than weekly? Thinking about something like a specific holiday observance rather than daily or weekly practice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just spoke to my supervisor about the new OPM guidance. I don’t have to provide any details. I simply have to state in my request that for genuinely held religious reasons I desire to pray during regular breaks on Fridays. I requested a Friday telework accommodation for a “time-specific religious practice” and that was it.

My boss said the memo basically shifts the burden to agencies to establish solid reasons for denying such requests. They can’t question the religion (it can be anything, even yoga with a spiritual bent), the practice (it can be anything, as long as it’s characterized by the employee as prayer or practice), or the length of employee’s commitment to the religion (I could have adopted it yesterday).

The only way to deny is to document how and why teleworking imposes “undue hardship” on the agency. Scott Kapur of OPM wrote the memo and he’s also the force behind the new policy that allows employees to try to convert colleagues during working hours.

Is there paperwork you have to fill out or or this entirely via email? We don’t have an HR office any longer at my agency so lacking on details.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a Christian who is about to request Friday telework to attend an in-person prayer group at my church on Friday mornings. The June 16 OPM is so broad and so tilted toward the employee that I figure why not try this. I think you should definitely request it. No one but your supervisor needs to know the details. Good luck! 👍

Do you have enough leave to cover the time off to attend?

Read the memo. Telework accommodation for time-specific prayers. The burden shifts to agency to establish undue hardship.

I know the fed haters on DCUM will go apoplectic.

Not the PP but I read the memo and nowhere in there does it say someone doesn’t have to take leave for these things, only that they should be allowed to telework. Telework does not equal go to church (or the gym or grocery shopping). That mindset is what got us here in the first place.

Exactly. Praying =/= working for a check paid by taxpayers

It's pretty obvious the assumption here is that someone will shift their workday around to cover the time away for prayers and start earlier or work later to cover the time away.

What about core hours? Right now we have to use sick leave if we schedule a dr appt during core hours and can telework the rest of the time (or schedule after core hours, use no sick time and telework the full day). I assume the same would apply to some random prayer group that meets during core hours, no?

[Anonymous]

My manager said he will basically approve everything because how would he judge and opm made it very broad. He is generally a rule follower so be us following the memo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a Christian who is about to request Friday telework to attend an in-person prayer group at my church on Friday mornings. The June 16 OPM is so broad and so tilted toward the employee that I figure why not try this. I think you should definitely request it. No one but your supervisor needs to know the details. Good luck! 👍

Do you have enough leave to cover the time off to attend?

Read the memo. Telework accommodation for time-specific prayers. The burden shifts to agency to establish undue hardship.

I know the fed haters on DCUM will go apoplectic.

Not the PP but I read the memo and nowhere in there does it say someone doesn’t have to take leave for these things, only that they should be allowed to telework. Telework does not equal go to church (or the gym or grocery shopping). That mindset is what got us here in the first place.

Exactly. Praying =/= working for a check paid by taxpayers

It's pretty obvious the assumption here is that someone will shift their workday around to cover the time away for prayers and start earlier or work later to cover the time away.

What about core hours? Right now we have to use sick leave if we schedule a dr appt during core hours and can telework the rest of the time (or schedule after core hours, use no sick time and telework the full day). I assume the same would apply to some random prayer group that meets during core hours, no?

I think that depends on how much your agency is going to push back on whether that is an undue hardship to accommodate within core hours. Some agencies have stricter core hours than others.

[Anonymous]

I’m hearing too that management at my agency is granting RAs no questions asked (too dicey to second guess a person’s sincerely held religious beliefs). We just email a request to our direct supervisor, whether it’s for a repeating event or a single religious holiday. We don’t have core hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the risk is the accommodation they offer you is being able to work 4x10s in the office. Remember with the RA process you do not get to pick the accommodation.

What do you mean you don’t get to pick the accommodation in the context of a religious RA? Isn’t the request for TW, maxiflex etc part of the justification?

Let's say, for example, you want to pray a few times per day. The agency can say ok here's a room you can use for that, no TW. Let's say the church service you want is at 12 but there are others at different times. You don't get to pick the specific service you want to go to. I think it will be hard to use this process for recurring TW but of course I dont know the details of everyone religion that exists out there. I think using it intermittently, like say for Catholic holy days of obligation or something, is more likely to be successful.

My agency won't provide a prayer room that points toward Mecca. Honestly when I applied they didn't even ask any specifics, probably because I would have sued my supervisor if they tried to give me a broom closet as a prayer room. The OPM memo is one of the most liberal telework policies, so long as you are religious. DC used to rely on LGBTQ people to always be in the office but now it's going to be all the atheists doing the commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have any Muslims successfully applied for an RA to attend Friday (Jummah) prayers? I’m a child of 9/11 and have spent my entire career trying to fly under the radar as a Muslim. I never say why I’m off for Eid, I don’t tell anyone I’m fasting unless I have to, no one knows I pray in my office. However, I’m at the point where being a fed sucks so bad, why not seek out this one accommodation and attend Friday prayers at my mosque every single week? I am worried about perceptions but I know I have a reputation for being hard working and capable.

Has anyone else thought about it or applied for it?

My DH is very religious about his prayers but he doesn't agree with seeking accommodations if it forces other people to reshuffle their schedules. He feels its rude and unprofessional to inconvenience others for your religious obligations. God gave permission to do missed prayers another time for a reason, you can't do it on time every time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have any Muslims successfully applied for an RA to attend Friday (Jummah) prayers? I’m a child of 9/11 and have spent my entire career trying to fly under the radar as a Muslim. I never say why I’m off for Eid, I don’t tell anyone I’m fasting unless I have to, no one knows I pray in my office. However, I’m at the point where being a fed sucks so bad, why not seek out this one accommodation and attend Friday prayers at my mosque every single week? I am worried about perceptions but I know I have a reputation for being hard working and capable.

Has anyone else thought about it or applied for it?

You don't need to be apologetic, just do your own thing without inconveniencing others. Imho as a muslim, diverse work places aren't meant to display individual religions. If its your free time and you are doing prayer in your room with a closed door or in meditation room etc, its perfectly fine and nobody's business but don't do it while on the clock, no matter its prayer or smoking or internet browsing.