Reasonable Accomodations for Religious Purposes - Friday Prayers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know 3 people at my agency who recently got approves for telework on Fridays to go to Mosque near their homes. They take religious leave and make up the hour another day of the week.

Thank you for this info. That’s excellent news.

[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.

But if you have flex time you can work around it.

NP. We can only flex start and end times, you still need to use leave for middle of the day things.

[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.

One would think that the religion would need go be an actual religion, not yoga class which is not a recognized religion.

[Anonymous]

It seems like all the atheist feds are trying to exploit this accommodation policy. It is the fed version of owners of untrained dog abusing disability protections to take their dogs everywhere they are banned.

It would be a shame if sincerely religious people like the original poster end up losing the accommodation because non practicing atheists start abusing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know 3 people at my agency who recently got approves for telework on Fridays to go to Mosque near their homes. They take religious leave and make up the hour another day of the week.

Genuine religious people aren't likely to abuse the policy and will do what you describe.

Non religious atheists will make up something stupid (like the yoga and sun posters) to exploit the policy and ruin it for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like all the atheist feds are trying to exploit this accommodation policy. It is the fed version of owners of untrained dog abusing disability protections to take their dogs everywhere they are banned.

It would be a shame if sincerely religious people like the original poster end up losing the accommodation because non practicing atheists start abusing it.

I think it's discriminatory against atheists for this policy to apply to something like prayer, but not for example a yoga class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like all the atheist feds are trying to exploit this accommodation policy. It is the fed version of owners of untrained dog abusing disability protections to take their dogs everywhere they are banned.

It would be a shame if sincerely religious people like the original poster end up losing the accommodation because non practicing atheists start abusing it.

I am not sure why religion should get more of an accommodation compared to anything else. Its none of your business what religion they are, whether they are sincere, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like all the atheist feds are trying to exploit this accommodation policy. It is the fed version of owners of untrained dog abusing disability protections to take their dogs everywhere they are banned.

It would be a shame if sincerely religious people like the original poster end up losing the accommodation because non practicing atheists start abusing it.

I am not sure why religion should get more of an accommodation compared to anything else. Its none of your business what religion they are, whether they are sincere, etc.

Remember who you're dealing with, here. From the OPM memo (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/latest-memos/reasonable-accommodations-for-religious-purposes/):

Since taking office, President Trump has made it a top priority to “ensur[e] that all executive departments and agencies (agencies) honor and enforce the Constitution’s guarantee of religious liberty” and “end[] any form of religious discrimination by the Federal Government.”1 Specifically, “[i]t shall be the policy of the executive branch to vigorously enforce the historic and robust protections for religious liberty enshrined in Federal law.”2 In addition, it is in the interest of the Federal government to recruit and retain highly-qualified employees of faith.

[Anonymous]

How many threads do we need on this? I see three right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many threads do we need on this? I see three right now.

Jeff appears to believe that we need only one, which is why he locked the other two.

[Anonymous]

Do your research before popping off. You will find a case where “Onionhead” was ruled a religion. Yoga and Sun Worshiping count as religions people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like all the atheist feds are trying to exploit this accommodation policy. It is the fed version of owners of untrained dog abusing disability protections to take their dogs everywhere they are banned.

It would be a shame if sincerely religious people like the original poster end up losing the accommodation because non practicing atheists start abusing it.

What's the definition of a sincerely religious person? Do you have to believe in god?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 3 people at my agency who recently got approves for telework on Fridays to go to Mosque near their homes. They take religious leave and make up the hour another day of the week.

Genuine religious people aren't likely to abuse the policy and will do what you describe.

Non religious atheists will make up something stupid (like the yoga and sun posters) to exploit the policy and ruin it for everyone.

Not everyone can be disabled but any person can become genuinely religious at any moment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like all the atheist feds are trying to exploit this accommodation policy. It is the fed version of owners of untrained dog abusing disability protections to take their dogs everywhere they are banned.

It would be a shame if sincerely religious people like the original poster end up losing the accommodation because non practicing atheists start abusing it.

I am not sure why religion should get more of an accommodation compared to anything else. Its none of your business what religion they are, whether they are sincere, etc.

Remember who you're dealing with, here. From the OPM memo (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/latest-memos/reasonable-accommodations-for-religious-purposes/):

Since taking office, President Trump has made it a top priority to “ensur[e] that all executive departments and agencies (agencies) honor and enforce the Constitution’s guarantee of religious liberty” and “end[] any form of religious discrimination by the Federal Government.”1 Specifically, “[i]t shall be the policy of the executive branch to vigorously enforce the historic and robust protections for religious liberty enshrined in Federal law.”2 In addition, it is in the interest of the Federal government to recruit and retain highly-qualified employees of faith.

Liberty is my religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 3 people at my agency who recently got approves for telework on Fridays to go to Mosque near their homes. They take religious leave and make up the hour another day of the week.

Genuine religious people aren't likely to abuse the policy and will do what you describe.

Non religious atheists will make up something stupid (like the yoga and sun posters) to exploit the policy and ruin it for everyone.

Some people convert to Christianity because they went to prison for murder or rape. Why is it any concern of yours if I become Muslim so I no longer have a hellish commute?