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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.