Balancing Religious Practices at Work: How Do You Handle Prayer Requests in the Office?

With the Ramadan season approaching, we have a couple of employees requesting that they be allowed to perform their prayers in the office. As a policy, we do not encourage any overt displays of religious practice in the office. How do you deal with this?

P.S. There is no space that can be allotted that is not used by all.

Thanks,
Tracy

You can give them time to pray in a mosque nearby. If this is not possible, a meeting room can be spared for them to pray as long as they do not disturb anyone else. This festival is for a period of one month, and Muslims are required to pray 5 times a day.

By allowing this, you will be creating an inclusive culture. It will be useful to align the leadership team in your office/company that you plan to allow this as a very inclusive measure.

Hi,

Please communicate to the employees that no preferences can be given to people from any religion. Granting a leverage now may become uncontrollable in the future, especially in a country like India where there are many religions with different worship practices. It is essential that no organization allows religion, caste, or creed to influence its operations.

Thank you,
Ajithaa

Ramzan is a very important month for Muslims. They should be allowed to perform Namaz in any spacious room. It will create faith for the organization. That our organization gives importance to our emotions and it will support you to retain your employees in your organization.

Hi,

I recommend that no religious activities be conducted inside the premises. Today is Ramzan, this weekend is Ganesh Chaturthi, and next week is something else. There is no use for this. Office space is not meant for religious activities. However, you need to be polite when refusing.

Space for religious activities inside the office shall not be permitted. If there is a mosque nearby, you can grant them special permission or adjust their work hours to make up for any time lost during the festival.

Regards,
Vijayakumar

Hi,

I would suggest the same as others. There should not be special interest or attention towards a particular religion. We can refuse their obligation politely.

Aarthi

Hi,

I was interested to know what practice was being followed in your organization before you joined. Obviously, festivals come every year - so find out what was being done in the past. The suggestion of giving time off to visit the local mosque is most practical, rather than giving office space. Having said this, there are people who keep pictures of deities on their tables/softboards, which I think can be permitted.

All the best.

Regards,
Ryan

Hi,

Giving time to pray in a nearby mosque is the best. However, it may happen that the mosque is too far, and it can take a huge amount of travel time and expense. 😱 In this case, it would be great if you could somehow manage to provide some small space for prayers. Praying doesn't take more than 10 minutes and also doesn't require a big hall or meeting room. It just requires a 4 x 2-foot space to offer the prayers. Even some archival room, filing room, or some space in the corner can be adjusted. 💡

Offering prayers five times a day is compulsory for Muslims and recommended to pray in the mosque. But, as I mentioned, due to some issues, they must be requesting you. Anyway, this is up to the sole concern about the company's decision, but it will be very helpful in increasing trust in the company. 🙂

Hi,

We had made it our company's policy not to allow any concessions for any religious practices. We strictly adhered to them, and they worked very well.

My advice is, don't allow any concessions. You will find it difficult to manage.

Cyril

We have seen in many of the MNC companies that they allow praying in store/electrical rooms, and they even provide space in the gym during non-working hours. This encourages trust in the employees' minds about the HR taking care of the employees in any condition.

In the earlier reply, it is mentioned that it doesn't take much time (approximately 10 minutes) and a 4x2 space. Also, there are big deity sculptures kept at the entrance of many companies where they state that they do not give any preference to any religion.

The request is not to hurt the sentiments of anyone.

Balancing Religious Practices in the Workplace

The Indian Constitution allows each citizen to practice their religion as they see fit, but religion should be a personal matter, not a public one. Therefore, no company-sponsored Ganesh/Saraswathi idols, pictures, poojas, or conducting prayers within the office space should be encouraged.

However, it would be beneficial to create a meditation space accessible to people of all faiths. This space would allow employees to take some time for themselves, reflect, or simply take a break from the stressful work environment. Employees should be free to decorate their personal space with pictures they like. This approach helps in taking care of your employees' well-being.

Regards

Hello Tracy,

It's best that you adhere strictly to your policy. If you make allowances for one religion, the requests will be endless, and you will have a bigger problem on hand later on.

Regards,
Vineeta

I would like to differ with the opinion of Mr. Vineet Raj. Strictness or rigidity in HR policies can prove to be counterproductive. It should not be treated as a religion in the office; rather, cultural diversity in an organization must be managed with tact and skill by HR. Some facilities must be provided to staff of different cultures, religions, and sects so that their emotions or sentiments are not hurt. Instead, they should feel obliged to the management for such extended facilities, which encourage them to be more productive and loyal to the organization and management.

If you compare the cultural diversity of India with some Gulf countries, you would be astonished to know that India does not have the same level of diversity as the Gulf countries. For example, Qatar, a small Gulf country, has more than 80% of its population constituted by expatriates, while only 20% are natives of Qatar. They all come from different ethnic, cultural, national, religious, and political backgrounds. Thus, not only companies and corporations but also government offices consist of a huge cultural and religious diversity in their official systems.

Contrarily, most employees in Indian organizations are natives of India, whether they are Hindu, Muslim, or Christian. So, if that country can manage well and extend facilities to the religious sects to perform their rites, why can't Indian organizations do the same? In fact, in the official system, we should not give any religious color but rather treat cultures equally. Giving religious cover does not ensure impartiality towards a particular sect. That sometimes proves to be a source of conflict between different sects, causing dirty politics in offices.

Managing Human Resources

In terms of managing human resources, a management expert, Senyucel (2009), states: "People are very complex creatures. Not a single person thinks, feels, sees, hears, tastes, understands, and behaves the same way. We all come from different ethnic, cultural, national, religious, and political backgrounds. This makes each and every one of us unique with a different set of morals, beliefs, and values" (Senyucel, 2009, p.7).

Thus, diversity has a great impact on our lives, priorities, and workplaces. If you respect and manage diversity with due respect, the employees of those sects would respect you.

I don't think any office lacks space to facilitate namaz for Muslims. Even some employees try to do namaz while sitting near their own seating arrangement. That is just a few minutes' job for them, not creating any hurdle in anybody's official performance.

Navroz has perfectly replied. Yes, there is something known as the "Spiritual Room" or meditation rooms in some corporates in India and also in Singapore. In these rooms, employees can relax, do yoga, or pray (any religion) without disturbing others or displaying any deities/idols/photo frames. If firms provide a small space to employees (4x6), this solves the problem.

It has become a tradition in corporates in India where employees celebrate Christmas/Ganesha Chaturthi either sponsored by the employer or through employee contributions. Therefore, there is no question of controversy, dispute, or any ill feelings as long as it does not harm the firm and the interest of the organization. Some small companies in India have provided space for prayers on the terrace of the facility.

Room/Space for Namaz in Companies

In light of the discussions on the above subject, the following points may be considered:

Many companies celebrate and spend on Ayudha Puja, Ganesh Festival, and other local festivals to fulfill the wishes of employees. Even some government companies and offices do this to keep employees happy. Many companies assist employees going to Sabarimala by adjusting shifts and accumulating leave to help them with their annual pilgrimage, which is very important for many in South India. Some companies provide gyms, yoga, and sports like tennis, volleyball, and carrom to keep employees fit and happy.

In the case of Muslims, especially during Ramadan, some companies provide a room or space for Namaz, which takes about 15 minutes without obstructing their work. As they are fasting and abstain from eating and even drinking water during the day, their lunch hour is permitted for Namaz. Since Namaz is compulsory for Muslims, especially during the fasting month, providing space for Namaz can win the goodwill of Muslim employees who also contribute to the growth of the company. Allowing them to go to a mosque, which may not be nearby, does not help them perform Namaz. Namaz is a silent act and does not disturb anyone. The Azan, the loud call for Namaz, is not done since it is not a mosque but a small room for Namaz.

Companies, as model employers trying to fulfill the wishes of all, need not reject providing a room for Namaz as it does not cost anything extra. Muslim employees should ensure that their work and others' work are not affected by their going for Namaz. Also, the room should not be misused for sleeping and must be locked after Namaz.

Pious acts of all can be respected, and it is not intended to hurt anyone's feelings or cause ill-will among anybody.

Regards, Neyimkhan