Shall We Permit Namas (prayer) During Office Hours?

Dear vanitha,

I would suggest you to ask those muslim employees to take permission from the concerned authority. If the authority permits then they should be allowed otherwise ask them to offer namaz during their lunch breaks.If the time(15-20 mins) allotted is considered as wasted working hours then ask them to compensate it by working extra during lunch or after working hours(Overtime).I dont know much about other religions but except islam, no other religions have mantory daily prayers.And in islam it is must to offer in whatever situation you are in.Any namaz (except friday) should not take more than 15-20 mins maximum.I dont think that HR shoul be so strict that they can allot atleast 15-20 mins for religious prayer.My father is been working in India's one of the top leading automobile company.He is been working in chairmans(non-muslim) office for last 28 years.Chairman knows that he offers namaz but never restricted him to offer the same.He even has a long beard.But Chairman never insisted him to shave it.I know there are some HR policies to be followed on.And company rules and regulations differ company to company.But just think that a chairman of a company respects other religion ethics then why cant HR.I am not trying to defend my religion and people.I am just explaining my point of view.

THE ANSWER TO YOUR ISSUE IS SIMPLE:- IF COMPANY PERMITS THEM THEN IT IS WELL AND GOOD FOR THEM.BUT IF THEY ARE NOT PERMITTED THEN THEY SHOULD ADJUST THEIR PRAYERS DURING LUNCH HOURS.IF THIER NAMAZ AND WORSHIP IS REALLY UP TO THE MARK THEN ALLAH HIMSELF WILL SURELY MAKE THEM WAYS.

Hi All,
I feel the whole discussion is such a waste of time. This discussion is causing some people raised tempers, and others to have their own agenda.
According to me the main culprit in all these discussions is RELIGION itself.
Do you know the longest running CON in this world is the very concept of GOD.
If people could learn to live like animals without greed, and absolutely no need to do any kind of prayers, there will be lot of happiness and peace in this world.
NO GOD, No Prayers, No religion, = only PEACE and Harmony in the world.
peace
PNB

Dear Vanitha,
Let the people to do namas in time. 5 to 10 minutes is enough to do the namas in one time. Probably there will two namas in office time, one at noon another one at evening .Ask them to do namas during lunch break and evening tea break.
By FIROZKHAN

I think in this discussion people had started supporting their religious agenda apart from understanding the simple work ethics. Just imagine a situation where 1000 odd employees are working from different religions and everybody requests you for performing their religious rituals during working hours; how you would manage work, because it is not possible that timings will match for all those.
So I request that this discussion should be stopped with immidiate effect as it is only propagating religious fundamentalism.
Thanks

Dear Vanitha,

Thanks for the Question and believing in CiteHr site, Members/Seniors/Moderators as a Good Adviser.

There are many good suggestion given my all respected Seniors, Moderators & Members, some has taken sensitively, some has express Professionally and some as Generally.

So by different type of views I hope you can easy got the conclusion and able to implement or Handle this simple issue professionally.

I just want to mention few points as other did.

1, The mention issue is not big, so its not necessary to go with higher management attention, but for your safe side, you can address it.

(But keep in mind as a good person no one should effect by losing Job)

2, Only two Mandatory Prayer come in during office hours, so Afternoon Prayer (Zohar) can be merged along with lunch time and for Evening Pray (Asar) you can give just 15 mins.

3, If in case work getting effected, if four or five person leaving together for prayer, then you can request them to go two person at same time, and once they come back then other can go.

As prayer can also be offered individual or group of two or three person at a time.

4, You can suggest them to bring Prayer Rug/carpet along with them and allocate some small place in any area which should be clean and advice them to pray individual or in group of two person.

Further to avoid more delay going out in mosque and coming back. (This I used to Do at Present).

5, You should be informed to the employee’s who going for the Prayers, that the time allowing for the prayer is just for the prayers, so kindly don’t misuse it.

(The person who ask time for prayer he just mean it, but I knew some of them just misuse as said by many comments, suggestion, just to escape from work, which is really not tolerated)

6, Lastly, in my point of view, if a person offer prayers either Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Sikh, they offered by the bottom of heart and that make Him/Her to avoid think bad or do bad.

In which the productively of the company automatically increased.

So kindly take up this matter easily and implement some simple rules in the benefit of organizer as well as Employee.

Thanks.

India is a secular and not a communist country where every Indian enjoys full rights to practice his/her religion in private and also in public. It\'ll be wrong to say that we all should become communists or atheists when at office and again become religious and God-fearing when back at home. Afterall, we all know that most of us spend the major part of our day and many of us some part of evenings also at office. Hence, religious freedom cannot be curtailed at workplace and an Indian citizen has all the right to practice his/her religion even at workplace, although it should not hamper his/her official duties.

We are in a modern setup and at modern workplaces where we have enough liberty, flexibility, space and freedom and nobody these days works like slaves, hence there is no doubt that a brief break can definitely be given to offer prayers to people of every religion if they want to. Even if such liberty is given there still will be very less people who will actually pray since prayer is not entertainment and not all people enjoy praying, even when at home. However, if anyone is found misutilising or wasting that liberty then he can be questioned and counselled and appropriate action may be taken.

This is not a big issue, though a touchy one, and hence the discussions have gone so far on this issue. Had India not been a secular democratic country then the matter would have been different and the yardsticks would have been totally different. Let\'s try to value the secular and democratic fabric of our polity.

Dear All,

I thinks there is too much of discussion has been done on this topic & in between Vanitha is invisible...& i think that, she is also got more confuse after this.

Sorry to say that, but, we are discussing here irreverent about the praying.

When we are saying that, how much praying is important in any religious & very eager to prove that..but, in same time, how many rest of things are following as per said in respective religion..?

Why we do pray...? I believe that, prayer is create link & connection between god & us, which should be do honestly & from heart..so, that can be done, anytime, any day or in day or morning or night, evening etc any time..pray mean.u r remembering god & ask him to keep blessing on you.. then, why do we need the specific time remembering god..? & also, i believe that, none of religious say that, leave your work & do the pray. Where we Indian people believe as "Work is God" & putt poster in factories & work premisses & same was taught us at a time of out childhood, then how can we forget at time of performance..?

we should think in different way & even employees should also need to be educated. No need to do comparison from country to country, as it is very different with culture, peoples, mentality. etc.

I am extremely sorry if i hurt anyone's of emotions, but i can just say that, I am not against any religion.

Regards,

Tushar Swar.

Dear Vinitha...

All above suggestions are valuable and true.

Let me quote an live example of my own office based in Delhi, where CEO also belongs to ISLAMIC Religion, and many of our staff is also from same religion.

Being a muslim CEO too our employees are not allowed to offer NAMAZ on daily basis in office time, in a week on JUMA FRIDAY they are alloowed to go to MASZID and offer NAMAZ, but in office it is not allowed.

As you told your boss is not aware of this, it is bad part of matter, as an employee we can pray,worship or offer Namaz in office but we are not supposed to, as it is our business working place, and doing it on regular basis as a boss it cant be overlooked..if an office had 20 employees over all and similarly they started worship according to their relgion demand it willbe worst condition to control it, as you cant allow any one employee to do and cant stop others for same.

Hence as a manager you are aware of your office atmosphere,conditions, employees state of mind etc. slowly try to overcome this issue.

Hopefully i am clear in my view, we are there for work, we are not authorised to use office/business place to worship on regular /daily or eventualy basis.

Some times /some ocassions me be granted as a part of religion but on regular basis it is not tolerable.

Thanks & Regards

Manish Srivastava

+91- 96707- 66 888

Religion is a personal matter and should not be discussed in public forums, else this will turn into mud slinging. This issue has to be dealt with caution within organisation.
Regards
Umesh Kaushik

On what Tushar has to say reg religion and life, I\'m afraid but people have differing opinions and this is not the correct platform to do a deepdive into those things. Here the matter is very simple - whether to allow any religious activity that doesn\'t come in the way of official duties or not. Even I sometimes feel that religion has done us more bad than good, and that religion should be a strict No-No at workplace, but, being a secular democratic country that gives right to every citizen to practice and preach one\'s own religion, I\'m of the opinion that prayers can & should be allowed in limited way so as to not hamper work. If some people differ then they need to think first if they\'re disallowing the right of religious freedom to any citizen. Offices / workplaces / organizations are never above the country and it\'s constitution and whatever rights & duties the constitution provides to each citizen. Pl correct me if I\'m wrong.