U.S. federal workers, including supervisors, are now allowed to encourage colleagues to join their religion—so long as it’s not considered harassment—according to a new directive from the Office of Personnel Management.
The memo, issued Monday by agency director Scott Kuper, cites protections against religious discrimination and frames the change as part of then-President Donald Trump’s push to bolster religious freedom.
It permits actions such as praying at work, wearing religious attire, and even “attempting to persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views,” as long as it’s not coercive.
Workers may also encourage coworkers to pray, “to the same extent that they would be permitted to encourage coworkers to participate in other personal activities.”
Supervisors are also included: “The constitutional rights of supervisors to engage in such conversations should not be distinguished from non-supervisory employees by the nature of their supervisory roles,” the directive states.
Employees, however, cannot be punished for declining to engage in religious discussions.
The memo also covers interactions with the public. A park ranger leading a tour, for instance, “may join her tour group in prayer,” and a Veterans Affairs doctor “may pray over his patient for recovery.”
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