So, I'm sitting in my office today and a supervisor comes in and says, "I have a complaint and I need to know how to handle it". I asked him what the complaint was. He said, "I have an employee who leaves his work station several times a day, goes behind the machinery, gets on his knees and prays". Hmmmmm, I said.
He continued, "Yeah, it's really getting to me, it needs to stop. Isn't there some sort of law that says employees can't pray at work?" I answered, "Actually, there are laws that state an employee DOES have the right to pray...freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of...", you get the idea. He just looks blankly at me.
Then I asked him if the employee is being disruptive. He said, "No". I asked if he's trying to get other employees to pray with him. He said "No". I asked if he was loud when he was praying. He said, "No". I asked if he was praying while he was supposed to be working (in other words, not at break) and he said, "Yeah, that's the one...that's it...he's praying when he's supposed to be working and I don't like it".
So I said, "Why don't you just change his normal break times to accommodate his regularly scheduled "prayer" time and that way it works out for both people?"
The supervisor didn't like that. He said, "I don't know what he's praying for, it bothers me". I said, "Maybe he's praying for you". He said, "I doubt it, we're not that close". (Ok, so now I'm struggling to stop from laughing...'cause it's kinda funny. I mean really, 2 weeks ago I'm dealing with bomb threats, employees drinking at work, and fights...now this guy wants me to jump all over praying...quietly...from behind machinery...away from everyone. Come on, are you serious?) It broke down to this, the employee's break times were changed in order to accommodate his prayer time and he has to go somewhere outside of the actual work area. Out of sight...out of mind.
