Worker Questions Rights After Boss Dismisses Their Religion as Wrong

Despite the robust protections for religious freedoms established in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the former Trump administration's Office of Personnel Management released a memorandum titled, “Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace.” This directive potentially allows supervisors to persuade their subordinates to adopt their religious beliefs.Such entanglement of church and state could contribute to hostile workplaces and escalate religion-based discrimination claims, compromising individual beliefs. The memorandum states that employees can discuss religious topics, as long as efforts to convert others aren't harassing. Disturbingly, it places supervisors' rights on par with non-supervisory employees.Employees may find themselves pressured to conform to their boss’s beliefs, undermining the freedom of religion. With religious discrimination claims having notably declined, the new guidelines are questionable. Congress should intervene and revoke this directive, preserving the distinction between personal belief and professional obligation. Dr. Kendrick Roberson serves as national vice president for the American Federation of Government Employees.